Second Ave. Sagas

Weekend service advisories

by Benjamin Kabak July 31, 2009

written by Benjamin Kabak on July 31, 2009

Live from Israel where even in the small city of Haifa they have physically separated bus lanes, it’s the weekend service advisories. These are directly cut-and-pasted from the MTA’s email. Be sure to verify all changes before heading underground.

24
From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, August 1, from 12:01 a.m. to 8 a.m. Sunday, August 2 and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound 24 trains skip Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza and Bergen Street due to switch work near Eastern Parkway.

2
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound 2 trains run express from Gun Hill Road 2 to East 180th Street due to structural steel repairs between East 180th Street and Dyre Avenue.

4
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, uptown 4 trains run express from Brooklyn Bridge to 14th Street due to construction of the Broadway-Lafayette Street to Bleecker Street transfer.

6
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, uptown 6 trains run express from Brooklyn Bridge to 14th Street due to construction of the Broadway-Lafayette Street to Bleecker Street transfer.

6
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound 6 trains run express from Hunts Point Avenue to 3rd Avenue due to platform edge rehabilitation at Cypress Avenue, East 143rd Street, East 149th Street and Longwood Avenue stations.

A
From 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2, free shuttle buses replace A trains between 80th Street and Lefferts Boulevard due to switch work and rail repairs near Rockaway Boulevard.
Trains to the Rockaways skip 88th Street and Rockaway Blvd. Trains to Manhattan make station stops at Rockaway Blvd. and 88th Street.

C
From12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, downtown C trains run express from 145th Street to Canal Street due to fan plant rehabilitation near 7th Avenue in Manhattan.

D
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Brooklyn-bound D trains skip DeKalb Avenue and run express from Pacific Street to 36th Street due to track chip-out at DeKalb Avenue.

D
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, D trains run in two sections due to fan plant rehabilitation near 7th Avenue in Manhattan.
• Between 205th Street and the Lower East Side-2nd Avenue F station and
• Between West 4th Street and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue
Customers continuing their trip may transfer across the platform at Broadway-Lafayette.

D
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, downtown D trains run local on the A line from 145th Street to West 4th Street due to fan plant rehabilitation near 7th Avenue in Manhattan.

D
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound D trains run local from 36th Street to DeKalb Avenue due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

EF
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound EF trains run local from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Queens Plaza and 21st Street-Queensbridge, respectively, due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

EF
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Jamaica-bound EF trains run local from Queens Plaza and 21st Street-Queensbridge, respectively, to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

G
From 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, there is no G
service between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square. Customers should take the E or R instead.

J
From 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Saturday, August 1, J trains run in two sections due to track cleaning:
• Between Jamaica Center-Parsons Archer and Essex Street and
• Between Essex Street and Chambers Street

L
From 4:30 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 2, there are no L trains between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Parkway due to switch renewal north of Atlantic Avenue. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service.

N
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Manhattan-bound N trains run express on the D line from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street due to track panel installation.

N
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, N trains run local on the R line between Canal Street and 36th Street due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

N
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Coney Island-bound N trains run local from 36th to 59th Streets due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

Q
At all times until December 2009, the Coney Island-bound side of the Avenue U and Neck Road stations are closed for rehabilitation. Customers should use Kings Highway BQ, Sheepshead Bay BQ, or Avenue U F stations as alternatives.

Q
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Brooklyn-bound Q trains run on the R line from Canal Street to DeKalb Avenue due to track chip-out at DeKalb Avenue.

Q
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, August 3, Q trains run local between 57th Street-7th Avenue and Canal Street due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.

R
From 5 a.m. to midnight Saturday, August 1 and Sunday, August 2, there are no R trains between Forest Hills-71st Street and 36th Street (Brooklyn) due to power cable work north of Roosevelt Avenue.
The EFNQ trains provide alternate service.

S
From 6:30 a.m. Saturday, August 1 to7 p.m. Sunday, August 2, there are no shuttle trains between Franklin Avenue and Prospect Park due to cable and conduit work.
Free shuttle buses provide alternate service.

July 31, 2009 1 comment

MTA

MTA Employee Wins Lottery

by Lilit Marcus July 31, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 31, 2009

Aubrey Boyce, a subway collection agent from Kew Gardens, has won $133 million in the Mega Millions jackpot, the New York Daily News reported today. Boyce identified himself as being from South America (he didn’t specify which country, although some reports have claimed he is from Guyana) and has spent the last eight years working for the MTA. As a collection agent, his job is to go around to different subway stations and collect the money from MetroCard machines and (formerly) token booths.

Boyce’s plan for the money? Yeah, he’s quitting his job. And taking his wife on a vacation to “someplace warm.”

July 31, 2009 12 comments

View from Underground

What’s Your Biggest Subway Pet Peeve?

by Lilit Marcus July 31, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 31, 2009

Since I take the subway instead of driving, I don’t get road rage – but, occasionally, I get ‘subway rage.’ I’m going to list a couple of the things that make me the most crazy on the subway, and I want to hear from you guys in the comments about your own mass transit pet peeves:

People having loud, TMI phone conversations when the train is above ground.
When a crowded rush hour train is pulling into a busy station and someone in the middle of the car starts shoving his or her way toward the door, seemingly unaware that many other people will be getting out at the stop as well.
People who have their iPod turned on so loud other people can hear it, despite the whole “headphones” thing. There’s an extra demerit for anyone who sings or raps along with what they’re listening to.
Perfectly healthy adults who don’t give up their seats for a pregnant woman or disabled person.

What about you guys?

July 31, 2009 40 comments

MTA Technology

The MTA Meets Twitter

by Lilit Marcus July 30, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 30, 2009

For those of you who are on Twitter, there are now Twitter accounts for mass transit lines and highways throughout New York state, including the New York City subway. There’s a full index of accounts here. Those of you in New York City can choose to follow the general 511 account, or simply follow the line you take the most often.

If you’re a Twitter fan or just want to check online to see if there are problems along your subway line or highway before you set out on your commute, this is a great quick way to get information. And if you hate Twitter, keep in mind that you don’t have to have an account to view a specific page. Don’t worry – I won’t tell anyone.

Next up? The PATH is planning to get an account too.

July 30, 2009 5 comments

7 Line Extension MTA

Quinnipiac Releases Transit Poll Results

by Lilit Marcus July 30, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 30, 2009

Quinnipiac University has conducted a poll about New York City urban life. Here are some of the transit-related tidbits:

58 percent of respondents like the new pedestrian mall on Broadway between Times and Herald Squares.
52 percent rate overall subway service as “excellent” or “good,” with 56 percent giving the same rating to city bus service.
67 percent are opposed to East River bridge tolls.
23 percent of New Yorkers drive to work. [Side note: I personally find this hard to fathom, unless they’re including people who drive in from the suburbs. I don’t even know if 23 percent of New York City residents even own cars. Maybe it’s just me.]
64 percent are “not too confident” or “not confident” that the 7 train extension will be completed on schedule.

July 30, 2009 21 comments

New York City Transit

My Favorite Subway Conductor

by Lilit Marcus July 29, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 29, 2009

While most of us take the subway every day, how many of us know anything about the people who conduct the trains? When I asked my friends who their favorite subway conductors were, most of their responses were things like “That guy on the A who sings the names of the stations” or “One time I had a conductor on the N who not only announced the stops but said which tourist attractions were near each one.”

Well, I have a favorite driver – his name is Eric Booker, and he conducts the 7 train. However, Eric’s not terribly famous for his day job. Under his nickname, “Badlands,” he’s one of the country’s foremost champions in a very unusual sport – competitive eating. Booker holds records in events from hamentaschen to burritos to peas. He’s one of the IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating)’s biggest celebrities and makes regular appearances at the best-known eating competition of all, the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Contest, held every Fourth of July on Coney Island.

When he’s not eating or conducting the 7 train, “Badlands” is also an aspiring rapper. You can check out one of his songs (which is about Krystal hamburgers, obviously) here.

July 29, 2009 15 comments

MTA MTA Absurdity

Little Boy Allegedly Drives Train

by Lilit Marcus July 29, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 29, 2009

According to the New York Daily News, a straphanger snapped a photograph of a young boy apparently conducting a Lexington-line train.

The New York Daily News reported Jules Cattie, 41, a lawyer, said he was shocked to see the boy at the controls of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority train Monday with the adult driver alongside.

Cattie said that moments after boarding the Lexington Avenue train at Fulton Street, he heard the female train conductor say, “It’s green, speed up,” he quoted her as allegedly saying. “Yellow, slow down.” Cattie thought she was training a new operator, but looked in the conductor’s compartment window and saw the child; he took the photo before disembarking at 42nd Street, the newspaper said.

The MTA has said that they will investigate Mr. Cattie’s allegations. Is this like when I was a little kid on an airplane and we were allowed to go up and meet the pilot, and then get that little gold pin shaped like wings? I mean, they only let me go into the cockpit, not fly the plane.

July 29, 2009 5 comments

Brooklyn Queens

The G Train: Not Perfect, But Closer

by Lilit Marcus July 29, 2009

written by Lilit Marcus on July 29, 2009

Hi, everyone. My name is Lilit Marcus and I’ll be doing some guest posts over the next couple of days while Benjamin is away. My normal home is over at Save the Assistants, but I’m happy to have the opportunity to branch out a little bit.

As Benjamin noted last week, many riders are happy with the new G train extension to Church Avenue in Brooklyn. I live in Williamsburg close to the Metropolitan G stop, and I’ve been a longtime fan of the train – my boyfriend of two years lives in Long Island City, and I’ve told people we might not be together if dating him meant I had to go into Manhattan and switch trains twice. I’ve also had a soft spot for the G train ever since reading Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn, where the protagonist notes that the G is the underdog of the subway system, suffering from insecurity because it’s the only train that doesn’t touch Manhattan.

While the G extension further into Brooklyn is a great (albeit temporary) start, there are two other issues I’d like to see the G address:

1. The G, in order to be even more efficient, needs to extend one stop further past Court Square and go to Queens Plaza. This would connect the G easily with the E, V, and R lines. When the G used to run more reliably to Forest Hills on nights and weekends, it made it a lot easier for G riders to connect with other lines in Queens. Before the extension to Church Avenue, I also thought it would be great for the G to somehow go to Atlantic Avenue, but I can deal with walking from the Fulton Street stop.

2. Get some more damn cars. It’s great that the G now has a longer route and serves more neighborhoods (and that it extends to Coney Island many weekends in place of the F), so it’s more than time to have more than four cars per train. How many of you have had the classic “first time on the G” moment when you realize that you’re standing at the wrong end of the platform and have to haul ass in order to squeeze into the last car? The G isn’t the Times Square/Grand Central shuttle, OK? Time to give it more capacity.

July 29, 2009 22 comments

Fare Hikes

No fare hikes in MTA’s prelim 2010 budget

by Benjamin Kabak July 29, 2009

written by Benjamin Kabak on July 29, 2009

While a part of the Albany compromise for the MTA bailout included a freeze on fare hikes until 2011, the whispers of an unplanned fare hike swirled amidst stories of the MTA’s poor fiscal state. Today, though, the agency put these rumors to bed with a release of its preliminary financial plan.

The latest iteration of the plan covers the 2010 fiscal year and includes a four-year budget projection as well. With money coming in from the payroll tax, fares and services are set to remain constant in 2010 but with hikes set to 7.5 percent and tied roughly into inflation scheduled for both 2011 and 2013.

The press release from the Authority bulleted the important parts:

As promised to the Governor and Legislature, the 2010 budget includes no service cuts or fare increases.
Projected cash balances of $29 million in 2009, $39 million in 2010 and $1 million in 2011. Manageable deficits are projected for 2012 and 2013.
Significant spending restraints, building on the substantial expense reduction taken in 2009 to save $64 million in 2010. These savings grow to $279 million by 2013.

The MTA big wigs said all the right things. “We are grateful to Governor Paterson and the Legislature for their strong commitment to the transit system during this current economic downturn,” MTA Board Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger said with some rhetorical flourishes. “Meeting the MTA’s fiduciary responsibilities while sparing our customers from the drastic and painful measures proposed earlier this year will help us keep to our mission of providing safe, dependable and affordable public transportation.”

The interesting part of the timing of this announcement though is the fact that the final budget isn’t due for nearly five months. The MTA Board won’t pass the budget until December. In the meantime, the Board will hold extensive public comments on their latest financial plan and should try to wrangle more money from the state. Congestion pricing and East River tolls await.

July 29, 2009 3 comments

View from Underground

When it was a train: the H

by Benjamin Kabak July 28, 2009

written by Benjamin Kabak on July 28, 2009

HTrain

Yesterday, as part of my ongoing series focusing on improperly rolled roll signs, we looked at the now-defunct Grand St. shuttle. Today, we look at another shuttle with an odd designation.

Tucked away in a relatively quiet corner of Queens, past Howard Beach and the JFK Airport stop, are the Rockaways. Made famous by the Ramones, the Rockaways feature some beaches, some great surfing and a long ride back to Manhattan. The strait also features an odd subway configuration. Some A trains hit Broad Channel and then go north to Far Rockaway while other A trains and a shuttle train head south to Rockaway Park.

On the map, that Rockaway Park shuttle is gray, similar to the Franklin St. and 42nd St. shuttles. But out there in the far reaches of Queens, the shuttle is known as the H train. A few weeks ago, Mike Kocurek was waiting at Jay St. when an escaped H train rolled by. He snapped the above picture, and we were reminded of a train that runs but not far in a place most New Yorkers never visit.

On another note, this is my last post on Second Ave. Sagas for about a week and a half. I’m traveling out of the country with limited access to the Internet. I have a great slate of guest columnists lined up. Be sure to stop by and give them your support. I’ll be back at the end of next week.

July 28, 2009 11 comments

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