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New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) recently submitted the preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement for MTA Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line Corridor project to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

The project calls for building a third track in a 10-mile stretch between Floral Park and Hicksville, where five LIRR branches converge. The track will add a passing lane to the Main Line Corridor, separating express from local trains, and providing additional capacity, operational flexibility and faster recovery times. The project also includes grade crossing improvements and bridge upgrades.

The project is a key component of the agency’s $6.3 billion East Side Access project, which will extend LIRR commuter-rail service to Grand Central Terminal.

Once the FTA reviews the environmental study, the document will be available for public review and LIRR will schedule additional public hearings. If the FTA completes its review by early next year, LIRR could conduct engineering design in 2009 and begin construction in first-quarter 2010.