Archive for September, 2007

Weekend Permanent service changes: Take the bus to IKEA

Friday, September 28th, 2007

So you know that whole IKEA thing they’re building in Red Hook much to the chagrin of everyone? It’s not exactly overly accessible, and the MTA wants to fix that.
Red Hook is a great place to visit. You’ve got fantastic views, fantastic key lime pies, fantastic Latin American food and a Fairway.
But the catch [...]

Straphangers say ‘C’ ya later to the L train

Friday, September 28th, 2007

Update 1:26 p.m.: The MTA has released the complete survey info. You can get it at the bottom of this post.
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The MTA is learning that when you ask honest opinion, you’ll get back an honest answer. And when it comes to the quality of service in the subways, honesty doesn’t lead to high grades.
Later [...]

MTA, eyeing 2010 hike, blames the machines for the 2008 raise

Thursday, September 27th, 2007

What’s in The Daily News? I’ll tell you what’s in The Daily News. A story about the MTA blaming the MetroCard Vending Machines for what otherwise would have been a smaller fare hike. That’s what in The Daily News.
My apologies to all of those fans of Guys and Dolls out there, but seriously. The [...]

The Remaking of ‘Pelham One Two Three’

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

No movie captures the essence of the New York City subway better than the 1974 flick The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. The film stars Walter Malthau as the transit cop who must deal with Robert Shaw’s hijacking of a 6 train. The demands: One million dollars within an hour or the passengers get [...]

Federal Transit Administration kicking in $1.3B for the Second Ave. Subway

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

The 8.5-mile Second Ave. Subway took one giant leap toward reality when the Federal Transit Administration announced its approval of a $1.3-billion grant for the construction of the new subway line. This money — promised to New York City by President Bush back in February — will be a huge boost to a project [...]

Proposed MTA fare hike the worst kind of regressive tax

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

Of all of the charges levied against Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion fee by the plan’s opponents, I am most entertained by those weakly arguing the congestion fee is a regressive tax designed to hit poor more than it affects the rich. Well, newsflash, folks: The poorer people aren’t the ones driving and paying for a [...]

Subway sightseeing for the natives

Monday, September 24th, 2007

It’s hard to believe this is the view from a subway car. (Photo by flickr user Scurzuzu)
Everyday, seven million of us pass through the New York City subway system, often taking it for granted. Buried in magazines and books or lost to our own thoughts, many of us never take the time to look out [...]

Subway cell service no sure thing without carriers

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Abusing sleeping people is just one of the many things you can already do with your cell phones in the subway. (Photo by flickr user Dr Joolz)
When last we saw the underground cell phone service plan, the MTA had just announced a $46.8-million deal with Transit Wireless to equip the subway stations with cell service. [...]

Weekend subway service alerts for the start of fall

Friday, September 21st, 2007

At 5:51 a.m. on Sunday morning, autumn begins. Fall is a great a time of year. The air is crisp; the city is full of activity; and baseball playoffs are in full gear.
We also get a slew of service changes. So here you go. As always, you can find these here as well.

From 12:01 a.m. [...]

Flood report proposes keeping water out of the subway tunnels

Friday, September 21st, 2007

Conceptual drawings for two of the three designs that would serve to keep water out of the subway tunnels. (Source: The MTA)
Six weeks later, the MTA is ready to tackle deep-seated institutional problems that came to the forefront in a terrible flood. Yesterday, the MTA released its report (available here as a PDF) on the [...]