More track work at Penn Station to affect Amtrak, LIRR service

Better than the Summer of Hell, though

The summer of hell has come to a close, only to usher in the winter of our discontent: Amtrak will soon begin (more) repairs at Penn Station.

This round won't be as dramatic as the repairs this summer, when Amtrak, LIRR, and NJ Transit were all affected in various ways during rush hour, but it will not be subtle, either. The New York Daily News reports that "the federal rail agency will need to fully reconstruct three tracks the LIRR uses—tracks 15, 18, and 19—one at a time."

According to an Amtrak press release, the work will involve "renew[ing] and replac[ing] three turnouts in 'C' Interlocking, which is at the east end of the station and directs Amtrak and Long Island Rail Road trains to routes heading east and to Sunnyside Yard."

It is not yet clear how that will affect Long Island Rail Road service—LIRR President Patrick Nowakowski told the NYDN they were not yet ready to get into details—but he did offer a read on what to expect: "It will be much more than we experienced this fall, it will not be as much as we experienced last summer."

In practical terms: Amtrak will be closing the trio of tracks at different times starting on January 5, affecting service on trains from Washington and Pennsylvania.

Per a press release, these are the changes that Amtrak commuters can expect as a result of this track work:

Amtrak is cancelling Northeast Regional Trains 110 from Washington, D.C. (WAS) to New York Penn Station (NYP) and 127 from NYP to WAS

Northbound Keystone Train 640 will terminate at Newark Penn Station

Southbound Keystone Train 643 will originate at Newark Penn Station

Southbound Train 173 will stop at Newark Airport

Southbound Trains 129, 193 and 653 will all have earlier departure times.

Train 170 will also depart WAS early, stop at North Philadelphia and Cornwells Heights and resume its schedule from Trenton

Long Island Rail Road and NJ TRANSIT are also expected to announce service schedule adjustments. The work, which is slated to wrap up on May 28, will take place primarily on weekends.

• Amtrak planning more Penn Station track repairs, but less dramatic than 'Summer of Hell' [New York Daily News]
• Penn Station's service changes and track work, explained [Curbed NY]