Metro-North Railroad

Making way for the futureKeith Regan learns how a multimillion-dollar project to upgrade a rail yard that hadnÔÇÖt kept up with the times will enable Metro-North Railroad to save time and money. On the average weekday during 2007, more than a quarter of a million people took Metro-North trains into and out of New York City. Approximately half were traditional commuters heading to and from downtown Manhattan. The other half were using the railroad because it has become an attractive alternative to the single-occupancy vehicle. The Metro-North Railroad is not only one of the busiest in the country; itÔÇÖs regularly ranked among the tops in terms of on-time performance and overall quality. The rail line has won the American Public Transportation AssociationÔÇÖs Outstanding Achievement Award three times in the past 15 years.The railroad, which covers 384 route miles and serves 120 stations in New York and Connecticut, is marking its 25th year under its current ownership. Metro-North was created in 1983 when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority took over the system from Conrail. The rising cost of gasoline, increased traffic on area roads and the railroadÔÇÖs improved performance and comfort have all led to growth in ridership, says Michael Sickenius, director of shops, yard and environment in Metro-NorthÔÇÖs Capital Engineering division and a 34-year veteran of the railroad. Growth has been steady and strong over those years, but some of the railroadÔÇÖs service capabilities had not kept pace. The Croton-Harmon Railroad Yard on the railroadÔÇÖs Hudson Line, which connects Grand Central Terminal to Poughkeepsie, was a glaring example of that discrepancy. ÔÇ£Every year since 1983 weÔÇÖve been improving service through our capital programsÔÇöadding new trains, improving stationsÔÇöbut now you also need to maintain all that new equipment,ÔÇØ Sickenius says. The century-old Croton-Harmon yard is the busiest repair yard on the railroad. In 1998 the railroad set out to master-plan a multimillion-dollar update of the facility that will dramatically improve efficiency, enhance safety and cut costs. After a year of planning and permitting work, a four-phase planned build-out was put in place, starting with a $60 million project to rebuild the rail yard itself. Because the yard was made up of relatively short track sidings, the new, longer trains could not be handled all at once. Trains had to be ÔÇ£broken,ÔÇØ or decoupledÔÇöa time-consuming and manual-labor-intensive processÔÇöor they would extend beyond switching areas and block other tracks. Other first-phase improvements included a new underground drainage system that eliminated the flooding that sometimes plagued the yard during wet weatherÔÇöcreating a significant hazard, since some of the track lengths are energized by a third rail. The yard phase also included the construction of a pedestrian overpass running from the train station to the yard facility, a move that improved safety by eliminating the need for employees to walk through the yard itselfÔÇöpast idling trains and other hazardsÔÇösimply to cross the property. The new setup also allows for major efficiency gains, says Sickenius. Trains can be pulled in onto new longer track sections and worked on in what he describes as a ÔÇ£Jiffy LubeÔÇØ approach, with a variety of maintenance workÔÇöemptying of sanitary facilities, cleaning of train cars and fueling of enginesÔÇöall without moving the train. ÔÇ£All the different crafts can go in and do what they have to without moving the train several times,ÔÇØ he says. New infrastructure includes an overhead sanderÔÇösand is used to help the train wheels grab the tracks in wet weatherÔÇöthat has eliminated the need for workers to climb ladders with bags of sand on their shoulders. In addition, a new, direct connection to a nearby electrical substation was created that significantly increased power capacity and will enable diesel engines to be plugged in to provide lights and heat for workers doing maintenance and cleaning, rather than remain idling within the yard. Reduced idling decreases both air pollution and noise emanating from the yard.Phase two, a $55 million effort also completed, involved relocating several buildings to clear the site for the new shop facilities. Stored materials, such as ties and wheel sets, were moved to other parts of the yard, and four new buildings were built: one for Communications and Signals, one for Maintenance of Way storage, one for the Automotive fleet services, and a kennel for the canine members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department. The $292 million third phase is well under way, under the guidance of general contractor Slattery Skanska, to create three dedicated and distinct repair facilities: one for coaches, one for locomotives, and the third for electric cars. This will create significant operational efficiencies. In the existing yard, all work is done in a single facility, which means all parts and other items had to be inventoried together in a cramped antiquated building. When the project is complete, each maintenance area will have its own clean, bright, modern and safe facility. ÔÇ£The employees will be much more efficient and productive in the new setup,ÔÇØ Sickenius says. Once the buildings are in place, the final phase, set to begin late in 2009, will add extensive capabilities to the shops, including overhead cranes and lifts. In preparation for these new features, the railroad is in the midst of extensive training of workers on safety and proper procedures as well.┬á The projectÔÇÖs overall benefits will touch workersÔÇöwho will benefit from the safety and environmental improvementsÔÇöas well as riders. ÔÇ£Our employees are going to be in a much better and safer environment. WeÔÇÖre certainly going to have cleaner cars, and our equipment will be more available. Our turnaround time will be faster, and weÔÇÖll be able to maintain not only the new equipment we have now but the newer, specialty equipment still coming online.ÔÇØ ┬á