New York City - Transit News

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

There seems to be a language barrier here. No one is lambasting Musk as an idiot, fool, maniac or otherwise. The hyperloop in the simplest terms is impractical. It would be stratospherically expensive and disruptive. And the biggest reason of all is that it makes no economic sense. The technology and business concept would only be useful for an extremely minute demographic, of which could never possibly fund the cost of its' construction. What Musk should do is throw his enthusiastic support behind a robust high speed rail network in this country that has the ability to link regional economies by giving mobility to a massive amount of people instead of reinventing the wheel.

Musk is a good buisnessman, but he's not and Engineer, he's simply an investor and "hype man". You know all those companies he founded like PayPal, Tesla and SolarCity? Wrong, he didn't actually found any of those companies, he was just an early investor and took credit for other people's inventions.

Anyways, all that isn't really relevant here what matters is simply that the "Hyperloop" is essentially just a small Maglev train in an evacuated tube. Unfortunately Maglev trains are ALREADY too expensive and putting them in a tube makes them many times more expensive. Sure, there's not really any physical hurdles stopping you from building them, just the fact the ticket costs would have to be so high only the wealthy could pay and then there wouldn't even be enough of them to fill the seats so financially speaking the idea is impossible.

[ChargerCarl]

We can't even upgrade Amtrak's NEC for less than $100 billion.

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

We can't even upgrade Amtrak's NEC for less than $100 billion.

Right now it's looking like we can't upgrade it for ANY amount of money because the towns in between won't even let them build at all. That's what makes the whole Elon Musk statement that he has approval even more ludicrous.

[chris08876]

2017 is becoming the year of derailments. A derailment occurred earlier this week on the Q Train. Derailments and delays are expected on NJ Transit, and I suspect will be more frequent on MTA lines as the mismanagement gets worse.

On a side note:

= = = = = = = =

Port Authority to replace aging PATH substations

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved spending $134.5 million to replace two aging substations that help power PATH trains.

Substation 7 in Jersey City and Substation 9 in Harrison sustained extensive damage during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. They power trains traveling between Newark and Jersey City's Journal Square.

The new substations will be designed to sit several feet above flood-prone areas.


Work on the projects is scheduled to begin later this year and the Port Authority says it will have no impact on daily PATH service

====================
Crains

[yankeesfan1000]

Good thing our wonderful governor is tackling the issue head on :

Cuomo & The Man He Put In Charge Of The MTA Now Say The Subway Is De Blasio's Problem

Cuomo's Office Now Claims NYC Is 'Solely Responsible' For Funding MTA Capital Plan

@NYGovCuomo says @NYCMayor is responsible for subways, but state stepped in to help out of "moral obligation"

[mrsmartman]

The New York City Subway is completely within the boundary of New York City.

When the subway took over a number of old commuter railroads in the forties, the sections outside the city were truncated.

[ChargerCarl]

Yeah but you're getting way sick LED lights on your bridges!

[chris08876]

Passing the buck I see.

[ChargerCarl]

DeBlasio calls out Cuomo's bullshit:

(4) An efficient and fair MTA budget and a reallocation of resources towards core needs. The MTA should fund new measures first by accelerating the usage of available resources from every source of funds. If additional funds are needed, the MTA should re-allocate resources from less-critical investments, including funds being made available to it for lights on bridges, any primarily aesthetic portions of station enhancements, or bureaucratic staffing that does not impact customer service. And the MTA, which has among the highest operating and capital construction costs of any major transit agency in the world, should be rigorous in making its operations and capital project delivery as efficient and cost effective as possible before sending yet another bill to the hard-working taxpayers and riders of New York City. A fair plan would also involve ensuring New York City subway and bus riders get a larger share of resources already available to the MTA. New York City subways and busses carry 93 percent of all MTA riders, and there should be investments and operating support commensurate with this ridership.

http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-ma...urnaround-plan

Amen!

[chris08876]

^^^^^

(3) Clear accountability for continual improvement.

(4) An efficient and fair MTA budget and a reallocation of resources towards core needs.

[...]

These are basic steps that are required of public agencies everywhere: set high standards, report on performance, use every available dollar wisely, and hold managers accountable. It's time for the MTA to level with its New York City riders.

Must be some kind of parody, this is not how the MTA operates.

Things would get done on time if it did, and not cost 5x more than "X" project started out at.

[ChargerCarl]

lol I think thats the point

[chris08876]

Its been the point for 50+ years. I doubt De Blasio's words will change anything. Too much cronyism and nepotism in the MTA. They will get stuff built and running, no doubt, but it won't be smooth financial and timetable sailing.

[chris08876]

From twitter regarding the Kosciuszko Bridge. Older bridge is being taken apart.

= = = = = = = =

Today, the main span of the former #Kosciuszko Bridge is being lowered onto a barge & taken away as part of the new #KBridge project.

Main span of former #KBridge is 300 ft long, 89 ft wide & 50 ft tall at highest point. It weighs 5M lbs.

======================
Credit: @SkanskaUSA

[ChargerCarl]

Originally Posted by chris08876

Its been the point for 50+ years. I doubt De Blasio's words will change anything. Too much cronyism and nepotism in the MTA. They will get stuff built and running, no doubt, but it won't be smooth financial and timetable sailing.

Well the Governor controls the MTA. If Cuomo starts feeling the heat from something will get done.

[mrsmartman]

On the East River Ferry, a Party Before the Party

Originally Posted by The New York Times

When Nate Hodge’s mother-in-law was visiting from Massachusetts, he and his wife, Catherine Greeley, wanted to treat her to a drink before dinner. It was a gorgeous weekend evening in New York City, 75 degrees and sunny, so they wanted to be outside. They could have gone to a cafe with a patio or a rooftop bar, but they opted for a more unlikely venue for cocktail hour: the South Brooklyn ferry to Manhattan.

NYC Ferry, which began in May, provides a new way for New Yorkers to travel among East River ports in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, with stops including East 34th Street, Brooklyn Bridge Park and Rockaway Beach. It is inexpensive (a one-way trip is $2.75) and quick. The ride from Wall Street to Greenpoint, for example, takes only 21 minutes...

Read More: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/26/n...es-drinks.html



Commuters can sit, take in the views, charge their phones and even have a drink or two.
Credit Daniel Arnold for The New York Times

[mrsmartman]

'Worst Experience of My Life': 30 Hurt, Some Seriously, When Ferry Makes Hard Landing at Midtown Terminal: FDNY

A fire official said the ferry was going faster than normal as it approached the dock

Originally Posted by NBC New York

A New York Water Taxi made a hard landing against the dock at a ferry terminal on Manhattan's West Side Friday evening, injuring at least 30 people, fire officials say.
The FDNY says the vessel struck Pier 79, near Lincoln Tunnel on the West Side, on Friday just after 4 p.m...

Source: 'Worst Experience of My Life': 30 Hurt, Some Seriously, When Ferry Makes Hard Landing at Midtown Terminal: FDNY - NBC New York http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local...437238953.html
Follow us: @nbcnewyork on Twitter | NBCNewYork on Facebook

[mrsmartman]

Water taxi slams into Manhattan dock, injuring passengers

Originally Posted by New York Post

A New York Water Taxi slammed into a dock on the West Side of Manhattan on Friday afternoon, injuring as many as 30 passengers.

The injuries ranged from minor to serious, though none are life-threatening, Fire Department sources said...

Read More: http://nypost.com/2017/07/28/water-t...ng-passengers/

[mrsmartman]

New York’s subway is so hellish, I’m homesick for London’s underground

I am a city girl, accustomed to negotiating public transport, but faced with MTA’s needlessly complex map and messy signage, I become an overawed simpleton

Originally Posted by the guardian

The best, most chilling dystopian novels are built around a simple idea: a world very much like the one we live in, except with little things slightly askew. You know: where the images appear sharp and crisp – until you get to the edges and find them blurry, smeared with Vaseline. Think of a book with an opening scene set in a village in rural England. There’s a winding country lane, and in the distance can be heard the relentlessly tuneful whistle of a milkman, and the gentle moo of a cow. Yes, there are still milkmen and there are still cows, but look closer: the cows are wearing smart white coats and jaunty little hats, delivering milk extracted from humans. Terrifying image, isn’t it?

For the past couple of weeks, I have been trapped in a dystopia of sorts. I am in New York, ostensibly on a sabbatical, during which I intended to rattle off a 400-page thriller and maybe have a romcom-style meet-cute in Central Park. Instead, I have found myself spiralling into hysteria, driven slowly mad by the New York subway. On first appearance, it is like the London underground – trains, tickets, announcements, the crush of bodies. But then, slowly, the entire system reveals itself to you. It is the work of a sadist, cooked up in a fever dream and delivered with a flourish and an unhinged grin. I cannot believe I am about to type these words, but here we are: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has made me homesick for Transport for London. And I will never forgive New York for this...

Read More: https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ground-mta-map

[mrsmartman]

More Posters: http://americainclass.org/sources/be...wayposters.pdf

Source: http://americainclass.org/sources/be...ext7/text7.htm

[10023]

DeBlasio just can't help himself, can he?

Higher taxes to fund capital investment in the MTA is one thing. Raising taxes to fund fare discounts is another. I don't see how anyone can see the price of fares as one of the major issues facing the MTA today.

In fact, the biggest problem is overcrowding. They should just get rid of discounted fares, possibly raise more money, or better yet make people cut down on unnecessary trips (like the two stops that one can easily walk).