Second Ave. Sagas

Category: Asides

  • The 30-Day MetroCard Challenge Update

    With just under half of the time left on my 30-day Unlimited MetroCard Challenge, I’ve taken 38 trips, and I’ve hit the MTA’s $2 base fare. At this rate, my $76, 30-day MetroCard will average out to approximately $1 per ride. No wonder the MTA wants to raise the fares on these things. Follow my progress in the middle column.

  • Adding more bureacracy is never a good idea

    Chalk this one up in the “Bad Idea” category. The MTA wants to divide the management of the city’s 24 subway lines to 24 different people to ensure competition among the lines. These 24 managers will be responsible for every aspect of running the subway line. NYCT President Howard Roberts thinks this plan will help the subways respond to customer complains faster. I can’t imagine the need for yet another level of bureaucracy at the MTA. The plan goes into effect on Monday on the L and 7 lines, and I’ll have more on this later. [The New York Times]

  • A six-month publicity stunt

    Anne Karni, in a piece for which I was interviewed but not quoted, takes a look at the Rider Report Cards in today’s Sun. The conclusion of everyone interviewed is that these report cards aren’t breaking new ground and that they are an attempt by the MTA to put a good public face on problems they cannot solve. As these report cards have been well covered on SAS, I’m planning a much bigger post on the points in Karni’s article once all the report cards are in. [New York Sun]

  • Views from a nostalgic weekend

    Railfans were out in full force this Sunday, trying to capture the first rides of the 2007 holiday Nostalgia Train. For some railfan pictures, check out this gallery. I’ll have my own up after next weekend or the weekend after. [Railfanwindow.com]

  • 7 extension groundbreaking set for 11 a.m.

    Officials from the MTA and New York City will gather in the Times Square station to break ground on the 7 line extension this Monday. The planned extension, set to be completed by 2014, will see the 7 line terminate at 34th St. and 11th Ave. While plans call for a shell of a station at 41st. and 10th Ave. as well, the future of that station is very much uncertain. [amNew York via The Tracker Blog]

  • Complain, and ye shall receive

    Yesterday, out of frustration, I complained about a long wait during my morning commute. Today, in what I can only assume is a sheer coincidence because I didn’t mention the stop (7th Ave. on the Brighton Line), two NYCT timers were in the station clocking the trains, and what they discovered should not be encouraging. I just missed a B at 9:12 and had to wait until 9:24 for the next one to show up. According to the PDF schedule, these trains should arrive every 8 minutes during the morning rush. Unlike yesterday, a Q showed up in between as it should. Baby steps.

  • Wrong-way, rush-hour service

    I know the MTA isn’t wondering why their trains keep receiving terrible grades. In fact, NYCT President Howard Roberts admitted last week that delays during morning rush hour are increasing. But still, there is nothing more infuriating than standing on a crowded subway platform during rush hour for 10 minutes while three nearly empty Coney Island-bound trains go by on the other tracks. The third train picked up a whopping two passengers. Fix this problem already.

  • As the subway romance turns

    Remember the wide-eyed innocence during the early days of the Moberg-Hayton Love on the 5 Train story? Well, after a few weeks of speculation and rumors of a movie deal later, Matt Elzweig at the New York Press weighs in with a piece that examines the movers and shakers behind the subway romance. It sounds like Mr. Moberg wasn’t as earnest as he seemed at first, and unsurprisingly, the folks involved are very good at gaining attention for themselves. A few of this tale’s principles even conveniently forgot to mention how they knew each other. It’s a Web 2.0 world, and we just ride the subways in it. [New York Press]

  • SAS featured in the Manhattan User’s Guide

    Unbeknownst to me until this afternoon, Second Ave. Sagas is featured in today’s edition of the Manhattan Users Guide. If you’re finding this site via Charlie Suisman’s MUG, welcome to Second Ave. Sagas. We’ve got more on the subways than you would ever dream possible from fare hikes to Rider Report Cards and with a little subway romance thrown in for good measure. So poke around and come back soon. [Manhattan Users Guide]

  • Sprucing up the Second Ave. stations

    The MTA’s Arts for Transit has put out a call for proposals for station art for the Second Ave. Subway stops. The public arts commissions for the stations at 96th, 86th, 72nd, and 63rd Sts. could cost as much as $1 million each and are expected to cover as much of the 2200 square feet of wall space at each station as possible. Submissions are due on Dec. 21 with the winners announced in the spring. At least we’ll have nicely-designed theoretical stations for the next six years. [New York Post]