Disruptions This Weekend On LIRR's Busiest Branch
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - A major signal upgrade will knock out service this weekend on the Long Island Rail Road's busiest branch.
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond: Shuttle Buses Can Be Avoided
Podcast
Shuttle buses will be replacing trains between Freeport and Babylon as the LIRR completes work on a $23 million signal and switching upgrade.
LINK: Complete MTA Details on the Disruption
"When this system is completed, we will have redundancy right in Bablyon, so that if we do have any issues that effect the system, we have the back-up and the teams of employees right at the same location," says LIRR president Helena Williams.
Williams says riders can avoid the buses by driving to alternate stations in Freeport, Hicksville, Farmingdale, Bethpage, Wyandanch, and Deer Park.
This is the LIRR's fourth major signal project in three years.
"We do these signal cutovers so that we can upgrade and modernize," says Williams.
She says the railroad has added 15 miles of new fiber-optic signal cable and eight computerized switches in Amityville and Wantagh.
