The “inside baseball” news this week is that the MTA has pulled out of American Public Transportation Association, a non-profit that ostensibly represents all of America’s public transportation agencies. This is a pretty big deal, and the MTA didn’t make this decision lightly. In fact, the letter detailing the decision is a seven-page enumeration of grievances, and I’m almost surprised APTA didn’t respond with a duel challenge.
The short of it is that APTA hasn’t adequately represented the MTA, and the leadership has been essentially non-responsive to the concerns of what is by far its largest constituent transit authority. Whether the rest of the country likes to admit or not, the MTA is responsible for a large percentage of the nation’s transit ridership, and in fact, the US’ overall transit ridership growth over the last five years stems nearly entirely from the MTA’s various sub-agencies. The membership wasn’t worth it. To read more on what this means for APTA and the MTA, check out this Transit Center post. I’ll explore these issues in depth. Despite the fact that this is very much an industry move, it’s not one to be glossed over.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, 1 service is suspended in both directions between 14 St and South Ferry. 1 trains skip 18 St, 23 St and 28 St in both directions. Free shuttle buses operate between Chambers St and South Ferry.
From 4:45 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, April 17, Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College-bound 2 trains skip Jackson Av.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m., Monday, April 18, 2 trains run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, 3 service will operate to/from New Lots Av all weekend replacing the 4 in Brooklyn.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, 3 trains run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between New Lots Av/Crown Hts-Utica Av and Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall. Take the 2, 3, D, J, N, Q or R instead. 4 service operates between Woodlawn and Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, making local stops.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, 5 service is suspended. 24 trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service. Shuttle buses operate between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St stopping at Baychester Av, Gun Hill Rd, Pelham Pkwy, and Morris Park.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 16 to 4:30 a.m. Monday, April 18, 7 trains are suspended in both directions between Times Sq-42 St and 74 St-Broadway. EFNRS trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service. 7 trains will run between Flushing-Main St and 74 St-Broadway, and between Times Sq-42 St and 34 St-Hudson Yards, every 15-20 minutes. Free shuttle buses operate along two routes:
- Between Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av and Queensboro Plaza, stopping at Hunters Point Av, Court Sq, and Queens Plaza.
- Between Queensboro Plaza and 74 St-Broadway, stopping at 33 St, 40 St, 46 St, 52 St, 61 St-Woodside, and 69 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, A trains are rerouted via the F line in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and Jay St-MetroTech.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 16, to 5:00 a.m., Monday, April 18, A trains run local in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and 59 St-Columbus Circle.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 16 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, Manhattan-bound A trains run local in both directions between 125 St and 168 St.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16 and Sunday April 17, C trains are suspended in both directions between 145 St and 168 St. Take the A instead.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16 and Sunday April 17, C trains are rerouted via the F line in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and Jay St-MetroTech.
From 5:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16 and Sunday April 17, Norwood-205 St bound D trains skip Bay 50 St and 25 Av.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 16 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, D trains will stop at 135 St in both directions.
From 12:15 a.m. Saturday, April 16 to 7:00 a.m. Sunday, April 17, and from 12:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, Jamaica Center-Parsons Archer bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to 71 Av.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, E trains skip 23 St and Spring St in both directions.
From 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, April 16, and from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, April 17, additional E trains will run between Manhattan and Queens. Some E trains traveling from Manhattan are rerouted to the 179 St F station. Please check destination signs and listen to announcements.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15 to 4:30 a.m. Monday, April 18, F trains are suspended in both directions between Coney Island-Stillwell Av and Church Av. Free shuttle buses operate between Church Av and Coney Island-Stillwell Av, stopping at Ditmas Av, 18 Av, Avenue I, Bay Pkwy, Avenue N, Avenue P, Kings Hwy, Avenue U, Avenue X, Neptune Av, and West 8 St. Transfer between trains and free shuttle buses at Church Av. Consider using the DNQ between Coney Island-Stillwell Av and Downtown Brooklyn or Manhattan.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 15, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, L trains are suspended in both directions between Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs. Take free express and local shuttle buses and AC or J trains. Shuttle buses operate in two sections:
- Free local shuttle buses provide alternate service between Rockaway Pkwy and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs, stopping at East 105 St, New Lots Av, Livonia Av, Sutter Av, Atlantic Av, Broadway Junction, Bushwick Av-Aberdeen St, Wilson Av, and Halsey St.
- Free express shuttle buses serve Rockaway Pkwy, Broadway Junction, and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs only, days and evenings.
Transfer between free shuttle buses and L trains at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
From 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and April 17, Forrest Hills-71 Av bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forrest Hills-71 Av.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 16, to 6:00 a.m. Monday, April 18, the 42 St S Shuttle operates overnight.
15 comments
I don’t see this as a big deal. The MTA is so far out of scale with public transit in the rest of the country that it doesn’t really matter. FFS, the Lexington Ave line carries more people every day than almost every other transit **system** in the country.
It’s not a big deal for the MTA, but it’s a big deal for the rest of the industry. They played this wrong.
If you read the letter, you’ll notice that it implies that all the pre-1974 metro systems (“legacy systems”) and all the commuter rail systems in the country, as well as all the Canadian systems, share the MTA’s grievances.
This is a big deal. The pre-1974 metro systems are 60% of public transit ridership in the US, and the commuter rail and Canadian systems add even more to that.
Together they are probably upwards of 75% of the public transit ridership north of the Mexican border.
MTA may not be the last agency to pull out of APTA.
Actually, the Lex carries more people than every other transit system in the country, even the next three largest (DC, Chicago, LA) combined, IIRC.
I believe the stat is “more than Boston, Chicago, and SF” although that’s probably not including their light rail systems. DC runs at about 700-800,000 per day, versus 1.3 million for the 4/5/6.
This stuff isn’t hard to find.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_rapid_transit_systems_by_ridership
Hi everyone, just to add my 2 cents, the APTA is garbage. They rated Houston the Best Transit Agency last year, and it’s on all of the buses here in Houston. I have no idea how much METRO of Houston paid them off, but they’re not even close to the Top 30 Best Transit Agency. It’s a total disgrace.
Sorry, APTA is generally a terrible organization, but rating METRO highly sounds right. Houston is doing some pretty amazing things with its bus network design, leading to recent ridership growth starting a few months ago, after the redesign was implemented.
Unless they keep crashing the light rail and bus together every freaken year. Houston is sooo far off to be the very top transit authority in the nation.
okay alon, give me your top 10 transit agencies in america.
houston’s not there. sorry.
Ben,
Any insight into how long the Cranberry tube repair will take? I can’t remember the last time the A train ran normally on a weekend through downtown Manhattan.
Thanks!
Less than ten seconds looking at the MTA website would have got you this
http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/AClines2016/
“This weekend work on the Cranberry Tubes will continue in 2016 with the goal of substantial completion by March, 2017.”
Thanks Chris. I had seen something on the MTA site a few days ago, but it was only referencing 2015 work. Good to know!
If, hypothetically, APTA challenged the MTA to a duel, what would it look like? A race between train drivers? A crayonista competition?
An attempt to shift federal funding formulas further away from the MTA’s favor.