Long Island Rail Road
The MTA Long Iceland Railroad, also abbreviated LIRR (pronounced "LI -double -R ") is a railway company in the United States. It operates on the island of Long Iceland between New York and its eastern suburbs a route network, which is mainly traveled by commuter trains for commuters to and from New York. It is the most used transportation system in North America. Each year approximately 81 million passengers are carried. In addition, it is the oldest U.S. railroad company that consistently operates under the same name since its founding. Along the two main lines of the LIRR to the tips of Long Island and the eight principal axes, there are 124 stations and more than 700 miles ( 1100 km ) of track. Every weekday, the LIRR carries 282,410 passengers. It is in the public domain of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In addition to the commuter trains, the LIRR trains operate for passengers from New York and its suburbs in the eastern Long Island, including the Cannonball Express to lying on the south coast of the island Hamptons, the travel on this route since the 1890s.
Route network
The distances of up to about 70 kilometers from New York are predominantly laterally arranged by one next to the track, electrified top coated with 750 V power rail. This electrification is mechanically compatible with the electrification of the New York subway, but has a higher voltage. The routes branch off in up to eleven branches. The electrified lines are mainly traveled by motor coach. For the operation of the more remote routes are the locomotive-hauled trains with diesel or dual power locomotives that run on both power rail as well as in diesel mode used. In Manhattan, the Long Iceland Railroad is always electrically powered, so you have from more distant places coming either change or take a direct train, pulled by a Universallok to reach Manhattan's Penn Station directly. Another three terminal stations are located in the New York districts, one in Brooklyn and two in Queens. It will take place construction work to expand the route network by an additional tunnel connection, the East Side Access to Grand Central Station in New York. Further considerations were held to extend the line ending in Brooklyn through a tunnel in the southern Manhattan, which will be pushed with low priority.
The not completely electrified routes run by
- Montauk Branch to Montauk ( on the south coast to the east), electrified by Babylon
- Ronkonkoma Branch to Greenport ( on the north coast to the east), electrified to Ronkonkoma
- Port Jefferson Branch to Port Jefferson ( on the north coast about the middle ), electrified by Huntington
- Oyster Bay Branch to Oyster Bay ( on the north coast, just west of the center), electrified by East Willingston
Consideration is to completely electrify the Port Jefferson Branch, the Ronkonkoma Branch to Riverhead and Montauk Branch to Speonk or Patchogue.
History
In 1900 the Pennsylvania Railroad bought the Long Iceland Railroad on. Thus, she succeeded by rail from the east to reach the island of Manhattan as before it only the New York Central and the New Haven succeeded from the north. All other rail lines ended up on the west side of the Hudson River. In Manhattan, the Pennsylvania Railroad opened in 1913, Penn Station, including the tunnel runs and electrified with DC power rail access routes. To the west of this station, however, the current rail operations in 1934 was converted to overhead line with high-tension alternating current, on Long Iceland not. Until 1966, the Pennsylvania ran the LIRR. Thereafter, it was sold to the MTA, the New York City transit operation, the previously operating only underground trains, trams and buses.
Atlantic Avenue Tunnel
The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel as Cobble Hill Tunnel known, almost 500 meters long section of the railway was initially built in a ditch and 1850 vaulted. It was Atlantic Avenue, which is why the tunnel is referred to in the literature as isolated first underground railway in the world. However, there was a railway tunnel without stations. It was decommissioned in 1861.
Vehicle park
On the electrical lines, the Long Iceland Railroad is currently a railcar of the rows M1 to M3 and M7, with those of the Metro-North Railroad are largely identical, only the busbars are painted from above at the Long Iceland Railroad. Previously MP 54 railcars were used, the contemporary coaches or railcars PRR catenary corresponded in its design.
For diesel-powered routes EMD diesel locomotives of the series EN 30 AC -DM and DE 30 AC are used, the DM locomotives are equipped for busbar operation and thus can carry the trains to Penn Station in Manhattan Iceland. They parted from locomotives of the Alco FPA -2 and FPA -4 and other Alco designs.
Today, mainly double-deck cars from Bombardier in these services are used. Single-deck Coaches are no longer available.
Future
In 2002 it was proposed to merge the MTA daughters Metro-North Railroad and MTA LIRR to Railroad. The merger efforts were so far not pursued further.