LIRR bolsters winter weather response plan

The Long Island Rail Road spent a year bracing itself for a winter that never really came, and now says it will be better prepared to battle its fiercest enemies -- the snow, ice and switch-freezing temperatures that cause service disruptions and rider misery.

A bolstered fleet of snow equipment, strategic deployment of work crews, special train schedules and improved communication with riders are all part of the LIRR's new winter response plan. And LIRR president Helena Williams is glad she hasn't had to use it.

"It's been just a remarkable, wonderful winter, and everybody's enjoying it. But it's not over yet," Williams said. "We are remaining diligent. We are remaining ready at all times . . . should we actually start getting real winter weather again."

The LIRR's stepped-up snow plan comes a year after being battered by one of the most treacherous winters in its 177-year history. It peaked with a Dec. 26, 2010, blizzard that shut down the railroad for nearly a full day, and caused widespread cancellations and delays for another two days. The biggest issue was the amount of snow that fell -- as much as 20 inches in some places -- creating problems keeping the tracks clear. Subsequent snowstorms in January and February last year caused even more problems for riders.

New snow-removal equipment

To more quickly get snow off the tracks in the future, the LIRR has spent $2.7 million on new equipment, which is not expected to arrive before the end of the winter. That includes two plowing machines and three new jet-powered snowblowers that will replace three old ones.

The LIRR first began looking at buying the new equipment, built to its specifications, early in 2011.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

The railroad should have gotten one of the new plows last month, but the manufacturer, Nordco Inc. of Oak Creek, Wis., built the plow too wide and it touched the electrified third rail that it should not.

LIRR officials said Nordco is fixing the problem at its own expense, but the $438,000 machine won't be delivered before May. Nordco officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The other plow, which costs $1.5 million, was ordered only last month and won't arrive until February 2013. LIRR officials said it was a specialized purchase not subject to competitive bidding, and a lengthier approval process contributed to the delay in ordering it.

Still, Williams said she is confident the LIRR's "robust" existing fleet of snow equipment, which includes 15 different machines, can get the job done.

LIRR Commuter Council chairman Mark Epstein is not convinced.

"I think we're all lucky that there was no snow," said Epstein, whose group pushed the LIRR to buy new equipment following last year's brutal winter. "We just hope that it comes in and it's tested and ready for next winter. We've asked them, 'Do you need more?' They say what they've ordered is adequate for their needs. I guess we'll find out."

Under its new strategy, the LIRR, rather than trying to maintain regular service during a severe snowstorm, will aim to prioritize certain parts of the system -- such as the "Big 4" busiest lines of Port Washington, Babylon, Ronkonkoma and Port Jefferson between New York City and Huntington -- and let customers know what they can expect.

To that end, railroad officials have created and issued new "storm recovery timetables" that include various modified schedules, depending on the severity of the weather.

Storm timetables predictableThe timetables offer a measure of predictability during service disruptions. They also address one of last winter's biggest headaches -- the technologically balky automated billboards and audio announcements that could take up to 13 hours to update during a major service disruption. The LIRR now can pre-load the storm recovery timetables into the system, and have them updated in under two hours.

Designating specific levels of reduced service also helps focus LIRR work crews' efforts. As part of the new strategy, LIRR chief engineer Robert Puciloski and his team identified the specific switching locations -- from the 750 throughout the LIRR system -- that need to be protected to run the reduced schedules.

Going forward, workers will be deployed directly to those designated switches to monitor them throughout a storm and make sure they don't freeze over or get buried under snow. In the past, those workers were deployed to switch sites only as needed.

"We're going to temporarily move those people away from the stations that we don't have to shovel, because we're not running service, and we'll use them at the switch locations to keep the switches clean," Puciloski said.

David Rangel, founder of the Modoc Railroad Academy in Madison, Calif., said he is "impressed" with the LIRR's overall, updated approach to winter weather.

"I think that's pretty aggressive," said Rangel, who applauded the LIRR for coming up with new ways to battle railroading's oldest problem -- weather. "This is realizing that 'business as usual' is not good enough. That's a very progressive step."