Archive for January, 2008

The end of the MetroCard is somewhat near!

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

Near, of course, being a relative term in MTA speak. Anyway, as I

MTA to delay and pare down, but not cancel, big-ticket projects

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

The MTA will delay but not cancel big capital construction projects in an effort to address nearly $1 billion in cost overruns, Marlene Naanes writes in amNew York. While disappointing, this development comes as no surprise after the news this week has focused on runaway inflation and over-budget MTA projects.
Despite these delays, however, MTA officials [...]

Displaced Fulton Streeters are none too pleased

Thursday, January 31st, 2008

At some point, a Fulton St. Transit Hub will live here. It might just be a hole in the ground with a ladder. (Photo by Newkirk Plaza David from Subchat)
As the news keeps coming in, this Fulton St. overhaul isn’t getting much favorable play. While the New York Post graciously obnoxiously noted how they knew [...]

Maybe granite and porcelain aren’t the best choices for a subway station floor

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

It doesn’t make sense to lay the floor first. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)
As more details emerge about the MTA’s construction budget crisis, I keep coming back to Scott’s comment about the MTA and crown jewels. How do you balance form, function and visual appeal?
Right now, the MTA is in trouble. As the Daily News noted [...]

Sheldon, criticizing the MTA, ignores the easy solution

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

As the MTA and its capital projects are getting slammed with rising costs due to inflation, New York’s politicians are jumping on the Bash the MTA Bandwagon. First up, of course, is State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. On Wednesday, he issued a statement.
“The MTA’s plan to reduce the size of the Fulton Street Transit Center [...]

Second Ave. Subway third track a victim of inflation

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

When the MTA hinted earlier this week that budgetary problems and concerns about inflation were going to drastically alter the Fulton St. Transit Hub plans, I figured the Second Ave. Subway would not be spared the proverbial knife as well. When MTA CEO Lee Sander said that MTA Capital Construction was looking to trim [...]

And now it’s gone: the Fulton St. Transit Hub dome

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

You get the point.
Originallly, plans called for it to be 50 feet tall. Then, rising costs pushed the height down to 30 feet and then 20 feeet. Now, the glass dome that was supposed to sit atop the Fulton St. Transportation Hub is gone from the plans, the victim of inflation and rising construction costs, [...]

MTA consolidation to save $40 million

Monday, January 28th, 2008

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced plans to move ahead with its institutional initiative information, a consolidation plan designed to eliminate institutional redundancies. Among the plans are agency-wide programs for Accounting, Human Resources, Payroll and Procurement processing that will save the agency $40 million (and, oh yeah, 240 jobs as well). Now if only the New [...]

MTA may overhaul Fulton St. Transit Hub project

Monday, January 28th, 2008

Don’t expect the final version of the Fulton St. project to look like this. (Source: MTA Capital Construction)
That pesky Fulton St. Transit Hub. Years behind schedule and beset with fiscal problems, this expansive project designed to unite all of the subway lines in Lower Manhattan may be reaching a breaking point. In fact, MTA officials [...]

Weekend service changes on the, um, every line

Friday, January 25th, 2008

I love the MTA press releases. They never mince words. Last night’s release about this weekend’s service changes says that there are changes affecting service on the 1234567ACDEFQRW. Right there, it’s easier to list the trains running with no changes.
Anyway, what’s on tap for the weekend?

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 26 to 5 a.m. Monday, [...]