New York City - Transit News

[BrownTown]

Originally Posted by yankeesfan1000

I have taken the initiative of tapping into the most innovative minds the world has to offer

Yeah, it doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out how to do all this. Other subway systems seem to be working just fine even ones built with cheap labor and I'm sure the one in Saudi Arabia will work despite being built with what is essentially slave labor. If it takes X amount of man hours and X amount of dollars to upgrade one component and you have 20,000 components then if you want them done faster you're going to need more men and more money. Some political will might help. You know, like having the balls to take on the unions that drove prices through the roof, get rid of the consultants who do nothing but enrich themselves and maybe even shut some lines down for a few weeks at a time for upgrades to streamline replacements instead of trying to work on lines while they're still operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

[mrnyc]

adding debt to mta:



MTA criticized for adding $1.6 billion in debt for Cuomo projects

By Vincent Barone vin.barone@amny.com May 24, 2017

A slew of MTA projects received funding on Wednesday after its board voted to approve a controversial capital plan amendment that saddles the agency with another $1.6 billion in debt.

The added debt will allow the agency to increase its current five-year capital plan from $29.5 billion to $32.5 billion in order to pay for big projects like work on the second phase of the Second Avenue subway, as well as new countdown clocks and subway cars.

It will also help fund several projects heralded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, like open-road tolling and the MTA’s initiative to revamp 32 subway stations.


more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/mta-crit...cts-1.13662223

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

adding debt to mta:

MTA criticized for adding $1.6 billion in debt for Cuomo projects

This is kind of a silly criticism. Cuomo added $1.6 billion in spending in MTA-related projects, which is a good thing if you value transit. It's either more transit funding and more debt, or less transit funding and less debt, pick one.

This means the $2 billion LIRR main line expansion project will be completed, it means nearly a billion in additional funding for the next phase of Second Avenue Subway, and it means 45 subway stations are now on the list for renovation. Cuomo, for all his faults, it at least spending big on transit and infrastructure (which is more than I can say for the insanely unpopular, soon to be departed gov. across the Hudson).

I don't even think we've had an SSP thread on the LIRR main line project. This is a huge deal for commuters coming from the east. It will be a massive expansion of potential capacity along the busiest LIRR corridor.

[mrnyc]

^ probably there is no thread because there is nothing to show for now but a hole in the ground at sunnyside yards. there is even a much bigger project, the water line project, that gets no ssp thread love either. if you think east side access is under the radar, that one is totally stealth. water needs transit development too!

Originally Posted by chris08876

We need to get subway pushers down the line like in Japan. IF they won't invest as much for the subway, then pay a guy to push folks into the train. Cram as many as you can into the train cars. And make them wear a hat too!

we have them! they are called controllers. they have vests and line the tracks just like japan. they were out in force all this week at w14st/8thav station. i asked them that very question, were they going to push us in like in japan and they said no and just laughed. they yell at people to stand aside as the doors open and try to be an active presence and thats about it. i didnt mind it, it was kind of comforting to have eyes in the station, but i can't imagine mta can keep it up or that its widespread across the system (but it isnt in tokyo either).

[TechTalkGuy]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

we have them! they are called controllers. they have vests and line the tracks just like japan. they were out in force all this week at w14st/8thav station. i asked them that very question, were they going to push us in like in japan and they said no and just laughed.

Imagine the lawsuits if someone is injured being pushed/shoved beyond their limit and sustain injury leading to collapse or possible death.

The enormous crowds are what you should expect from a major city like NY.

If you ride mass transit and you hate crowds, you are living in the wrong city.

[mrnyc]

awesome news -- hey it's a start -- they can call it rail to the wheel lol!





MTA Plans to Study New Jersey Rail Service to Staten Island

The MTA has amended its four-year budget to allot $4 million to study potentially extending a light rail service from New Jersey to stops in New York's Staten Island.



NEW YORK (AP) — The MTA has amended its four-year budget to allot $4 million to study potentially extending a light rail service from New Jersey to stops in New York's Staten Island.

According to the MTA, the system would carry commuters over the Bayonne Bridge and connect them with New Jersey Transit's Hudson-Bergen Light Rail.

According to the Jersey Journal, the MTA has not reached out to Bayonne city officials yet.

Staten Island officials and the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation had previously called for a light rail on the 13-mile-long West Shore area of the island.

Two preliminary studies were conducted previously — one in 2004 and one in 2009.

Both were initial analyses, looking at whether the corridor would support it and creating potential ridership numbers.


more:
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...-staten-island

[mrsmartman]

Could light rail connect neighborhoods between Long Island City and Jamaica, Queens?

http://pix11.com/2017/05/17/could-li...amaica-queens/

The project is still in the beginning stages but neighbors and city leaders are getting together to talk about a possible light-rail service along tracks owned by Long Island Rail Road in Queens.
The line runs from Long Island City to Jamaica and is mainly served by freight traffic.
NYC Council appropriated $500,000 for a study which was completed earlier this year. You can read the some of the outreach presentation from the NYC Department of Transportation here.
It acknowledges decisions would have to be made about track usage, power, and train car type.
NYC Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley, who represents a large part of the area, says it would help serve a transit desert.
Because the track (also known as "right of way") already is in place, potential costs would be less expensive than some other new transit proposals.
Neighbors along the tracks have attended some community meetings and will continue to be a part of any project, officials say.
PIX11 News stopped in a Glendale, Queens neighborhood where neighbors said they were interested to hear about a project. They wanted additional information about traffic and noise and the current garbage trains that travel on the tracks.

Source: http://www.nyctransitforums.com/foru...amaica-queens/

[mrnyc]

^ both the staten island-bayonne train and that are very creative ideas, but will they go anywhere beyond these initial studies? time will tell i guess.


***



the issues facing a weak response to congestion:



De Blasio’s plans to fight congestion don’t go far enough, some say

By Vincent Barone vin.barone@amny.com June 5, 2017



...The same 6,000 miles of city streets are tasked with managing a population that has increased by 360,000 between 2010 and 2016, to 8.5 million; an economy that has added 500,000 jobs since the Great Recession; and a tourism industry that serves 61 million city visitors, up by 68% since 2000.

At the same time, trips from ride-hail apps increased from about 100,000 daily in June 2015 to 400,000 per day in March 2017, as companies like Uber and Lyft stormed into the city. But even that surge hasn’t meaningfully impacted traffic as much as the city’s rapid growth, according to Trottenberg, who appeared pessimistic that the city’s transit needs would be met.

“The city and region are unlikely to see the level and pace of transit investment necessary to meet growing travel demand and make a meaningful dent in congestion,” said Trottenberg, also an MTA board member. “Were the MTA positioned to truly meet that need, the agency would be completing major projects like the Second Avenue subway every few years.”...


more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/de-blasi...say-1.13710518

[C.]

https://therealdeal.com/2017/06/07/t...street-7-stop/

[Busy Bee]

^just wow

[mrsmartman]

Clark St Tunnel Reconstruction
Weekend Service Changes
Beginning 11:45 PM Friday, June 16 until Spring 2018

Originally Posted by NYC Transit Forums

In effect every weekend until 5 AM Monday



For details: http://www.nyctransitforums.com/foru...riday-june-16/

Time to reactivate the Bowling Green Shuttle.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

^just wow

yeah its aggravating to bring that back up and for the developer to have to say it out loud, but that was all pretty much known. i think christie used half the arc money for nj roadwork and who knows what and was finally forced to give back the other half. as if bridgegate wasnt enough, he should never be allowed anywhere near anything transportation related ever again.


***


speaking of nj:




NJ Transit details Penn Station service changes for Amtrak’s summer track work

By Lauren Cook lauren.cook@amny.com June 9, 2017

New Jersey Transit released more schedule and ticketing information on Friday for its Penn Station customers as Amtrak prepares for major track work that will disrupt service for thousands of daily commuters this summer.

While weekend riders will not be impacted by the track work, many weekday commuters will be getting to and from the city using a brand new schedule between July 10 and Sept. 1, 2017.


more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/nj-trans...ork-1.13724777

[chris08876]

Today is the last day for the Goethals Bridge. Saturday and Sunday openings for NY/NJ Bound traffic.

[eltodesukane]

Infrastructure investment needed! Still waiting for:

the full Second Avenue subway,
the Access to the Region's Core Project (ARC),
the Northeast Corridor (NEC) Gateway Program,
the new Hudson Tunnel Project,
the Portal Bridge Replacement Project, ...

http://nec.amtrak.com/facts-and-data

[chris08876]

Mayor's streetcar project will further gentrify Brooklyn: Working-class Brooklynites want affordable rents, not the BQX

The Brooklyn Queens Connector, a streetcar proposed by the de Blasio administration, would move thousands of people along a 14-mile stretch of waterfront. Unfortunately, the BQX would also push low-income residents out of the communities they call home.

While Mayor Bill de Blasio eagerly points out the concentration of public housing along the streetcar route, it is telling that many community residents do not support or even see the need for a new form of transportation. The demand for the BQX is being driven and supported by high-powered developers who have properties along the route. A streetcar would allow these developers to rent their buildings at higher prices, increasing the gentrification that is already tearing our communities apart.

Instead of focusing our resources on improving our city’s transportation system, the mayor will funnel billions of dollars into a new, unproven method of transportation. Low-income residents will continue to struggle to pay for any mode of public transit, and fares will continue to rise with little to no thought of how that will affect passengers.

To truly ensure transportation equality, our city and state should provide more funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. We must make it easier for people in all neighborhoods to commute to work, while relying on systems that have shown to be effective.

There is another way to bring transportation justice to the communities of Brooklyn. Small tolls on the East River bridges could be used to fund improvements to our existing transportation infrastructure. Expanding Select Bus Service to communities without subways is a proven way to make commutes shorter.

Whatever is done, it must be done with the support and input of community leaders. That is not the case with the BQX. With the interests of wealthy developers driving the conversation, the voice of the community is being silenced. We must work with community members to find transportation expansions that will benefit all of our residents.

========================
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...rther-gentrify

[chris08876]

MTA Unveils Major Service Changes For LIRR

• Video Link

As CBS2’s Carolyn Gusoff reported, the commuting nightmare may be far from ending for LIRR riders. Here’s what riders should expect.

[chris08876]

NYC Ferry, More Popular Than Expected, Scrambles to Meet Demand

Mr. Mayor, you’re gonna need a bigger boat.

When New York City took over ferry routes along the East River, using a new fleet of small boats, and lowering the fares, officials anticipated that weekend demand might be higher in the summer.

But the city underestimated just how much demand would outstrip supply, forcing it to charter two extra boats — each capable of carrying 400 people — to handle summer weekend crowds, at a cost of $485,000 for the summer, or about $60,000 per weekend.

City officials and the contractor operating the service, Hornblower, also decided to change an existing order for new boats. The original order called for 20 boats from two shipyards on the Gulf Coast, each of which can hold 149 passengers. Now the city has asked that three of the 20 boats be larger, outfitted with bigger engines and with a capacity to hold 250 passengers, officials said on Wednesday. Those boats would not be ready until next year.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has heralded the start of the ferry service, known as NYC Ferry, in multiple news conferences, lauding how it began ahead of schedule in May, presiding over the christening of a boat and taking a turn in the captain’s chair during a maiden voyage.

[...]

“We have designed this system to make sense for ordinary ridership, not necessarily for every tourist who comes on Memorial Day,” James Patchett, the president of the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the city-funded ferry system, said during a news conference in late May. (The city replaced service on the East River that had been operated by BillyBey Ferry.)

But the weekends are not the only problem. On Wednesday morning, when they arrived at docks, many commuters trying to get from Queens to Manhattan found large crowds and ferries already full, a recurring problem according to some riders.

===============================
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/n...mand.html?_r=2

[tdawg]

I can't wait for the ferry stop in Astoria to open in August. I ran through Gantry Plaza State Park today and the ferry coming into Hunters Point from Manhattan was packed, even on a Sunday.

[mrnyc]

rep candidate for mayor wants path train to staten island:

http://www.silive.com/news/2017/06/n...en_island.html

[mrnyc]

big enlightened finding here



TRANSIT

MTA subway system could improve with monthslong shutdowns, experts say

By Vincent Barone vin.barone@amny.com June 21, 2017

Short-term train pain could lead to long-term gain, experts say, if the MTA would consider increasing the volume of weeks- or monthslong service outages along subway lines.

Consider it like a smaller-scale version of the impending 15-month long L train shutdown beginning in 2019. Several stations along a line could be taken completely out of service, full-time, for weeks or months as the agency makes infrastructure improvements.

It’s an idea gaining popularity as riders fume through an ever-increasing number of service interruptions, including on Tuesday when signal problems hobbled the morning rush hour along at least seven trains. With such a high frequency of delays, the logic holds that maybe it’s worth shutting down service and updating aging equipment all at once.



more:
http://www.amny.com/transit/mta-subw...say-1.13751587