Second Ave. Sagas

Author: Benjamin Kabak

  • Weekend work affecting 18 subway lines

    I apparently picked a good weekend to head out of the country as nearly every subway line has an alert due to some weekend work, and I can’t remember a weekend quite as busy as this one. Anyway, as you may have figured, I’m on vacation for the next week. I’ll try to check in here as I have time, but I’ll likely not be posting much. You can follow me on Instagram for scenes from my travels. I’ve already taken multiple U-Bahn trips in Berlin and will be riding Stockholm’s Tunnelbana next week. Meanwhile, here are those numerous service advisories.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, South Ferry-bound 1 trains run express from 96 St to Times Sq-42 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 10, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 10 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Brooklyn-bound 2 trains run express from 96 St to Times Sq-42 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, 3 trains operate to/from New Lots Av all weekend, replacing the 4 in Brooklyn. 3 trains run express in Manhattan.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between Bowling Green and New Lots Av. 23 trains provide alternate service. Transfer between 4 and 23 trains at Fulton St. Downtown 4 trains run local from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


    From 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, May 10, Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College bound 5 trains run local from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains run express from 3 Av-138 St to Hunts Point Av.

    • To Brook Av, Cypress Av, E 143 St, E 149 St, and Longwood Av, take the 6 to Hunts Point Av and transfer to a Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6.
    • From these stations, take a 6 to 3 Av-138 St and transfer to a Pelham Bay Park-bound 6.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 10, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 10 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Inwood-207 St bound A trains skip Spring St, 23 St, and 50 St. Trains run every 15 minutes.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, 168 St-bound C trains skip Spring St, 23 St, and 50 St. Trains run every 15 minutes.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound D trains are rerouted on the N line from 36 St to Coney Island-Stillwell Av.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, 168 St Queens-bound E trains skip Spring St, 23 St. Trains run every 15 minutes.


    From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 9 and May 10, and from 12:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Av.


    From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer bound E trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av, and World Trade Center-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to Queens Plaza.


    From 9:45 p.m. Friday, May 8, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains are rerouted via the M line from 47-50 Sts/Rock Ctr to Roosevelt Av.


    From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 9 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av. Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to 21 St-Queensbridge.


    From 5:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, Chambers St-bound J trains run express from Broadway Junction to Myrtle Av.


    From 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, L trains are suspended in both directions between 8 Av and Lorimer St. Use AJM, M14, and free shuttle buses.

    • L service operates between Lorimer St and Rockaway Pkwy.
    • M service is extended to the 57 St F station, days and evenings.
    • Free shuttle buses operate between Lorimer St and the Broadway G station, stopping at Bedford Av, Marcy Av JM, and Hewes St J/M.
    • A free MetroCard transfer is available from the Broadway G to the Lorimer St J/M station.
    • Transfer between free shuttle buses and JM trains at Marcy Av or Hewes St.
    • Consider using the A or J to/from Manhattan via transfer at Broadway Junction or the M via transfer at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
    • M14A buses provide alternate service along 14 St between 8 Av and 1 Av, and connect with the J/M at Delancey-Essex Sts station.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, May 9, and 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, May 10, M service is extended to the 57 St F line station.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound N trains skip 49 St.


    From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 9 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Astoria-Ditmars Blvd bound N trains run local from 59 St to 36 St in Brooklyn.


    From 10:45 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Manhattan-bound Q trains run express from Kings Hwy to Prospect Park.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 10, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 10 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound Q trains skip 49 St.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, Forest Hills-71 Av bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Av.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, Brooklyn-bound R trains skip 49 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 10, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 10 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, 36 St-bound R shuttle trains stop at 53 St and 45 St.

    Rockaway Park Shuttle
    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 8 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 11, the Rockaway Park Shuttle is suspended. Shuttle buses provide alternate service between Rockaway Park and the Beach 67 St A station, stopping at Beach 105 St, Beach 98 St, and Beach 90 St. Transfer between shuttle buses and A trains at Beach 67 St.

  • For de Blasio, a long wait for a train and a longer wait for transit funding

    The Daily News was not impressed with the Mayor's complaints over subway delays.
    The Daily News was not impressed with the Mayor’s complaints over subway delays.

    When Bill de Blasio ran for mayor on a populist platform, he didn’t spend much time talking about transit. On one hand, that was by design. As the city has long ago ceded real control over MTA funding to the state, local politicians don’t feel the need to campaign on or do much to support the subway system. On the other hand, de Blasio wasn’t a subway guy. As a long-serving elected official, he drove everywhere. He didn’t — and still doesn’t — understand what the subways mean to the everyday lives of New Yorkers.

    This political problem reared its head in early April when, with good intentions, de Blasio drove from the Upper East Side to Brooklyn in order to take a 20-minute subway ride designed to drum up support for federal transit funding. Yet, the Mayor took a lot of flak for his stunt because it was so blatantly just that. Instead of offering up more city money first and putting his money where his mouth was, de Blasio used a subway ride to earn some political points.

    This week, the Mayor’s transit problem reared its head again in two distinct, but perhaps related, stories. First, on the day de Blasio’s team unveiled a budget that included a whopping $25 million increase in MTA capital funding — all the way up to $125 million — MTA CEO and Chairman Tom Prendergast made the case for even more funding. Relying on a recent Independent Budget Office study that garnered a lot of attention, Prendergast asked for at least $300 million annually and urged the city to contribute at least $1 billion to the next phase of the Second Ave. Subway.

    Noting that “the role of the city’s mass transit system is historical and obvious,” Prendergast said today is “the right time for the City to acknowledge the need for significantly increased investment” in transit. “We believe the City must share in the cost of projects needed to ease current ridership growth and the system enhancements and expansion needed to address further growth,” the MTA chief wrote. “An example of such an investment — similar to the role played by the city in the extension of the 7 line to the west side — is the construction of the Second Avenue Subway line. We suggest the appropriate level of City investment in Second Avenue is a minimum of $1.0 billion over the five-year capital plan.”

    In a subsequent exchange on Twitter between Adam Lisberg, the top MTA spokesman, and Amy Spitalnick, a top mayoral aide, Spitalnick accused the MTA of moving the goalposts. “We decided to fully meet MTA’s request. Our budget went to print. Then MTA moves the goal posts,” she said, defending the low amount. Of course, advocacy groups have called upon the city to fund at the $300 million level for months, but that again speaks to transit as a priority.

    With this ongoing battle over funding as the backdrop, the Mayor on Monday “accidentally” sent an email to a Times reporter bemoaning a long subway wait. He supposedly left just 15 minutes to wait for an A or C train, travel from Canal St. to 34th St. and get somewhere on time. The Mayor, known for his tardiness, supposedly found himself waiting for over 20 minutes before dashing off the email in a huff. For what it’s worth, the mayor is always late, and there’s no record of a delay in the MTA’s text alert longs. That’s not a definitive listing of all subway problems, but New Yorkers have a long history of fudging MTA delays as excuses for tardiness. Just ask anyone who’s arrived at work 20 minutes late for an important meeting.

    The Mayor’s optics problem is that in his email he noted that “we need a better system” regarding subway delay notifications and that it is “a fixable problem.” Of course it is, and all it requires is some political and economic support, but the mayor’s tardiness again pushed a real issue — transit funding — off the front pages. Meanwhile, local pols are trying to look everywhere but here for support, and the MTA may be a pawn in the ongoing de Blasio-Cuomo feud. But the truth is that populism and capitalism and economic growth in New York — from affordable housing to a vibrant and competitive job market — relies on the subway. The sooner our politicians digest this reality, the sooner we can move beyond petty tiffs and discuss real funding solutions.

  • MTA faces First Amendment scrutiny over revised ad policy

    I’m a bit swamped this week as I’m heading out for vacation on Thursday afternoon. I’ll do my best to expand on some of these topics as the week goes on, but for now, I’d like to offer up a short post on a topic I’ve covered in the past: MTA advertising.

    As part of a back and forth with Pamela Geller’s group, the MTA has struggled to craft a constitutionally-acceptable ad policy that doesn’t infringe on First Amendment protections. The agency tried to amend its policy in late 2012 but has been engaged in protracted legal wrangling over the revised versions. Recently, a federal judge found that the MTA had to run anti-Muslim ads under its policy, and in response, the MTA has barred all political advertising from appearing in ads. (Check out the revised policy in this pdf).

    On its surface, this strikes me as an impermissible content-based restriction on free speech, but recent Sixth Circuit jurisprudence may say otherwise. A case out of Southern Michigan found that SMART could bar all political speech as it did not consider buses to be public forums. The Second Circuit hasn’t been as forgiving, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this matter head to the Supreme Court. (WNYC delves into the legal theorizing over the constitutionality of the MTA’s moves.)

    Geller has already said she plans to sue the agency over its latest revisions, and so far, the MTA has yet to win a case against her group. As a lawyer, I’ve always been intrigued by this give-and-take, and I’ll keep an eye out on this story as it unfolds in the coming months.

  • Weekend work affecting 14 subway lines

    So here’s a funny one for you: The MTA sent out a press release on Thursday that, on Monday morning, they’re closing one platform on the 89th busiest subway station in the city for four months. Due to rehab work at 103rd St., the southbound platform at the 6 train’s stop in East Harlem will be out of service until September. The work includes repairs to the draining system, platform edges, floor tiles, ceilings, and walls. You would think though that a project of this scope would include a little bit more advanced notice.

    During this closure, the northbound platform will remain in service, and the MTA is urging its customers to take the M101, M102 or M103 buses to 96th St. for the subway. My guess is that the northbound platform is next, but Transit hasn’t said yet. Meanwhile, 14 subway lines are undergoing changes due to weekend work. Here they are:


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 1 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, South Ferry bound 1 trains run express from 145 St to 96 St.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, 3 trains are suspended in both directions between Franklin Av and New Lots Av.

    • Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av, making all station stops.
    • Transfer between 23 and 4 trains at Franklin Av.
    • Transfer between 4 trains and free shuttle buses at Crown Hts-Utica Av.
    • 4 trains run local between Franklin Av and Crown Hts-Utica Av all weekend.


    From 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 1 to 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 3, and from 11:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av. Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av, making all station stops.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 1 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, May 3, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 3 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Crown Hts-Utica Av bound 4 trains run express from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St. Woodlawn-bound 4 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 14 St-Union Sq.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 1 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, 5 trains are suspended in both directions between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 1, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6 trains run express from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


    From 11:45 p.m. Friday, May 1, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains run express from 14 St-Union Sq to Grand Central-42 St.


    From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 2, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Brooklyn-bound A trains run local from 168 St to Canal St. Inwood-207 St bound A trains run local from Canal St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, C trains run every 15 minutes.


    From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, May 2 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3, Norwood-205 St bound D trains are rerouted on the N line from Coney Island-Stillwell Av to 36 St.


    From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 2, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Brooklyn-bound D trains run local from 145 St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.


    From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and May 3, and from 12:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Av.


    From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer bound E trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av, and World Trade Center-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to Queens Plaza.


    From 9:45 p.m. Friday, May 1, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains are rerouted via the M line from 47-50 Sts/Rock Ctr to Roosevelt Av.


    From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av. Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to 21 St-Queensbridge.


    From 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 1 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 4, L trains are suspended in both directions between 8 Av and Lorimer St. Use AJM, M14, and free shuttle buses.

    • A free MetroCard transfer is available from the Broadway G to the Lorimer St J/M station.
    • L service operates between Lorimer St and Rockaway Pkwy.
    • M service is extended to the 57 St F station, days and evenings.
    • Free shuttle buses operate between Lorimer St and the Broadway G station, stopping at Bedford Av, Marcy Av J/M, and Hewes St J/M.
    • Transfer between free shuttle buses and J/M trains at Marcy Av or Hewes St.
    • Consider using the A or J to/from Manhattan via transfer at Broadway Junction or the M via transfer at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
    • M14A buses provide alternate service along 14 St between 8 Av and 1 Av, and connect with the J/M at Delancey-Essex Sts station.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, May 2, and 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3, M service is extended to the 57 St F line station.


    From 5:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, Manhattan-bound Q trains run express from Kings Hwy to Prospect Park.


    From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3, Forest Hills-71 Av bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hills-71 Av.

  • The Second Ave. Subway as a capital funding bargaining chip

    The wacky font at 63rd St. and Lexington is the first glimpse of the tiling for the Second Ave. Subway. (Via MTA)
    The wacky font at 63rd St. and Lexington is the first glimpse of the tiling for the Second Ave. Subway. (Via MTA)

    As far as bargaining chips the MTA can use for leverage in discussions over capital funding, the MTA’s options are few and far between. Short of kidnapping a bunch of customers and hiding them in the station shell at South 4th Street, MTA officials can only make noises about potential options. We heard about steep fare hikes yesterday, but those aren’t the only trump cards the agency can play. How about big-ticket capital projects?

    During the same press conference at which he promised not to raise fares to delivery capital funding to the cash-strained MTA, agency head Tom Prendergast spoke about what may need to go in the capital plan if funding doesn’t materialize, and of course, the namesake of my site came up. As part of the five-year spending plan, the MTA has requested $1.5 billion for the Second Ave. Subway. This line-item isn’t without controversy as the MTA hasn’t put a dollar figure on Phase 2 in over decade and wants a large sum for initial construction set to begin in the last year of the proposed five-year plan.

    Still, the MTA knows the Second Ave. Subway won’t cost less than $1.5 billion, and the agency needs this money to keep momentum going. When Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway opens, the rest of the East Side will clamor for more segments of this line. It’s going to be that much of a game-changer for people that this phased approach is likely to be viewed as a mistake (if it already isn’t).

    But as is the MTA’s wont with in-demand projects, the Second Ave. Subway makes for a potential liability and lever. In speaking on the impact of no funding solution earlier this week, Tom Prendergast said, as Capital New York reported, that future phases of the project could be “put on hold.” Isn’t that exactly what Sheldon Silver wanted when he forced the MTA to break one subway line into quarters?

    The MTA can’t really afford not to build out more of the Second Ave. Subway. After all, phase two northward to Harlem and 125th St. is the part that will truly alleviate capacity constraints along the Lexington Ave. line. But threatening the future of the Second Ave. Subway is indeed something the MTA can do. Much like Prendergast or his underlings can discuss fare hikes, so too can the MTA boss talk about putting capital projects on hold. The more he discusses this in the context of Albany, the clearer it becomes that someone is responsible for holding up discussions surrounding badly-needed subway extension plans. I don’t love using the Second Ave. Subway as a bargaining chit, but if it forces legislators to the table as the days tick by, that’s better than the alternative.

    Meanwhile, to show progress and perhaps to force a reckoning over this capital funding issue, the MTA released a series of photos from inside the Second Ave. Subway construction area. The agency maintains that the new stations will open for revenue service by the end of December of 2016. That gives the agency a full 20 months from today to realize this goal. The clock is ticking, and the delays at 34th St. and 11th Ave. along the 7 line loom large. Click through for some photos and check out the full set in this PDF presentation. (more…)

  • On Move NY opposition and the threat of fare hikes for capital funding

    For all of its troubles, politically and economically, the MTA always has a trump card in its back pocket. If nothing happens with regards to the multi-billion-dollar hole in its capital plan, the agency can always look to fare revenue for a potential source of income. The agency’s leaders know they have a captive audience of New Yorkers who have to come to rely on the subway system now more than ever; they know they can jack up tolls; and they know it gets the attention of those in Albany when the dreaded phrase “fare hikes” comes up in the public discourse.

    Earlier this week as yet more time passed with nothing happening with regards to the MTA’s 2015-2019 capital plan, agency officials started talking about fare hikes and boy did it start something in the halls of power. During committee meetings on Monday, MTA CEO Bob Foran confirmed what anyone in the know already knows: The MTA could close its capital funding gap by issuing more debt which would incur higher operating costs in the form of debt service which would be covered by … fare hikes.

    “If we do not receive adequate funding to carry us through the next two years, we don’t have sufficient funds to keep the program going. At some point, the board may take action and the action that they really only can turn to would be one that addresses fares and tolls,” Foran said.

    He explained that fare hikes to cover the gap could top 15% — a far cry from the current rate of around four percent every two years the MTA has implemented. Meanwhile, Foran wasn’t the only one crying foul. Jeffrey Kay noted similar concerns. “If they don’t do anything in the next two months, we have a freight train coming at us,” he said. “This is a real problem, and it’s not just going to impact the MTA. It’s going to impact the riders, it’s going to impact the workforce, it’s going to impact the construction unions, and it’s going to impact jobs…This is a real serious issue, and I don’t know what we can do in order to tell our partners that this is real.”

    A day after the meetings — clearly on orders from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office — MTA CEO and Chairman Tom Prendergast released a statement backtracking on his colleagues’ assertions. ““Yesterday’s mention of a potential 15 percent fare and toll increase,” Prendergast said on Tuesday, “was a hypothetical answer to a hypothetical question. No one has proposed we pay for our capital needs on the backs of our riders, and no one is considering it.”

    He reiterated those sentiments on Wednesday following the MTA’s full board meeting. “We have never, ever closed the capital program on the backs of the fare payers. That’s unconscionable. That’s not our desire. That’s not what we’re going to do,” he promised, again sounding as though the governor’s office had turned the screws on him.

    Prendergast doth protest too much as the truth is that few options are even on the table. James Brennan’s proposal hasn’t moved much in the two weeks since it was introduced, and more troubling is recent borough-based opposition to the Move New York plan. A group of Queens Democrats, including the usually transit-friendly Assembly rep Phillip Goldfeder and Borough President Melinda Katz, issued a statement in opposition to Move New York because they claim it is “unfair” to Queens and “lacks any promise of returns.” How they drew this conclusion is beyond me, but their statement is far more damaging to transit in New York City than these politicians realize.

    Goldfeder tried to defend his position to me on Twitter. He claims to be concerned that Move New York doesn’t “address transit starved communities,” but without the dedicated revenue, the MTA doesn’t have the money to begin to implement improvements. It’s not even a Catch-22; it’s just common sense — something I usually expect from transit allies such as Goldfeder and Katz.

    Overall, without Queens’ Democrats, Cuomo isn’t likely to embrace Move New York, and without Cuomo, Move New York — along the $1 billion that come with it — is dead in the water. Thus, we circle back to the MTA’s fare hikes. They’re a threat and a political cudgel the MTA can use to get attention, but they also shouldn’t be dismissed. Fare hikes are, after all, the only way the MTA can guarantee revenue for itself, and if New Yorkers don’t like the idea of a 15 percent hike, I know a bunch of politicians in Queens who deserve to bear the brunt of any complaints.

  • Port Authority aims to spend $70 million on consultants for EWR AirTrain replacement

    Back in the mid-1990s, when the Port Authority opened the Newark AirTrain, it was widely viewed as a mess of a project. Trying to buy a customized product from a less-successful company, the Port Authority spent $354 million in mid-1990s dollars on the slow and hulking system with tiny cars and generally not enough capacity they have today. What they didn’t say at the time was that the design life of the system was 25 years, and well, wouldn’t you know, but time flies. That 25 years is almost up, and without a planning process that begins now, the PA will shoot past that deadline with no replacement in sight.

    So you would think that the Port Authority would take this opportunity to right a wrong. Perhaps they could double down on Gov. Christie’s pet project — perhaps spurred on by corrupt dealings with United Airlines — and extend the PATH not just to the EWR Amtrak/New Jersey Transit stop but all the way to the airport terminals. Perhaps they’ll learn from the 1990s and not sink untold millions into a project that winds up over budget and years delayed. Or perhaps they already want to spend $70 million on design and technical consultants alone.

    In materials released in advance of Thursday’s Port Authority board meeting, the agency unveiled its intentions to do just that. The documents contain a planning authorization for the AirTrain replacement, and the initial expenditures are significant. The PA plans to spend $30 million on technical consultants and $40 million on planning consultants. To cover the latter costs, the Port Authority is going to request permission from the FAA to use Passenger Facility Charges. And what, you may wonder, will they get for their $70 million? Straight from the horse’s mouth:

    Currently, AirTrain experiences crowding issues, because demand exceeds capacity during peak periods and weather-induced delays. Although substantial investment has been made to maintain current operations, such investment has not extended the 25-year design life of the system, nor has it expanded capacity.

    The proposed planning work would support alternative analysis, conceptual layouts, environmental review, cost estimates, scheduling, financing needs and funding alternatives for the replacement of AirTrain and coordination with other short-term and long-term development at EWR, including the replacement of Terminal A. Professional services would be required to support the planning effort via task orders, through the selection of a contractor(s) to replace the system, at an estimated amount of $30 million. The consultant to support the planning effort for the replacement of the AirTrain system would be retained via a publicly advertised Request for Proposals process, with award to the highest-rated proposer. The consultant contract also would include additional tasks to support the oversight and implementation of the replacement of the AirTrain system through project completion, which would be at an additional cost and subject to future authorization.

    Despite a 2011 report that indicated the AirTrain represented a challenge for Newark Airport’s crowds, the Port Authority didn’t include replacement requests in its current $27-billion, 10-year capital plan. Rather, they’re going to spend at least $1-$1.5 billion on a PATH extension and, I’d imagine, at least another half a billion on the AirTrain replacement. At a time when the region is in bad need of a trans-Hudson tunnel and when New York’s Gov. Cuomo wants to spend another billion dollars on a LaGuardia AirTrain, it may be time to step back and consider exactly what we’re getting for our dollars. Does anyone really trust the Port Authority to invest wisely — besides, that is, the consultants who see dollar signs on the horizon?

  • MTA now eying Q3 for 7 line extension opening

    The stairs and the platforms are ready, but the rest of the 7 line station at 34th St. and 11th Ave. isn't. (Via MTA)
    The stairs and the platforms are ready, but the rest of the 7 line station at 34th St. and 11th Ave. isn’t. (Via MTA)

    At this point in our saga, the monthly release of the MTA Board books presents another opportunity to find out that the 7 line extension opening has been delayed. In March, the Board saw a fancy presentation with photos from the completed but unopened station while MTA Capital Construction officials noted that opening may not be until the start of the third quarter. In this month’s Transit committee meetings, we learn that the project is now officially delayed until the third quarter of 2015. The MTA hasn’t said if July 1 or September 30 will be the opening, but they expect the great unveiling to be some time in that time period.

    This month’s materials don’t go into the same detail as previous updates. After all, the MTA’s Capital Program Oversight Committee has a variety of projects that require oversight, and they can’t all be as comically delayed as the 7 line extension. But we know that the vent fans, some alarm systems, escalators and inclined elevators have been at the root of the delay. Some of these are systems the MTA opted not to purchase off the shelf due to a combination of low bid requirements, Made in America obligations and sheer stubbornness.

    Meanwhile, the one-stop extension — without, of course, the station at 41st St. and 10th Ave. that would have dramatically improved this project’s overall value — will now open more than 16 months before outgoing Mayor Bloomberg basically forced the MTA to conduct a ceremonial ride as part of his valedictory lap around the city. Because the area is still under development and considered Manhattan’s final frontier, few residents are up in arms over the delay. The project simply wasn’t disruptive to a densely-populated area.

    The Second Ave. Subway, the MTA says, is still scheduled to open in December of 2016, but if similar delays happen on the Upper East Side — and remember, the feds have never revised their own estimate of an early 2018 opening for Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway — a powerful and vocal group of Manhattanites will not go quietly into the night. The 7 line opening date is a farce; the Second Ave. Subway could be much, much worse.

  • Service increases for December; service changes for the weekend

    In its latest Board committee materials, the MTA let slip some news. The 7 line extension, that Moby Dick of subway expansion projects, won’t be ready for revenue service officially until the third quarter of this year. That means it could open as early as July and as late as September 30. We’ll find out soon enough when that date will be.

    That’s the bad news, but the good news is that Transit is adding service to a few subway lines this fall. The 2, 7, L and M lines will all see new service while the D will lose a round trip due to the MTA’s self-established load guidelines. Here’s how the agency put it in a press release on Friday:

    The most significant increase will be seven new weekday round trips between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the L line, which experienced the greatest ridership growth at all hours in 2014. The new service will reduce the average time between trains to 5 minutes for the entire period between the morning and evening rush hours. NYC Transit last added service on the L line in fall 2014 with 56 more weekend round trips and an increase in weekday evening service.

    The 7 line will see two additional new round trips on weeknights between 8 p.m. and 10:20 p.m., reducing the average time between trains to under 4½ minutes. The 2 line will also add two new weeknight round trips between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., reducing the average time between trains to 7½ minutes The M line will add one round trip on weekdays, reducing the average time between trains to 7½ minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m…

    Following [the loading] guidelines, weekday service on the D line will decrease by one round trip split between the morning and evening rush hours. This will increase the average time to 10 minutes between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. for Brooklyn-bound D trains and between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for Bronx-bound D trains.

    The MTA says these changes will cost $1.6 million per year — a pittance compared to the agency’s overall budget — and the service increases show that Transit is “making the most of its resources to deliver service that accurately reflects ridership in growing areas.” I’m not so keen on decreasing service on the D, even by only a train, but by and large, this is all good news.

    Meanwhile, after the jump, this weekend’s service changes. (more…)

  • Cuomo: Prendergast to be renominated as MTA head

    Due to the fact that the MTA has burned through leaders at a rate of nearly one per year over the last six years, Tom Prendergast, on the job only for two years, was nearing the end of the current six-year term when news broke this morning that Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to reappoint him. The Governor let the word drop this morning during a breakfast speech in front of the Association for a Better New York, and in comments Prendergast made to the press later in the day, the MTA chief received the word the same way the rest of us did — through breaking news straight from Cuomo’s mouth at the breakfast. Now, the MTA may get some much-needed stability at a time when it’s searching for an even more badly-needed $15 billion in capital funding.

    Thanks to politicking and such, Prendergast’s current term is actually the end of Jay Walder’s six-year appointment. That term began in 2009 when Lee Sander and Dale Hemmerdinger were forced out, and the bifurcated MTA Executive Director and MTA Board Chair positions were merged. Walder gave way to Joe Lhota, and City Hall ambitions led Lhota to step down. Now, Prendergast, 62, will get his own six-year term and the opportunity to leave a lasting mark on the MTA. Advocated had endorsed this move in March, and I think it’s a good one. I’ll have more once Cuomo puts out the official word; the Governor’s full speech is available on YouTube.