Officials: LIRR Third Track project getting 'back on track' after mishaps

The Long Island Rail Road’s Third Track project is ramping up again, with new safety protocols in place, following a string of construction mishaps earlier this year, officials said.

At a meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board Wednesday, MTA chief development officer Janno Lieber said a "schedule recovery effort" is underway, as the agency looks to make up lost time on the project, which was suspended for about a month between March and April.

Lieber said he was confident the $2.6 billion project, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2022, would get "back on track." An MTA spokesman said the project remains on schedule, and that the measures being taken aim to ensure it remains that way.

Construction work on the project was suspended following a March 13 incident in which a contracted ironworker suffered a severe electric shock after touching steel being hoisted by a crane that made contact with electrified overhead cables. MTA officials said they subsequently learned that a contractor violated several safety protocols leading up to the incident.

LIRR union leaders had previously raised concerns about the safety practices of outside contractors, following several other incidents, including the March 8 demolition of an electrical substation in Mineola that resulted in four LIRR workers being trapped inside an adjacent building partially buried in debris.

Last week, Lieber said he met with Anthony Simon, who heads the LIRR’s largest union, safety consultant Tom Prendergast — a former LIRR president and MTA chairman — and other project officials at a Mineola work site to discuss workers’ concerns.

"We had a very productive conversation about how do we continue to grow the scale of work while improving communication and collaboration on all fronts," Lieber said.

In an interview, Simon said enhanced safety protocols already in place include having PSEG representatives present when carrying out work involving overhead utility wires, and holding meetings whenever the scope of scheduled work is changed.

"I think the conversation and walk-through was a very positive step in the right direction," said Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. "Speed before safety is not acceptable."

Proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in 2016, the Main Line Expansion project aims to build a 9.8-mile third track between Floral Park and Hicksville — increasing the railroad’s capacity to operate trains, and to recover from unplanned service disruptions.

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.