Second Avenue Sagas, A New York City Subway Blog

Oct

MTA offers new service advisory e-mail program

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (2) ·

When torrential rain knocked out the subways in August, the MTA’s communications problems were laid bare for all to see. The station agents and other MTA employees, we learned, didn’t really know what to do, and the MTA’s servers couldn’t handle the crush of people looking for information about the subways.

Well, last week, the MTA began to combat this communications problem by unveiling a new offering: an expanding weekday e-mail service alert program. Called Know Before You Go!, this enthusiastically titled program covers the same ground as one currently offered by weekend service. Sign up for alerts on one line, multiple lines or simply all of them, and you’ll get an e-mail with the latest information about service along that line.

“The ongoing capital infrastructure rehabilitation and system upgrade projects taking place during the day, at night and on weekends is critical to our ability to provide safe and reliable subway service,” MTA NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr., said in a press release. “Our weekend e-mail program has been very well received by riders and we expect this new service will be just as if not more popular with our customers.”

The new service — available here for all of you eager beavers — offers subscribers a once-a-week e-mail with the planned changes to the normal weekday subway service. The e-mail will arrive in your inbox on Friday.

And therein lies the cloud to this silver lining. Now, I’m all for the MTA using newfangled technologies like the Internets and electronic mail to send out status alerts. But weekly alerts sent the Friday before serve a fairly limited purpose. The communications problems in August were due to the fact that the MTA had no real-time service available for pushing out service alerts to users on the go. While this new e-mail alert system seems flashy, it doesn’t offer anything beyond planned outages. We need to know about unplanned outages.

We know the MTA wants to develop a platform for real-time text message updates. Even though the stations are not yet wired for wireless, text message alerts would benefit enough cell phone, Blackberry and iPhone users to make a difference. Know Before You Go! is a nice stop-gap, but that’s all that it is. While progress should be applauded, hopefully, we’ll see those real-time alerts before another system-wide outage hits.

Categories : MTA Technology

Comments (2)

Oct

Imagine the weekend service changes every day

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (4) ·

As the fare hike debate heats up, let’s take a second to ponder something. What if the MTA pushed off this fare hike and never received the money that Richard Brodsky is attempting to bring to the Authority? What if the MTA slid further into debt?

Well, first, we would basically be reliving the 1970s on the subway station. Right now, stations – Columbus Circle, Church Ave., 96th St., Fulton St., to name a few – are all undergoing much-needed renovations. If this funds dry up, the MTA will have two choices. The first would be to cut out renovations and station maintenance. Underground stations would decay; above-ground stations would get dirty.

The other choice is to cut service. While riders keep complaining that they want more frequent service, we have to remember that more trains mean more employees and more miles on a car. All of that translates into more money. How can the MTA, already stretched fairly thin due to years of Pataki neglect, be expected to provide more service without drawing in more money?

If you’re feeling down on the fare hike, just imagine the following weekend service alerts during the week when you’re trying to commute to work during rush hour. Maybe the fare hike isn’t such a bad idea after all.

I have no link for you. The MTA did not release the service advisories in convenient press release form. What follows are the weekend service alerts. If you want to get these delivered to you each week in your e-mail, sign up for the new Know Before You Go program. It’s a New York City Transit effort to alert customers to service changes before they make it to the subway.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, there is no 1 train service between South Ferry and 34th Street. For service to South Ferry, take the 2 or 3 making local stops from 34th Street to Chamber St. A shuttle bus will service South Ferry from Chambers St.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, all 2 & 3 trains run on the local track from 96th Street to Chambers Street due to station rehab work at 96th Street.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, uptown 1, 2 & 3 trains skip 50th, 59th, and 66th Street due to station rehab work at 59th Street.

At all times until 5 a.m. on Monday, November 12, Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip Mosholu Parkway due to station rehabilitation.

From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28, there is no 5 train service between 149 and East 180 Sts. For service to these stations, take the 2 train instead.

From 4 a.m. on Saturday, October 27 to 10 p.m., on Sunday, October 28, the last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 125 St. Listen for the announcements on the train.

From 4 a.m. on Saturday, October 27 to 9 p.m., on Sunday, October 28, Bronx-bound 6 trains run express from Hunts Point Ave. to Parkchester.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, free shuttle buses and shuttle train service replace the A between Howard Beach-JFK Airport and the Rockaways due to track panel installation south of Howard Beach-JFK Airport station.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, Manhattan-bound A & C trains run express from Utica Ave to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m., Monday, October 29, downtown A & C trains skip 50, 23, and Spring Sts.

From 11 p.m., Friday, October 26 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 29 (and weekends through December 31), Bronx-bound D trains run express from 145th Street to Fordham Road due to track/roadbed replacement at 161st Street.

From 10 p.m., Friday, October 26 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 27, Coney Island-bound D trains run express from 9 Ave to Stillwell Ave.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 28, E trains run in two sections. Trains will run from Jamaica Center to Union Turnpike and from Union Turnpike to World Trade Center.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 29, Manhattan-bound F trains are running as they always should. Manhattan-bound F trains skip Ft Hamilton Pkwy, 15 St-Prospect Park, and 4 Ave.

From 8:30 p.m. Friday, October 26 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 29, there is no G train service between 71-Continental Avs and Court Sq. In fact, there is no G train service on the weekend between these two stations until further notice.

From 1 a.m. Saturday, October 27 to 5 a.m. Monday, October 29, there is no J train service over the Williamsburg Bridge. Free shuttle buses replace trains at Hewes St, Marcy Av, and Essex St stations. For service to Brooklyn and Manhattan, transfer between the J and A C or L
at Broadway Junction. For service to Queens, transfer between the J and M at Myrtle Av-Broadway. If you really want to be confused, try to figure out the best routes to nearby stations, as suggested by the MTA.

There is no T train service yet. But here’s to hopin’!

Categories : Service Advisories

Comments (4)

Oct

I have no more puns left as the M pulls down a C-

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (3) ·

Continuing the grand tradition of C-range grades from the Rider Report Card, the M – that rarely-used Nassau Street Local – received a C-minus from its riders. One day, the MTA will break this stretch of C grades, and we will celebrate.

The lonely M with just 75 riders on Facebook’s Subway Status application is seen only fleetingly during rush hour in Manhattan. Only seven trains at most run an hour on the M, and the train spends the time from 7:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. running as a shuttle from Metropolitan Ave. to Myrtle Ave. From 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., it reaches Chambers St. and during peak hours, extends to Bay Parkway.

As such, only 1360 riders responded to this survey, but that should constitute a sample random enough to get an a good enough picture of the train. Forgetting for a minute that these surveys are largely self-selected and less than scientific, let’s look at the complaints. Top ten improvements please:

Reasonable wait times for trains
Minimal delays during trips
Station announcements that are easy to hear
Train announcements that are easy to hear
Cleanliness of stations
Adequate room on board at rush hour
Sense of security in stations
Sense of security on trains
Cleanliness of subway cars
Station announcements that are informative

Rare are the times when I ride the M. If the train pulls into DeKalb during rush hour, and I’m heading to my gym near Union St., I’ll enjoy the Nassau Street Local for two stops. I’ve never had much of a problem with it, but the old R42 cars certainly don’t lend themselves to cleanliness or good PA systems.

On that end, those J/M/Z cars are due to be retired soon and replaced with spiffy new cars. So the MTA will get some points back there. As it stands, the M could use some improvements. After the jump, the full grade breakdown. For those keeping score at home, that’s three C-minuses, two C’s and a D for the MTA.

Categories : Rider Report Cards

Comments (3)

Oct

MTA goes greener with 850 new hybrid buses

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (0) ·

The MTA hopes to win a Nobel Prize for its efforts in combating greenhouse gas emissions. (Photo courtesy of flickr user mss2400)

In the spring of 2004, around the time that the global warming/hybrid car craze really took off, for a class about automobiles, I wrote a paper proposing that taxi cabs in New York City should all be converted to hybrids. My argument focused around the economics of gasoline and cab drivers as well as the environmental impact this move would have on New York City.

This was, by no stretch, a very creative argument. With so many cabs patrolling the streets of New York, it made sense to turn these polluting vehicles into greener hybrids. An abridged version of my essay ended up in my ultimately unsuccessful application for the New York City Urban Fellows program, and I like to joke today that my essay kicked off the currently ongoing effort to convert the taxi fleet into one of hybrids.

This was my first real exposure to urban transportation politics, and two and a half years later, Second Ave. Sagas was born. Today, we revisit that original topic: hybrid automobiles. In this case, we’re talking about buses. The MTA announced this week plans to add 850 new hybrid electric buses to the fleet.

“The MTA’s transportation network makes the entire region sustainable and we are committed to making the system itself a sustainable model,” Elliot “Lee” Sander, Executive Director & CEO of the MTA, said. “Along with the sustainable commission that we launched this fall, the continuing purchase of environmentally-friendly vehicles illustrates this commitment.”

In effect, this new purchase is a contract extension of a 2005 deal between the MTA and Daimler AG. The original deal between the transportation authority and the German auto maker called for 500 buses, 284 of which were to go to MTA Bus and the other 216 to New York City Transit. The MTA picked up a 389-bus option on that contract and negotiated a 461-bus extension. No word if Daimler AG was insulted when the MTA wanted to add a World Series incentive to the contract.

This new order allows for NYCT to take on most of the new buses. Of the 850, 105 of them will go to MTA Bus. The other 745 will end up in the hands of New York City Transit. According to the MTA, these buses will be employed to meet ridership and equipment demands brought about by Bus Rapid Transit lanes. Hallelujah.

“The ability of being able to expand our fleet will help us to increase capacity as we look forward to the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit,” NYCT President Howard Roberts said.

I, of course, love this idea. A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the MTA is, by virtue of its public transportation mission, is a green organization looking to go greener. Its trains use energy-conserving breaks similar to those found in hybrid cars, and now the Authority is adding a whole fleet of green buses.

I – and Al Gore – wholeheartedly support this move. More hybrids for everyone.

Categories : Buses

Comments (0)

The subway salary game · SUBWAYblogger takes a look at the salaries of various MTA employees today. His conclusion: The MTA pays those TWU members a lot more than the NYPD pays its rookie cops. But wouldn’t you rather have a cleaner subway than a safer one? Yeah, me neither. [SUBWAYblogger] · (1)

Smith-9th St. F/G stop to be out for a year · Once the MTA starts work on the Culver viaduct rehabilitation plan, the F/G station at Smith-9th Sts. that serves Carroll Garden, Gowanus and Red Hook will be shuttered for a year. Metro guesses that the 12-month closure will take place in 2010. [Metro via The Gowanus Lounge] · (4)

Oct

With money available, Sander won’t postpone the fare hike

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (3) ·

MTA CEO Elliot “Lee” Sander is facing increased pressure from politicians and advocacy groups to postpone the planned fare hike until the middle of April at the earliest. But as hard as these politicians and transit advocates push, Sander pushes back harder. Yesterday, he was at it again, defending the need for a fare hike despite news the contrary.

We start with The Daily News. Earlier this week, Pete Donohue reported that unexpected windfalls could provide the MTA with enough money to stave off the fare hike at least temporarily. Basing his argument on the supposed $100 million that the MTA would lose if they delayed the fare hike until April, Donohue notes that the extra $60 million in real estate taxes and a $49 million toll surplus would give the MTA the extra money they need to wait. He also drops in the fact that $50 million was supposed to use on paint jobs could be added to this pot as well.

Enter Sander. Yesterday, while speaking after the MTA board meeting, Sander stressed the economic need to act on the fare hike sooner rather than later. NY1′s Bobby Cuza has more:

The head of the MTA says that even with the extra $100 million to $200 million that could be brought in with congestion pricing, the agency just doesn’t have enough in the bank to keep the system up and running without a fare hike…
The MTA is counting on:

$400 million in state aid next year, some of it requiring legislative action;

$600 million in new government aid starting in 2010;

Legislative approval of congestion pricing, which would raise money for MTA capital projects.

Sander says the only way a fare hike could be avoided would be for the city and state to come up with another $300 million a year on top of all that.

While Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, one of the leading voices calling for a postponement of the fare hike, has repeated told Sander to simply ask the state for more money, Brodsky has yet to say he could definitely deliver the needed funds on top of the $1.5 billion the MTA will already get. Sander, not willing to risk a lot of the work and improvements the subway system has enjoyed over the last few years, is loathe rely on what he called a “game of roulette” in Albany.

“The reality is the MTA is in need of great financial sums from Albany over the next two calendar years,” Sander said. “For us to bank on [state money] when the overall funding need is fares and tolls plus this aid, it puts at risk the system we have worked so hard to build, to rebuild.”

To me, the outcome of this saga really should hinge on Pete Donohue’s report. If Donohue’s numbers are accurate — and I have no reason to doubt them — the MTA should take this surplus money and use it to stave off the fare hike for a few months. It certainly won’t be the end of the fare hike. But by April, the Authority will be able to actually ask Albany for the money, and the rest of us will have time see if Brodsky can deliver on his promises of more funds. Sander, along with incoming MTA Chair Dale Hemmerdinger, owe the paying public at least that much.

Photo courtesy of The New York Observer.

Categories : Fare Hikes

Comments (3)

Board approves 7 line extension · The MTA voted today to approve the 7 line extension. Only Andrew Saul, also the lone dissenter on the MTA’s finance committee, voted against the one-bid contract, and MTA CEO Elliot Sander said the board would take up the issue of cost over-runs in two years. [Cityroom] · (0)

NY Senate OK’s Hemmerdinger · Despite concers that H. Dale Hemmerdinger only knows about transit in New York because he reads the newspapers, the New York State Senate confirmed the Gov. Spitzer appointee as the new Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Say good bye to Peter Kalikow. [Daily News] · (0)

Oct

MTA board, hearing opposition, to vote on 7 extension today

By Benjamin Kabak · Comments (10) ·

Generally, when an expansion plan receives a contract bid and this bid is sent to a governing committee for approval, the approval is generally a sure thing. While those in charge — in this case, members of MTA’s finance committee — may voice objections during debate, the end result is generally an all-or-nothing vote. But the 7 line extension plans are proving to be a different beast as MTA Vice Chairman Andrew Saul voted against approving the bid and sending it to the full board for a vote.

In the world of the MTA Capital Construction, this is a very big deal, and while the truncated 7 line extension will probably still pass today’s full board vote, the session promises to be explosive. NY1′s Bobby Cuza has more on Saul’s decision:

Even though there was no competition, agency negotiators announced Friday that they were happy with the price they worked out for the tunneling work – about $1.1 billion, or just barely over budget. But the agency didn’t expect board members to criticize the deal at a committee meeting Monday.

“I can’t, for me as a fiduciary here, sit here and go ahead and approve a contract for over $1.1 billion of state money, or city money, or both, without having competitive bids,” said MTA Vice Chairman Andrew Saul.

Saul, the lone member to vote against approval for the contract, was not alone in expressing his dismay. Andrew Albert, not an MTA board member but a vocal transit advocate nonetheless, was none too pleased about the plans to eliminate the station at 10th Ave. and 41st St. entirely. “More [need] exists now around the 10th Avenue station than around the Javits Center station. Are we saying that conventioneers are more important than our own residents? I hope we’re not saying that,” Andrew Albert, of the NYC Transit Riders Council, said to Cuza.

But while the MTA board debates the contract today, City officials are working to secure funds for that station at 10th Avenue. Maybe we shouldn’t lose hope yet for this plan. According to Eliot Brown of The New York Sun, Mayor Bloomberg will try to cajole the state into forking over another $450 million to secure the station shell at least. Even this month would drastically reduce the cost of building another station on the extension in the future.

So now we wait. In an ideal world, the MTA board wouldn’t approve a contentious contract for a project that received just one bid. But in reality, that outcome seems unlikely, and we’ll be left with a flawed contract and an incomplete extension that will bypass the area that needs a subway station the most. Who goes to the Javits Center anyway?

As for a completion date, don’t expect the 7 line extension to materialize over night. Newsday reports that the line is due for completion in 2013 while NY1 says 2014. Anyone want to bet that something pushes this date back further into the 21st Century?

Categories : 7 Line Extension

Comments (10)

Page 199 of 231« First...«197 198199200 201 »...Last »

MTA offers new service advisory e-mail program

Imagine the weekend service changes every day

I have no more puns left as the M pulls down a C-

MTA goes greener with 850 new hybrid buses

With money available, Sander won’t postpone the fare hike

MTA board, hearing opposition, to vote on 7 extension today

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