Archive for August, 2011
Aug
22
TWU Prez: ‘We’re going to dig in and fight’
Posted by: | CommentsWith turmoil atop the MTA and labor negotiations looming, the TWU is already firing salvos at its counterparts across the table. In an interview with the Daily News today, Local 100 President John Samuelson said his union would use any means necessary to achieve their ends.
“TWU Local 100 has a history of fighting for our livelihoods, and we’re going to dig in and fight by every means possible,” he said. “There’s been no discussion by the executive board of a strike. The leadership of the union has no intention of striking. But when New York City transit workers get knocked to the floor, and someone puts a foot on their throats, who knows what their reaction is going to be?”
The rest of Pete Donahue’s piece rehashes the typical union gripes. They’re not happy with layoffs, health care and benefit plans ans their salaries. There’s no mention though of the MTA’s economic reality. Rather these are the words of a union that wants one thing – money – and everyone else, especially the riders who will pay no matter what, be damned. It sure sounds like a fun situation for the next MTA head, eh?
Aug
22
Feds: East Side Access, SAS won’t open until 2018
Posted by: | Comments
The federal government is raining on the MTA’s parade again. For the past year, the Federal Transit Administration has warned that the East Side Access Project and Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway would not wrap in 2016 as the MTA predicts. Rather, the government believes the two projects will finish in 2018, around 15 months later than planned and over budget. A new report reiterates that stance.
According to the FTA, East Side Access and the SAS and well behind schedule and significantly over budget. East Side Access, the feds say, will open in April 2018 with a price tag of $8.1 billion while the SAS will enter revenue service in February 2018 and at a cost of $4.8 billion. The MTA maintains these two projects will be completed in September and December of 2016 and at a cost of $7.1 billion and $4.4 billion respectively. The authority did however note that concerns over East Side Access remain.
The MTA disputed the FTA report. “As we have said previously, a project of this magnitude does not come without risks. We continue to work to mitigate those risks, adhere to the current schedule and keep the project on budget,” agency spokesman Kevin Ortiz said.
However, the FTA called the pace of the subcontracting work “unacceptable,” and AM New York has more:
The reports show the feds’ continued frustration with the East Side Access project, reiterating its stance on when the first riders will benefit from it — and at what cost. But they did soften their opinion on the management of the Second Avenue subway, saying the team overseeing the project “has been diligent in resolving critical construction issues and avoiding extensive construction delays,” despite its negative projections.
MTA board member Mitch Pally, who sits on the agency’s capital projects committee, said the board is aware of the government’s concerns, but is not convinced the problems are unavoidable. “Obviously we’re concerned about the timing because the quicker we can put this into revenue service, the better it is for the MTA,” Pally said, adding that the agency is trying to find ways to speed up work and trim costs. “We have no plans on waving the white flag until we absolutely have to.”
Charles Moerdler, another MTA board member on the committee that oversees the projects, said he believed the FTA’s reports were “inaccurate,” and called capital construction president Michael Horodniceanu’s work “perfectly magnificent.” “They are doing as good if not a better job than one can reasonably expect,” Moerdler said.
The FTA had nothing to add to their report, according to amNY but further explained that if the MTA “successfully managed and mitigated its risks, the overruns they predict for the projects’ schedules and costs could be reduced.”
As amNew York reports and as I said above, this debate over the timeline truly is nothing new, but it’s not a comforting development. It shouldn’t take 10 years to build three stops of a subway line, and the MTA may have to get its ducks in order to see these projects delivered in time. For now, the warnings and the disputes are out there, and the subway construction will continue seemingly forever and ever.
Aug
19
Weekend servide advisories
Posted by: | CommentsI’m in Minneapolis this weekend watching the Yanks take on the Twins. The skyways here fascinate me. It seems as though it’s possible to get from one end of the downtown area to the other without crossing streets or traversing sidewalks. I’ll have to try it out.
Anyway, I’m going to post the service advisories a bit earlier than usual this weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with a full slate of content. Travel safely.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, there is no 2 train service between 241st Street and East 180th Street due to signal and station rehab work at East 180th Street and track panel work north of Allerton Avenue. Free shuttle buses are available.
From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, uptown 4 trains run express from Brooklyn Bridge to 14th Street-Union Square due to track work along Lexington Avenue line.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, there are no 5 trains between East 180th and 149th Street-Grand Concourse due to signal and station rehab work at East 180th Street and track panel work north of Allerton Avenue. Shuttle trains operate between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street every 30 minutes. For service between East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse, customers may take the 2 train instead.
From 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday, August 20 and from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Sunday, August 21, 5 trains run every 20 minutes between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Bowling Green due to track work along the Lexington Avenue Line.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, uptown 6 trains run express from Brooklyn Bridge to 14th Street-Union Square due to track work along the Lexington Avenue line.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, uptown 6 trains skip Whitlock Avenue and Morrison Avenue-Soundview due to station rehabilitation at Elder Avenue and St. Lawrence Avenue stations. Note: At all times until October 2011, 6 trains skip Elder Avenue and St. Lawrence Avenue in both directions due to station rehabilitation.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, downtown A trains run local from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to West 4th Street, then are rerouted on the F line to Jay Street-MetroTech due to electrical and substation work at Jay Street-MetroTech and work at the Fulton Street Transit Center.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21, downtown C trains run on the F line from West 4th Street to Jay Street-MetroTech due to electrical and substation work at Jay Street-MetroTech and work at the Fulton Street Transit Center.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, Brooklyn-bound D trains run on the N line in Brooklyn from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due to structural repair and station rehabilitation from 71st Street to Bay 50th Street and ADA work at Bay Parkway. Note: The D will bypass 20th Avenue in both directions at all times until 5 a.m. Monday, August 29 due to station rehabilitation. Customers should use the B1 bus or the free shuttle bus (available during the midnight hours).
At all times until Friday, October 28, the southbound D is bypassing 71st Street due to station rehabilitation. (This weekend’s work on the West End Line includes platform edge work at 71st Street, painting of canopy columns at 18th Avenue, column repairs on the northbound platform at 9th Avenue, installation of tactile warning strips at Ft. Hamilton Parkway, canopy roof work at 62nd Street and concrete work on column bases along the line structure.)
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, E trains run on the F line in both directions between 36th Street, Queens and West 4th Street in Manhattan due to track panel and conduit work between Queens Plaza and Court Square-23rd Street and switch renewal work north of Lexington Avenue.
From 11 p.m. Friday, August 19 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 22, there is no G train service between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts and Church Avenue due to track work north of Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. G trains operate in two sections:
- Between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avs and
- Between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Hoyt Schermerhorn Sts (every 20 minutes)
Note: A trains provide connecting service between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts and Jay Street-MetroTech.
From 4 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 21, southbound N trains run express from Astoria Boulevard to Queensboro Plaza, skipping 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue and 39th Avenue due to line structure overcoat painting.
From 10 p.m. Friday, August 19 to 5 a.m. Monday August 22, downtown Q trains run local from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street due to platform edge rehabilitation at 34th Street.
From 6 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 6 p.m. Sunday, August 21, Coney Island-bound Q trains skip Avenue U and Neck Road due to overcoat painting of Brighton Line bridges.
From 6 a.m. Saturday, August 20 to 6 p.m. Sunday, August 21, there is no Coney Island-bound Q service at Avenue M due to completion work on southbound stairs and annex area. Free shuttle buses provide service to and from Kings Highway. Note: Manhattan-bound Q trains skip Avenue M and Avenue H until September 2011 due to station rehabilitation.
Aug
18
Inside the travails of fighting an MTA summons
Posted by: | CommentsRemember the tale from last week of Aaron Goldberg? He was the man ticketed on a Select Bus Service bus because he had no proof of payment due to the MTA’s faulty equipment. Today, NY1 has a follow up, and Goldberg’s tale, at the least, has a happy ending: His ticket was dismissed.
However, Goldberg is just one in a sea of people battling the Transit Adjudication Bureau, and as NY1 notes in its report, others were not so lucky. Goldberg had a TV news station on its side, but others went to their TAB hearings only to find out they had to produce even more evidence. To make matters worse, the evidence is usually available only from the MTA, the organization prosecuting these people in the first place. “I am going to have to wait for them to send another appointment in the mail. Then they’re going to give me the paperwork to send to transit, which is going to take me a month to get. It’s frustrating,” Sharone Lott, another summons victim, said.
NY1 also spoke with civil liberties attorneys who echoed what I’ve heard before: There are serious doubts about the legalities of the TAB. From evidentiary standards to open access to the timeliness of the procedure, lawyers are working to create a more balanced adjudication process that better fits the U.S. judicial system. “Don’t get a summons, because you don’t want to be going down to that place, because once you go down there, you’re probably not going to understand what’s going on,” Chris Dunn, associate legal director of the NYCLU, said. “The deck is going to be stacked against you, and it’s just a very dark and mysterious process.”
Aug
18
A premature promise on fare policy
Posted by: | CommentsThe Port Authority’s recent announcement of a steep fare hike has made New Yorkers in the region jittery. They worry about the precedent the PA might set. They worry that if one organization starts raising fares to cover the costs of badly-needed capital programs, another might follow suit. The MTA’s great discounted fares could perhaps go up.
The MTA, though, wants to head off this talk before it starts. As Newsday’s Alfonso Castillo writes today, the MTA has again proclaimed that it will not raise fares before 2013 — a condition it agreed to when Albany approved the payroll tax.
Playing off a report released this week by the American Public Transportation Association which explored how nearly 80 percent of transit agencies across the country had to turn to fare hikes or service cuts to fill budget gaps, Castillo asked the MTA of their upcoming plans. The authority pointed to its recent budget and said “no new fares” in no uncertain terms.
“The MTA has obviously been hit very hard, along with transit agencies all over the country, by the economic crisis. It had an impact on our funding in all sorts of different ways and led us to take some painful actions in the past,” agency spokesman Jeremy Soffin said to Newsday. “I think the important point for the MTA now is that, because of an unprecedented cost-cutting effort that began in 2010, we last month put forward a financial plan that shows stability.”
It’s all very well and good that the MTA has found some semblance of financial responsibility as it inches toward stability, but I’m not convinced it should discard the idea of a fare hike so quickly or prematurely. Despite the fact that straphangers complain about, well, everything, the MTA’s current fares simply aren’t that high. I don’t like paying $104 for my 30-day MetroCard, but I recognize that, if I ride a lot as I usually do, it’s a very good deal. According to recent data from the MTA, while the base fare is $2.25, the average fare after bulk discounts has been around $1.62 lately. In constant 1996 dollars, that’s an average of $1.09 while we paid $1.38 15 years ago before the advent of the unlimited ride card.
Essentially, then, the MTA is undercharging for its services. While it should try to keep fares low in order to encourage higher ridership, it’s also sitting on a veritable gold mine. As recent fare hikes have shown, the MTA doesn’t lose riders when it raises the fares. It’s popularity is seemingly based solely on the city’s employment rates, and it likely wouldn’t see a revenue loss even in the event of a steep fare hike.
So now, we come to the denouement of this whole thing. The MTA needs money to fill its capital budget hole, and it also knows that its current budget proposals rest on a shaky set of assumptions. Instead of promising to keep fares low, it could put more pressure on politicians by threatening a fare increase. If the agency says inaction from Albany has left it no choice, it will be tough for politicians to use the MTA as a whipping boy as they so often do during fare hike debates. Maybe some politicians will even be held accountable for eschewing sensible transit policies.
Ultimately, the PA’s ongoing budget debate can serve as a bellwether for the MTA. If one agency can get away with raising its tools and fares so steeply, why can’t the other? After all, fares are the one source of revenue the MTA truly controls, and if it needs more money, it can just up the price of its services as every other business does.
Aug
17
A glimpse at the Grand Central Apple Store
Posted by: | Comments
After much pestering by reporters and silence from Apple, the MTA finally released the official presentation to its board concerning the upcoming Grand Central Terminal Apple Store. The presentation — available here as a PDF — contains three high-res renderings of the proposed store, and as the above shot shows, it appears as though Apple and the MTA have figured out how to incorporate the store into the iconic and landmarked terminal without overwhelming it.
This rendering shows how the Apple Store will take over the currently unoccupied northeast balcony as well as the former Metrazur space. It appears as though the elevators from the lower level will open directly into the store itself, and I have to believe that security measures will be in place there as well. The total amount of space Apple is taking out comes to 23,000 square feet which includes the entire east and northeast balcony spaces. Apple is currently working on building out the store, and it should be open before the end of the year.
As I look at these renderings, one thought comes to mind: As integrated as the store will be with the Grand Central space, the images have very few people in them. The Apple Store, simply put, will be far more crowded than these illustrations show. As long as the computer giant and the MTA are prepared for the influx of people, this will be a very, very successful retail space indeed.
Aug
17
Recommended Reading: On the link between autism and trains
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve always believed that the Transit Museum is one of the city’s hidden gems. An unassuming spot in the abandoned Court St. station in Downtown Brooklyn, it houses a fantastic collection of old New York City subway artifacts, including turnstiles through the years and the finest display of rolling stock around. It’s a popular destination for school kids and a big draw for those with autism.
In an article in The Times this weekend, new transit beat writer Christine Haughney explored the link between children with autism and trains. The Transit Museum has focused more on reaching out to schools for children with autism because the children connect with trains. Doctors aren’t entirely sure why trains are such a draw, but the museum seems to have hit upon a great combination. “Kids with autism treat moving trains, especially ones that have limited motion like just going along the tracks, as a natural reward,” Simon Baron Cohen, a Cambridge professor, said. “It catches their attention. Once you’ve got the child’s attention, you can do many types of teaching.”
Aug
17
Coalition urges Cuomo to sign Lockbox bill
Posted by: | CommentsEver so slowly, New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo is working his way through the pile of legislation the state Assembly and Senate left on his desk when their session expired in June. Yesterday, we learned that the Governor signed an MTA smoking ban into law. No longer are commuters permitted to smoke on LIRR or Metro-North platforms.
Now, it’s all well and good that Cuomo decided to approve the smoking ban. It should make the train environment far more pleasant for those folks who do not like the smell, experience or health impact of secondhand smoke. But that bill is a minor one in the grand scheme of the MTA. It won’t, for instance, protect the MTA for future raids on its supposedly dedicated revenue streams. That’s what the lockbox bill — which currently sits on Cuomo’s desk, sadly unsigned by the Governor — would do.
So far, Cuomo has given no indication of what he will do with the lockbox bill, and it’s tough to discern his plans. For years, Governors have covered their fiscal deficits by borrowing liberally from the MTA’s revenue streams, and Cuomo would be handcuffing himself were he to sign the bill. Still, dedicated dollars are dedicated dollars, and the MTA needs to know that the money is secure. With razor thin margins propping up a shaky budget, the authority can’t afford to find itself down $200 million between July and November because the Governor or the Assembly has decided to reappropriate the money.
With silence from Albany, transit advocates and union leaders are working to get Cuomo’s attention. Daily News columnist Pete Donohue, an important voice for transit in that paper, spoke out in favor of the bill earlier this week. “Essentially,” he writes, “lawmakers would have to own up to what they’re doing in a more public way and specify some of the pain that will result. They couldn’t hide behind the MTA, which by design provides political cover when news is grim.”
Donohue writes of a letter signed by various unions and advocates that urges Cuomo to pass the bill, and I have a copy of that letter. It discusses the importance of the legislation and urges Cuomo to sign it. It reads in part:
The strong principle of the legislation – that MTA dedicated funds should be spent as intended – has attracted a wide range of supporters. These include business leaders, labor and trade unions, transit and environmental advocates, environmental justice and community groups.
The “lockbox” bill was a reaction to the diversion of $260 million in transit funds over the last three years. These diversions contributed to the worst metropolitan-area transit service cuts in memory. They included the elimination of 36 bus routes and 570 bus stops; killing all or parts of three subway lines; and burdening millions of city and suburban riders with lengthier waits, more crowding, extra transfers and longer trips. Commuter rail riders have had their trains eliminated and stops added to remaining trains. Para-transit service for individuals with disabilities has been made even less convenient or, in some communities, eliminated completely.
Our groups understand that New York State faces extremely serious financial woes. But raiding dedicated transit funds is poor policy. The dedicated taxes and fees that flow into the dedicated fund were explicitly created, and politically justified, to provide the MTA with a “stable and reliable dedicated funding source.” Additionally, the $260 million diverted from the dedicated funds aggravated declining dedicated tax revenue caused by the economic downturn.
Our groups support your goal of restoring fiscal responsibility to New York State. This bill is consistent with your goal of ending New York’s fiscal shell game. It is basic good governance to keep the promise to taxpayers and transit riders that dedicated transit funds will be spent on transit.
One quarter of the state’s workforce relies on mass transit to get to work. They, their employers, and the economy rely on these dedicated taxes to help pay for subway, bus and commuter operations and transit capital projects.
Cuomo has so far been willing to take political risks and do things because they seem to be the right move to do. He ushered a gay marriage bill through Albany and recently signed a complete streets piece of legislation. The MTA lockbox should be next. Protect the money. Protect transit. New York City’s and New York State’s futures will depend on it.
Aug
16
MTA platform smoking ban signed into law
Posted by: | CommentsAs the New York State legislature wrapped up its business in June, it passed a bill banning smoking on all MTA railroad platforms. For nearly two months, the bill sat on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk, and yesterday, he signed it into law. Smoking, all prohibited on all New York City Transit areas, is now a no-no at all MTA-operated outdoor train ticketing, boarding or platform areas, including the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North.
In a statement, Cuomo praised the public health benefits of the new measure. “It is important that commuters are not unwillingly subject to the dangers of second-hand smoke while waiting on train platforms,” the governor said. “Exposure to second-hand smoke can lead to serious health problems for non-smokers and this law will make outdoor MTA train platforms, ticketing and boarding areas a cleaner, healthier place for all commuters.”
Of course, signatures and proclamations are all well and good, but what about enforcement? Last night while waiting for a 1 train at Chambers St., I saw a woman in the subway puffing away at her cigarette with nary a cop or MTA worker in sight to do anything about it. Most of these commuter rail platforms are relatively empty for much of the day, and I’m not sure a bill that won’t be enforced too much will be a huge deterrent. Still, it’s a measure worth applauding for those who do not like to inhale other people’s smoke.
Aug
16
MTA to halt late-night Second Ave. blasting
Posted by: | CommentsOver the past few years, I’ve frequently received emails from Second Ave. residents complaining of the blasting. From early in the morning to late at night, whistles, blasts and vibrations would rock the neighborhood as MTA contractors went about the slow and torturous process of constructing a subway line. As you can see from the above video, posted by Ben at The Launch Box in March, it’s a loud experience.
Recently, the complaints have seemingly come to a head as the work has continued into the night. According to a brief item in The Post, blasts were going off well the agreed-upon 7 p.m. cut-off time. Residents claim that in recent months, contractors set off 19 blasts after 9 p.m.
Now, the MTA says it will respect the 7 p.m. cutoff time. While original plans called for blasting until midnight, Michael Horodniceanu, the president of MTA Capital Construction, has said the authority will revise blasting guidelines. “People don’t want to have a romantic dinner with the sound of pavement being obliterated in the background,” he said to The Times. “After 7 p.m., we do not blast.”
The MTA has had a tense and often contentious relationship with business and residents along Second Ave., and it’s clearly tough to build a new subway line through a densely-inhabited area. With five more years left on the project, the two sides will have to continue to work together, and limiting the blasting is a long overdue move.
