On Thursday afternoon, I published a bit about rising costs at the Yankee Stadium Metro-North stop. As reported by Metro’s Patrick Arden, the new stop was supposedly suffering from cost overruns. My reading of Arden’s article was incorrect, and I’d like to offer up a correction.
In a nutshell, there are no cost overruns. Aaron Donovan, deputy press secretary at the MTA, writes to clarify:
The costs ($52 million from the MTA and $39 million from the City) have not changed since the project was approved by the MTA board in May 2007. There have been no cost escalations or overruns in the construction of the station, which is proceeding on time and on budget.
The $800,000 approved for station cleaning A) was anticipated at the outset and so does not represent an “overrun,” and B) is a cost to operate the station that appears in the Metro-North’s operating budget. It is not a capital expenditure associated with the construction of the station. Further, this amount represents a substantial savings over what Metro-North would pay if it were to hire additional Metro-North staff station cleaners to handle the facility. While every Metro-North station is cleaned every day, this station will need attention that is greater than, and different in character from, other Metro-North stations. This is because of the large number of customers using the station and the odd schedule (many nights and weekends) in which they will use it.
So there you have it. The project is on time and on budget. The key aspect here is that Metro-North is hiring an outside agency to clean the station for the first time. This expenditure was originally a part of the plan for the Yankee Stadium stop, and due to its anticipated high volume, the MTA will save under this plan.
I got the information wrong, and when I do that, I like to get the right information out there as soon as possible.
* * *
On another note, here are the weekend service advisories. That whole A/C/F/G thing is still going on.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, 2 and 3 trains run local between 96th Street and Chambers Street. However, uptown 1, 2 and 3 trains skip 96th Street due to station rehabilitation.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, February 1, Manhattan-bound 4 trains skip 176th Street, Mt. Eden Avenue, 170th, 167th and 161st Streets due to cutting of trees and branches hanging over track areas.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, uptown 4 and 6 trains run express from Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall to Grand Central-42nd Street due to Broadway-Lafayette Street to Bleecker Street transfer construction.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, there are no 4 trains available at Nostrand and Kingston Avenues due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, 4 trains skip Bergen Street, Grand Army Plaza, and Eastern Parkway due to switch renewal at Nostrand Avenue. Customers may take the 2 instead.
From 4 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 10 p.m. Sunday, February 1, Manhattan-bound 6 trains run express from Pelham Bay Park to Parkchester due to track panel installation from Castle Hill Avenue to Parkchester. The last stop for some Bronx-bound 6 trains is 3rd Avenue-138th Street.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, (and weekends through Feb 27-Mar 2) there are no 7 trains between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube. The NQ and free shuttle buses provide alternate service.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, free shuttle buses replace A trains between 168th Street and 207th Street due to tunnel and lighting work. Customers may transfer between the Broadway or Ft. Washington Avenue shuttle buses and the A train at 168th Street.
From 10:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, free shuttle buses replace A trains between Beach 90th Street and Far Rockaway due to track panel work.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, Queens-bound A trains run local between 168th Street and 125th Street, then express to Canal Street, then trains resume local service to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. Manhattan-bound A trains run local from Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. to 168th Street. These changes are due to station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector at Jay Street, a track chip-out north of 116th Street and the Chambers Street Signal Modernization.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, there are no C trains running due to station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector at Jay Street.
1. A trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and 168th Street.
2. F trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Euclid Avenue
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, there is no E train service between West 4th Street and World Trade Center; trains run to the 2nd Avenue F station during this time due to the Chambers Street Signal Modernization. Customers may take the A to reach lower Manhattan.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to Monday, February 2, F trains replace the C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Euclid Avenue. G trains replace the F between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue. These changes are due to station rehabilitation and construction of the underground connector at Jay Street.
From 8:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, there are no G trains between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Court Square. Customers take the E or R instead.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, there are no L trains between 8th Avenue and Union Square due to switch renewal near 8th Avenue. Customers may use the M14 or shuttle bus instead.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, L trains run in two sections (due to switch renewal near 8th Avenue):
• Between Union Square and Bedford Avenue every 16 minutes*, skipping 3rd Avenue and
• Between Bedford Avenue and Rockaway Parkway every 8 minutes*
Customers must transfer at Bedford Avenue to continue their trip.
*10 p.m. Sunday, February 1 to 5 a.m. Monday, trains run every 20 minutes.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, N and Q trains run local between Canal Street and 57th Street due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, N and R trains are rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge between DeKalb Avenue and Canal Street in both directions due to subway tunnel rehabilitation.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, January 31 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, Q trains are extended to Ditmars Boulevard due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, January 30 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 2, the 42nd Street Shuttle S operates overnight to replace 7 service between Times Square-42nd Street and Grand Central-42nd Street due to track panel installation on the Davis Street curve and security conduit and cable installation in the under river tube.
6 comments
[…] Correction Notice: Please note that there is a correction to this post. You can read it here. […]
Holy cow, they’ve actually started work on the Bleecker St/Bway-Lafyette connection?
Whoa. I missed that. You’re right. Time to do some investigating this week.
If I’m not mistaken, they’ve also started work on the Lawrence-Jay streets connection.
[…] MTA: Yankees Metro-North Stop is on Budget (Second Avenue Sagas) […]
[…] for example, the changes from two weeks ago. That weekend, service to Lower Manhattan resembled what it will be if the service cuts come to be: […]