Second Ave. Sagas

Category: Metro-North

  • In the Bronx, Metro-North continues work on their most expensive station ever

    This will one day be a Metro-North stop filled with Yankee fans. (Photo by Mark Vergari of The Journal News)

    It’s amazing what this city will do for the Yankees.

    While a new stadium goes up across the street from venerable Yankee Stadium, the city and its taxpayers are footing the bill for a larger portion of that construction project that anyone likes to admit. Meanwhile, a few hundred yards away, various city agencies are paying $91 million to build the most expensive and largest station ever built by Metro-North.

    With a new baseball season upon us and construction at the Yankee Stadium site continuing at a rapid pace, Ken Valenti of The Journal News toured the construction. LoHud.com has some poorly resampled pictures posted of the station under progress. While this concrete platform will soon be a Metro-North crown jewel, for now, things are progressing:

    The project has outsized dimensions compared with most Metro-North work. The platforms are 20 to 25 feet wide and 420 feet long, compared with typical platforms 12 feet by 70 feet, Miceli said. Staircases and elevators will connect the platforms with a 10,000-square-foot covered mezzanine, making the walkway accessible to people in wheelchairs. The new walkway will be 25 feet wide, more than twice the width of the one with the curved plastic top, of which only part remains, and connected to the one under construction by the wooden steps. The new walk will make room for 15,000 fans arriving for the start of a game by train and from the parking area…

    New York City pitched in $39 million for the project. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is paying $52 million, but $4 million of that comes from legislative earmarks from Rep. Jose Serrano, D-Bronx, and state Assembly members Carmen Arroyo and Jose Rivera. None of the money came from the Yankees.

    Of course, the project is delayed with an anticipated completion date of shortly after Opening day 2009, but would you really expect an on-time delivery here?

    My biggest concern with the project is, of course, fiduciary. While the Metro-North stop will benefit the South Bronx neighborhoods surrounding Yankee Stadium, I’m a little dismayed that the Yanks couldn’t toss in a few million dollars to off-set the MTA’s expenditures here. The MTA could use the financial relief, and the Yankees are veritably rolling in dough these days.

    But either way, this will certainly be a useful station when it opens next year.

  • Officials break ground on Yankee Stadium Metro-North stop

    It’s hard to believe that this whole new Yankee Stadium thing is actually happening. I’ve been going to Yankee games for my whole life at Yankee Stadium; my dad has been going to games at Yankee Stadium for his entire life. But come January 2009, the Yanks will be playing in some other stadium called Yankee Stadium with the so-called modern amenities that the House that Ruth Built is supposedly lacking.

    While this is a discussion for another blog, one positive part of the new Yankee Stadium plan got off the ground — or should I say underground? — today as Yankee, MTA, city and state officials journeyed up to the Bronx for the Metro-North groundbreaking. The new stop, which I discussed in depth in May, will link the south Bronx area around Yankee Stadium to the popular Metro-North commuter rail network. During non-game hours, the Hudson line will head through this station. During game days, the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines will deliver thousands of fans to Yankee Stadium.

    NY1 had more about the groundbreaking:

    Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Eliot Spitzer were among those at a ground breaking Friday for a new commuter train station in the Bronx where Metro-North trains will one day pull up to the new Yankee Stadium. The station is located on the north side of 161st Street in the Bronx.

    Officials say the station will be able to accommodate up to 12,000 fans, reducing traffic on the subway and streets. “There’s an awful lot of traffic and there will be even more traffic as time goes on, because more and more people will be coming to these games,” said Bloomberg. “So finding a way that we can get there by mass transit is just as integral of having the stadium as the actual field and the stands.”

    The station is set to open in June of 2009, two months after the new stadium. And New York officials are hopeful that it will reduce congestion and traffic around the stadium during game days.

    Meanwhile, the social impact of the new station can already be felt in the Bronx. As with any new transportation hub, real estate value is on the rise in the area, and Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion noted that many young families are opting to buy apartments in what hasn’t been a very desirable neighborhood. While some think long-term residents will stick with their trusty automobiles, the congestion fee could very well change those plans.

    Yankee fans will enjoy the benefits of this station too, and with fans coming from all over the area, this stop will be a boon for the Yanks and a boon for the area.

  • MTA set to fix that pesky armrest problem

    Is that an armrest in your pocket or are you just happy to see me? (Photo by Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

    Rest easy, commuters. Your pants are safe from the terror that are the armrests on commuter rail trains. The MTA has heard your cries, and they will fix the problem of the pants-eating armrests.

    According to The New York Times, Metro-North and the L.I.R.R. plan to submit a request to the MTA board this month asking for a $3.59 million contract to purchase replacement armrests that won’t tear unsuspecting passengers’ pants. As William Neuman notes, that comes to about $70.50 an armrest. The armrest replacement project should be completed by the end of 2009 on L.I.R.R. cars and mid-2010 on Metro-North.

    The Times notes the PR benefit of this move:

    What the railroads are really buying is goodwill from riders. Together, the railroads have paid out more than $100,000 in claims to hundreds of riders whose clothing has been torn on the armrests. Interviews with riders suggest that hundreds or thousands more have damaged their clothes but never submitted a claim.

    The old armrests are made of a rubbery material that seems to latch onto clothes and not let go. They are also long and tapered and are attached at an angle that allows them to slide unobserved into pants pockets as a rider sits down.

    The new armrests are shorter, with a smoother finish, which, according to the board summary, “does not ‘grab’ clothing.”

    While tailors around Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal lose out, commuters are sure to be thrilled with armrests that fill their pockets with loving caresses instead of tearing glances. Phew.

  • Alcohol task force wants commuters to have a drink on them

    I’ve got some good news for you commuters that can’t stomach the thought of a sober ride home. The task force convened to examine the MTA’s alcohol policy has returned a verdict: You can keep on drinkin’ on Metro-North and LIRR trains.

    The MTA issued a press release just a few hours ago detailing the task force’s decision:

    The final report unanimously recommended that the current policy should not be changed. Upon review of the report, Chairman Kalikow and Executive Director and CEO Sander agreed with the recommendation…

    The report based its conclusion on four main findings:

    – Based on MTA Police Department testimony and data, State DWI/DUI statistics, and the polling of police departments along MTA railroad Rights-of-Way, no correlation was able to be drawn between the sale or consumption of alcohol on MTA facilities and DWI incidents in or around either railroad (since 2003, only four DWI cases were reported on commuter rail property, and not a single one was attributed to drinking on MTA trains or facilities);

    – The sale of alcohol, beverages and snacks were considered an amenity for customers, particularly for those traveling longer distances;

    – Alcohol was readily available for purchase in multiple locations in or around LIRR and MNR stations/terminals; and

    – Preventing the consumption of alcohol prior to arrival at or on commuter railroad trains was not feasible.

    MTA Executive Director and CEO Elliot “Lee” Sander uttered the understatement of the year in announcing this decision. “Many of our customers enjoy this amenity, and I am pleased that the Task Force confirmed that the current policy provides a benefit without compromising safety,” he said. It’s safe to assume that a whole bunch of white-collar, suburban commuters may just have taken their eyes off of their Blackberries long enough to riot had the MTA banned alcohol on these trains.

    Meanwhile, The Times reports that alcohol-related medical cases are far from uncommon on commuter rails:

    The police issued 287 tickets on the Long Island and Metro-North lines last year to people on trains or in stations who were drinking alcohol and creating a disturbance. Far more prevalent, the police said, were instances of people on commuter lines who needed medical help because of extreme drunkenness. There were 994 such cases on the two railroads last year, but officials said that in virtually every case, the riders appeared to have done most or all of their drinking before they ever got on a train.

    I’d hate to think what these folks who drink themselves into a stupor on Metro-North or the Long Island Railroad do for a day job. Maybe it’s just too hard to travel back to North White Plains and face yet another night in suburbia with the family.

    But anywhere, there you have it, folks. The MTA will allow you to keep on drinking yourself silly on the way home. Now, if only we could enjoy some booze on the subways. Just imagine how nice that would smell on Sunday morning.

  • Staten Island, good governing groups annoyed at Yankee Stadium Metro-North deal

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    This new stop sure is creating an uproar in certain parts of the city. (Courtesy of the MTA)

    Staten Island, the lone borough in which this New York City native has only traveled through and never to, is mad at the city and the MTA. Two councilmen from this oft-neglected borough feel the $91 million spent on the Yankee Stadium Metro-North stop would be better spent in their own backyard.

    Councilmen Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo, two Republican representatives from our red borough (the only one with a majority of Republican representatives), announced that Staten Island sure could use $91 million to beef up its wimpy public transportation network. The Staten Island Advance had more:

    If Ignizio and Oddo had their way, they would use it to speed the long-awaited third bus depot in Charleston, or add express buses, or pay for bus service over the Bayonne Bridge. “I see the benefit of this project for those who ride Metro-North; however, we’ve been promised a third bus depot for decades, and seeing the way the MTA can expedite projects according to when the ballpark is set to open, they should expedite our projects, so people can get to work,” said Ignizio.

    After decades of pushed-back plans, the Charleston depot is slated to open in 2009, and MTA officials have already broached the possibility of a fourth depot. But, “to see (the Yankee Stadium station) get done and fast-tracked, compared to the bus depot, which is constantly being delayed, is frustrating,” said Oddo. “This is essentially a luxury, and we’re crying for a necessity.”

    In the article, Oddo and Ignizio question the MTA’s ignoring Staten Island’s transportation needs. “Isn’t it more important that a Wall Street worker from New Springville make it home every night in under an hour and a half?” they wrote in a letter to outgoing MTA Chair Peter Kalikow (who, at this point, could probably care less).

    Now, I’m sure Staten Island could use the transportation help. Their one rapid transit line – the Staten Island Railway – is kind of a disaster. Since riders who board only at the ferry stop have to pay, the Railway attracts a high number of undesirable elements and has the lowest farebox recovery rate of any MTA agency.

    I’m sure the Bayonee Bus service would be nice, but the MTA doesn’t pay for service into New Jersey. That is squarely in the realm of New Jersey Transit or Port Authority. While I like to see viable public transportation options through the city, I am definitely not in favor of the MTA’s footing the bill for Bayonne Bridge service.

    In other Metro-North/Yankee Stadium news, Neil deMause, that tireless opponent of public funding for very wealthy sports clubs, chimed in with his take on the $91 million outlay for this stadium. Nothing new there from deMause, but his post serves as an excellent clearing house for Yankee Stadium-related articles.

  • Breaking News: MTA, City come to terms on Yankee Stadium Metro-North hub

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    The Yankee Stadium Metro-North hub should alleviate some traffic concerns in the Bronx. (Courtesy of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Click the image for a bigger view.)

    When last we visited with the Metro-North plans for the new Yankee Stadium, things were not going so well. In fact, the plans, a centerpiece to the new Stadium, were in jeopardy.

    But not anymore. This afternoon, the MTA and the City of New York announced that a deal is in place to bring the Metro-North Hub to the new Yankee Stadium site after all. This agreement – complicated in that it details who will pay for the station’s construction, maintenance and operation – calls for the MTA to throw in $52 million and for the City to add $39 million to the project’s $91 million price tag.

    According to the MTA, the Authority will pay for the station, ticketing facilities, customer information system and half of the mezzanine. The City will fund the overpass connecting passengers with the stadium concourse areas and the other half of the mezzanine. Metro-North will keep up station operations and maintenance.

    Peter Cannito, the head of Metro-North, praised the project. “This new station will be a dream come true for Yankee fans throughout our territory in New York and Connecticut. Moreover, once this station is built, it will also make Metro-North service available to people who live and work in this area of the Bronx,” he said.

    And Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff, often the Bad Guy in the Bloomberg Administration’s dealings with the MTA, noted the impact the station will have on the area. “Making the new stadium, as well as the resurgent surrounding South Bronx, accessible to people from around the region via Metro North will be essential to reducing traffic and pollution in the area,” he said.

    While operating schedules will be worked out prior to the station’s 2009 opening, the MTA has already developed extensive plans for the hub. The ADA-compliant station will feature two ten-car-length island platforms as well as four staircases and two elevators for the estimated 6000-10,000 fans who will pass through it on the way to Yankee games. From the mezzanine, an overpass will connect to the new stadium concourses and waterfront parks.

    On game days, service from all three Metro-North lines – Hudson, Harlem, New Haven – will run through the hub. Otherwise, the Hudson Line will service the stop. Additionally, game day shuttles from Grand Central Terminal and 125th Street will run to the new Stadium stop.

    So this news is great for Yankee fans coming out of the city and for residents of the Bronx who will enjoy a tangible benefit from a construction project that otherwise leaves the area in the dust. No longer will Westchester Yankee fans have to go into Manhattan and back up to the Bronx for access to the Stadium.

    On the other hand, the $39 million thrown in by the city is just another example of money spent by the city for the new Yankee Stadium. As Neil de Mause has tirelessly documented, the city is actually kicking in a lot more money than was originally reported for the new stadium.

    All in all, though, this deal is good news for commuters and great news for Yankee fans.

    Click here for more pictures of the MTA’s plans for the Yankee Stadium hub.

  • Yankees’ Metro-North station bid going nowhere fast

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    A new Yankee Stadium is slowly, and sadly, rising out of the remains of the Macombs Dam Park. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

    On a visit to Yankee Stadium this year, it’s impossible to miss the construction of the new stadium across the street from the old one. Crew members are on site during day games, and the new stadium, set for an April 2009 debut, is slowly taking shape. The same cannot be said for the plans for a state-of-the-art Metro-North hub in the South Bronx that is supposed to serve this new stadium.

    A month ago, I noted that this transportation hub was, like most MTA projects, already well over budget before construction even began. Now the news is worse. According to documents released earlier this week by the MTA, the first contract for this new station should have been awarded already, but as Metro New York’s transit beat writer Patrick Arden noted on Tuesday, no contract is in sight and plans for the station are in jeopardy.

    Progress has been delayed by the need to develop “an overall project budget,” wrote engineering consultant Carter Burgess. The $45 million cost is rumored to have nearly doubled over the last year. “In addition, an agreement with the City of New York regarding the project’s maintenance and shared construction cost is also being finalized.”

    “We’re still waiting for the city to acquire the land,” explained MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin. “There hasn’t been any final budget put out, or an expected date for work to begin. When the land is acquired, we’ll have more to say.”

    Similar to the problems surrounding the 7 line extension, the City and the MTA are at odds over just who is supposed to be paying for all of this. What originally began as a gesture of good will to the City’s leading environmental and public transportation advocates who wanted a transportation hub instead of four parking lots with a capacity of a measly 5,000 cars has devolved into another political fight over money between two powerful bodies.

    Has anyone thought to ask the Yankees, recently valued as a franchise at $1.2 billion, to pitch in? Well, according to Straphanger Campaign guru, the omnipresent Gene Russianoff, the Yankees are mysteriously missing from this story. “The MTA is tapped out — its core program is in jeopardy,” Russianoff said to Arden. “So what’s more important? Paying to make the Yankees happy, or asking them to participate? I think it jeopardizes the project.”

    I hear ya, Gene, and I couldn’t agree more. In fact, why not ask A-Rod to pitch in? After all, he makes $40 million in a season and a half. I’m sure he could contribute something for the good of the project other than record-setting home runs. Share, Alex, share!

  • New Yankee Stadium Metro-North hub well over budget

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    The former site of Macombs Dam Park. (Courtesy of Ariel Goldman/Yankees.com)

    For me, Yankee Stadium is a hallowed spot in this city. It’s a baseball temple, a mecca to the game and to the team, and soon it will be gone. With little opposition from Yankee fans, the Boss is going to tear it down so he can have his luxury boxes. Four million fans can’t be wrong, but someone in the Bronx thinks they are.

    Now, I won’t wax philosophical on Yankee Stadium here. If you want my baseball writings, you can find them at River Ave. Blues. But if Yankee Stadium — or at the least the new Yankee Stadium — makes its appearances on these pages, you can bet the Metropolitan Transit Authority is in on the act somehow, some way. And if you guessed “real estate cost increases,” well, step right up because it’s your turn to play The Price is Wrong.

    As part of the new Yankee Stadium and all of the trappings that a fancy new stadium brings to an old neighborhood, the MTA had planned to build a Metro-North Transportation Center. Suburban fans — or should I say, “fans” — would be able to ride in style to the House that George’s Money Built.

    But like everything the MTA touches these days, the real estate values of the land needed for this Yankee Stadium hub have turned to gold. Matthew Schuerman at the The New York Observer Real Estate blog notes that the MTA doesn’t have enough money to construct this Metro-North hub.

    It always seemed like a funny trick to get support for the new Yankee Stadium: build a new Metro North station nearby, not with the Yankees’ money, mind you, but with the public’s. Unfortunately, the $45 million that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had set aside for the project, which was supposed to start this spring, is not nearly enough.

    Try $80 million instead.

    Gosh, this all sounds quiet familiar. Maybe it’s because just three days ago, costs for the Second Ave. subway rose due to real estate values. Maybe it’s because Bronx borough president and Yankee buddy Adolfo Carrion woefully underestimated the construction costs for the new hub.

    In the end, it doesn’t matter; the Metro-North stop at Yankee Stadium simply won’t be built if the funds aren’t there. Luckily for the rest of the city, the MTA will spend this money on infrastructure maintenance and other, more pressing capital construction projects. As for that new Yankee Stadium, it sure does look inevitable. It will be a sad day for the city when the House that Ruth Built goes the way of Ebbets Field and the Polo Grounds.

    A good tip o’ the hat to Steve Lombardi for this story.

  • If you see an armrest, say something

    Today’s ridiculous MTA story comes to us courtesy of The New York Times. Armrests on LIRR’s and Metro-North’s M7 lines are destroying people’s pants!

    Any way you cut it, $102,009.17 buys an awful lot of pants.

    That is how much the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad have paid over the last four years to customers who have torn clothing on the notoriously fabric-snagging armrests in a line of cars known as the M7.

    The payments range from $1,405.61 for the new Paul Stuart suit that a man ripped on Metro-North last year, to $10 or $20 for minor damage fixed by a tailor.

    That’s right: armrests. These armrests, you see, are “are longer and narrower than those on older cars and can slide unobtrusively into a trouser pocket as a passenger sits down — and then snag as he settles into his seat or when he stands up to leave,” reports William Neuman.

    This problem, The Times notes, is fairly widespread. Train riders nod knowingly when the tell-tale sound of a tear rings out amid the silence of the morning commute, and the MTA hasn’t been too quick to reimburse the full price of lost clothing. The officials opt instead for the sale price or a depreciated assessment of older pairs of pants and skirts.

    So to solve this rather amusing problem that should have been focus-grouped out of existence before the M7s came on the tracks a few years ago, the MTA may invest $1-$2 million in an armrest replacement program. Ah, the luxury of a commuter rail.

    For fun, what could we buy with the $102,009.17 that the MTA has given out so far:

    • 1342 30-day unlimited MetroCards.
    • 4250 7-day unlimited MetroCards.
    • 61,083 swipes with a pay-per-ride card (counting the free rides).
    • One fourth of a new bus.