LIRR to temporarily close tunnels for new signal installation work

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will close two of four East River tunnels this weekend to install a new signal system as part of the East Side Access project, LIRR officials announced this week.

The two tunnels connect Queens to Manhattan and Penn Station in New York City. Starting tomorrow and continuing through Dec. 8, the LIRR will install a portion of a new computerized signal system that will control train travel through an area in Sunnyside, Queens, known as the Harold Interlocking. Harold is the nation's busiest commuter-rail intersection used every day by the LIRR, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit, according to an LIRR press release.

The work is the first in a series of "cutovers" to the improved technology that will occur over the next several years, LIRR officials said. When completed, the East Side Access will speed up travel for Long Islanders by transporting them to Grand Central Terminal and the East Side of Manhattan for the first time.