AsidesBusesMTA Technology

BusTime to hit Manhattan next, citywide by mid 2014

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 13, 2013

The MTA’s goal of rolling out BusTime to all five boroughs by April of 2013 is a bit off schedule, the agency announced today. With all of the Bronx and Staten Island bus routes already equipped with the real-time bus location service and some Brooklyn routes enjoying it as well, Manhattan buses will soon follow suit. After Manhattan will come Brooklyn, followed by Queens before the end of next April. In other words, within 13 months, the city’s bus riders will be able to track every single bus then in service.

“Bus Time has proven extremely popular among bus riders on Staten Island and the Bronx – and I can tell you that because customers have come to me on buses in the Bronx and said we did a really great job on Bus Time,” Fernando Ferrer, MTA Acting Chairman, said in a statement. “They find it useful and easy to access, and I think that’s a tremendous endorsement of what we have been doing. Bus Time is so helpful to our customers that we have scheduled an extremely aggressive timetable to introduce it to three other boroughs.”

That extremely aggressive timetable is actually less aggressive than it was 17 months ago, but that doesn’t obscure the fact that BusTime will aid bus travelers. No longer will we stand frustratedly at bus shelters with no vehicle in sight, and the decision to grab a snack, walk or wait will be a much easier one to make. Absent real bus network improvements — dedicated rights of way, faster fare payment methods — the ubiquitous nature of BusTime should continue to stem the decline in bus ridership we’ve seen over the last few years. The debate, however, between BusTime’s location-based tracking and countdown clocks remains a hot topic.

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MTA Technology

Transit’s ‘On The Go’ kiosks set for wider expansion

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 13, 2013

A 2011 demonstration led by Paul Fleuranges introduced the On The Go kiosks to the subway system. Photo courtesy of New York City Transit.

This story has been making its way through the procurements approval process this week, and with an MTA Board vote in favor of the deal, Transit announced today that its ‘On The Go’ informational kiosk pilot program will soon spread throughout the subway system. In conjunction with two vendors — CBS Outdoor and Control Group Inc. — as part of the pilot’s second phase, Transit will install at least 77 more kiosks over the next few years. Best of all is the cost. The MTA will pay out no money for this arrangement but has the opportunity to draw in some dollars.

The “On The Go” kiosk program launched in September 2011 at five stations in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. These touchscreen devices over travelers information about trips and trip-planning, real-time subway status, escalator and elevator and neighborhood maps. Third-party developers have loaded on apps with related information, and the devices provide news and weather as well.

“Taken together, this is an unprecedented amount of information made available to subway and commuter rail customers. These state-of-the-art customer communications kiosks provide instant information that makes using the transit system more efficient,” MTA Interim Executive Director Thomas F. Prendergast said today in a statement. “The positive feedback we have received via our website or Twitter account has confirmed that our customers have embraced this new technology improving their riding experience.”

To expand the current pilot, the MTA is licensing with CBS Outdoor and Control Group Inc. The two licensees will purchase the kiosks and deliver them to Transit for installation. The MTA estimates that the kiosks will cost around $15,000 each, but as part of this public-private partnership, the licensees will pay these costs. The two companies will then retain 90 percent of the gross advertising receipts until the capital investment in the kiosks is recouped. Once costs are recovered, Transit’s percentage of the receipts will increase from 10 percent to 65 percent. It is unclear how long it will take for advertising to cover the costs of the kiosks, but this program expansion comes at no real cost to the MTA.

With this expansion, CBS and Control Group Inc. will have more freedom to design the touch-screen interfaces and to customize the applications available in the devices. Transit plans to evaluate customer perceptions and the technology while plotting out potential future expansion efforts. For now, the 77 kiosks will be installed in at least 16 new stations, but the order has an option for 43 additional kiosks should the MTA approve.

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AsidesMTA Economics

Event Tonight: With Gene Russianoff, ‘Problem Solvers’ on the MTA’s budget

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 13, 2013

To most New Yorkers, the MTA’s budget is a thing of mystery. We’ve suffered through constant fare hikes and no corresponding increases in transit service. We’ve heard false tales of two sets of books repeated ad nauseam for nearly a decade. We hear about a capital budget, an operating budget and debt payments. And now the MTA is receiving another infusion of cash totaling billions of dollars for Sandy-related repairs. It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin.

Tonight — Wednesday — at the Transit Museum, as part of my ongoing “Problem Solvers” series, Straphangers Campaign attorney Gene Russianoff and I will get to unpacking some of the complicated and convoluted details surrounding the MTA’s budget structure. We’ll look at who pays for transit in New York City and who should pay for transit. We’ll look at where the money comes from and where it goes. And we’ll explore just why the MTA needs to raise fares every two years and why the MTA’s budget is always so fragile.

The party gets started at 6:30 p.m., and doors to the Transit Museum in Brooklyn open at 6. RSVP here, and come with questions. Gene and I will take comments from the audience as part of the discussion as well. See you there.

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AsidesNew York City Transit

Portending more services outages for Sandy-related repairs

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 12, 2013

It is fitting that, after I wrote about subway delays this morning, the news of the afternoon concerns, well, even more subway delays. Despite the subway system’s quick rebound after Superstorm Sandy, all is not well underground. As we know, once saltwater gets inside of any piece of electronics, there’s no going back. No amount of cleaning will stop the erosion, and that’s what happening to Transit’s infrastructure.

As Jim O’Grady reports today at Transportation Nation, service disruptions will become the norm as the MTA races to spend the billions of dollars in storm aid it will soon have at its disposal. Over the next few years, the MTA will receive nearly $9 billion for both repairs and system hardening, and it must spend the money quickly or forfeit it. To that end, warned Transit President Thomas Prendergast expect delays, especially along those lines most hit by the storm surge.

As the MTA noted, a pair of recent signal problems in the Montague St. Tunnel could be blamed on salt water damage caused by Sandy’s flooding, and that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. “The subways have recorded more than 100 signal failures related to Sandy since service was restored after the storm, plus problems with switches, power cables and other infrastructure,” spokesperson Adam Lisberg said to WNYC. “Most of those failures happened in yards, but some were on mainline tracks and led to at least short service disruptions.” The disruptions will likely be concentrated in Lower Manhattan, the East River Tubes and parts of Williamsburg, but as with the storm itself, the ripple effects will be felt all over the city.

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View from Underground

On hating to wait and hating to be delayed

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 12, 2013

This amusing video from Adam Sacks and some of his colleagues at the Upright Citizens Brigade has been making the rounds today. While the language gets a little colorful during the final 30 seconds, I love the idea of a bunch of frustrated commuters trying to coax a reticent into the station. After all, every New Yorker has had that experience where an incoming train faces red signals in full view of everyone waiting on the platform.

Setting aside the humor of an anthropomorphic shy train and a situation familiar to millions, subway delays are a huge problem. In its board materials yesterday, the MTA released statistics on delays, and the causes are diverse. Over-crowding and slowdowns caused by workers on the track lead the way along with right-of-way delays. Sick or unruly customers cause a large number of slowdowns as well. Of course, with nearly 5.4 million weekday riders, delays are bound to happen, but that doesn’t make them any less tolerable or annoying.

In fact, just yesterday morning when signals problems had the some East Side trains running up the West Side during the a.m. rush, I was reminded anew at how annoying delays can be. I got into Grand Army Plaza just as a 2 train pulled in, but then we sat. When we moved, we crawled due to “train traffic ahead of us.” It didn’t ultimately slow us down too much, but the perceived pace of the train led to irate groans throughout my subway car.

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have tried to put some weight behind those things that most irk transit users. Framing it as a way to study perception and behavioral adaptation to “unreliability” in public transit, three professors have submitted a paper of their findings. Only the beginning is available online for free, but Angie Schmitt at Streetsblog offers up a top line summary. So what are the factors that most annoy transit riders? Drumroll, please.

1. Delayed on board due to transit vehicles backed up or problems on the transit route downstream.

2. Experienced long wait at a transfer stop.

3. Missed departure due to wrong real-time information.

4. Unable to board or denied boarding due to crowding.

5. Delayed on board due to emergency or mechanical failure.

6. Experienced long wait at origin stop.

7. Ran to stop but the bus or train pulled away.

8. Delayed on board due to traffic.

Basically, these can be summarized as “delays” and “waits.” Now, it’s hardly insightful to say that transit riders don’t like to wait and they don’t want to be delayed. New Yorkers will love the subway if the trains showed up every 90 seconds 24 hours a day with no downstream problems ever, but that’s just not the way reality works. The real question is how to fix it.

The authors of the UC Berkeley study were focusing on the Bay Area with an eye on buses, but the same issues apply to subway systems too in a way. There, shared ROW traffic isn’t an issue, but the transit agency is still viewed as the culpable body when it’s their fault and also when it’s not. Is the answer patience? More frequent service that exceeds real demand but better aligns with rider expectations? Or are we too far down the rabbit hole to figure it out?

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AsidesSubway Maps

On the MTA’s subway map SNAFU

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 11, 2013

Over the weekend, an embarrassing story concerning a subway map error hit the pages of The New York Post. Alexander Hamilton’s paper reported that the MTA had to throw away a bunch of subway maps when an error in the fare information section came to light. The March 2013 maps stated that the minimum purchase for a MetroCard is $4.50 when, in fact, it is now $5. Oops.

Now, according to The Post, TWU sources estimated the damage to be about $250,000. I spoke to officials at the MTA today to get their side, and they tell a slightly different story. I’ve learned that the MTA is estimating the damage at no more than $75,000, and the money will come out of subsequent map printings this year. As the MTA’s map budget is fixed, however much the agency burned on this error simply means fewer copies of subsequent map releases later in the year.

Meanwhile, even without this embarrassing mistake, the March maps were going to be chucked anyway. The MTA had printed them before the decision to recommission South Ferry had been announced, and the reopening will necessitate a new map next month anyway. It’s a sloppy, careless mistake that makes the MTA look bad in the pages of The Post, but it’s also ultimately a rounding error for an agency with a $13 billion budget. It’s not a real issue, but it just goes to show how public perception — rightly or wrongly — is shaped by press coverage of the MTA’s follies and foibles. The old maps will be given to an MTA licensee who uses them for subway-themed handbags or will wind up on eBay for subway map collectors to snatch up.

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AsidesNew York City Transit

Ridership Update: 2012 a record year for subways

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 11, 2013

As a brief follow-up to my early post on 2012 ridership figures, the MTA announced the final tally for subway usage, and it’s a doozy. Total subway ridership hit 1.654 billion last year, the highest it’s been in 62 years, and the average weekend ridership matched the all-time historic high, set back in 1946. Furthermore, these records come amidst an estimated 43.8 million rides lost to Superstorm Sandy.

“Our ridership growth has been strongest among discretionary riders and during off-peak times,” Thomas F. Prendergast, MTA Interim Executive Director, said in a statement. “Recent trends, like the younger ‘millennial’ generation increasingly gravitating toward transit around the country, are building on older trends, like the introduction of unlimited cards and free transfers between subways and buses, to continue the long-term ridership growth over 20 years.”

It’s unclear how weekday ridership compares to historical averages, but it’s at or near record highs as well. Considering how pervasive automobile usage has become in society today, it speaks volumes of transit’s place in New York’s economy and daily life that ridership has continued to climb over the past twenty years. It’s also something to ponder how the system seemed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Moving forward requires a strong capital commitment, but it must happen.

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Public Transit Policy

5.379 million New Yorkers can’t be wrong

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 11, 2013

After taking a month off from committee meetings in February, the MTA board is back with a vengeance this month. The committees meet later this morning, and this month’s board books are chock full of information. Highlights include some capital projects timelines and an expansion of the “On The Go” kiosk project that I’ll cover later. One number though jumped out at me, and it’s a number that tells us how truly impactful the subways are.

Despite Superstorm Sandy shuttering the subway system for a few days, the MTA is reporting 5.379 million daily weekday subway riders for 2012. That figure represents a 1.8 percent increase over 2011 and is a near-record high. Weekend ridership is up even more with Saturday and Sunday averaging a combined total of 5.662 million riders for an increase over 2011 of three percent. Even local bus service ridership — which had been in free fall for a while — increased by almost one percent. All told, over 8.5 million riders use an MTA bus, subway or commute rail option each weekday.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of that figure. Each day, the equivalent of every resident in New York City takes a trip on some form of public transportation. Most people use the subways, but the bus ridership figures are strong as well. PATH, Metro-North and the LIRR account for over 800,000 combined daily trips. Imagine the city’s economy with no transit system; imagine the area’s congestion without public transportation.

One of the clear factors driving transit usage is employment. As the MTA’s board books have shown, transit ridership trends closely track employment — with some caveats. When employment is up, transit ridership is up as well. When employment is down, transit ridership has been too. “Subway ridership is correlated with employment levels,” the MTA said. “However, subway ridership has performed much better than employment with much faster growth in ridership than jobs, especially from 2003 to 2008.”

Chief among the drivers — especially during lean employment times — of transit ridership is the relative cost. Despite a steady stream of fare hikes over the last few years, it’s still much, much cheaper to use transit than it is to drive, and it likely always will be. Unemployed New Yorkers who have to get around will eschew costly car trips in favor of a subway ride, and thus, outside of truly calamitous economic times, ridership will generally always increase.

Yet, despite these astronomical numbers and despite the ever-increasing ridership figures, it’s a struggle to realize gains for transit riders. The five million New Yorkers who need the subway every day are, in one sense, an untapped political constituency often invisible in the eyes of those who represent us in City Hall and Albany. (That invisibility is, incidentally, what the Riders Alliance is trying to change.)

Maybe it’s because of the historical and social attitudes toward transit ridership that is viewed as not even second class. Maybe it’s because of the perceived and real inept experiences we’ve all had with the MTA. Maybe it’s a combination of both. But somehow, the millions of people who need the subway and the city and state economy that relies on these people can’t get no respect.

Despite a fare hike this year and another planned for 2015, ridership will continue to increase as the city’s population grows and as jobs continue to come back. Will anyone in Albany notice or will we just marvel at the ridership numbers while long-term investment in the system remains an ever-elusive goal?

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Service Advisories

South Ferry photos, ‘Problem Solvers’ and weekend service changes

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 8, 2013

The old South Ferry loop, mid-reactivation work. (Photo courtesy NYC Transit/ Marc A. Hermann)

I have a few odds and ends to address as the week draws to a close. We’ll start with South Ferry where the MTA has announced that the old loop station will be recommissioned. I wrote about the decision and its impact earlier today, and in the intervening hours, the MTA has released a new photoset of the current conditions at the old station. Check out the new gallery right here for scenes of the station in progress. An older set is available as well.

Next up, an announcement: My popular Q-and-A series at the Transit Museum returns on Wednesday, March 13 — or next Wednesday. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and joining me will be Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers. With the recent fare hike fresh in the minds of New Yorkers, we’ll be talking about the intricate — and often opaque — funding streams that support New York City’s public transit systems. How much of the cost of running our subways and buses are covered by the fare-paying public? What role do Albany and City Hall play? How does the financing of this, the largest transit system in the country, compare to other large systems in cities coast to coast?

Doors open at 6, and the talk will run about an hour with some time for audience questions. Be sure to RSVP here with my smiling mug. I’ll see you in Downtown Brooklyn.

And now the numerous service advisories. Only the D, G, J and L trains are running normally this weekend.


From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, March 9 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 10, uptown 1 trains skip 225th Street, 231st Street and 238th Street due to track panel installation north of 225th Street.


From 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, the last stop for some uptown 1 trains is 137th Street due to track panel installation north of 225th Street in the Bronx.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, there are no 2 trains between 3rd Avenue-149th Street and 96th Street due to station work at 149th Street-Grand Concourse, track maintenance at 96th Street and tunnel lighting in the Harlem River tube. Downtown 2 trains operate local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street.

Free shuttle buses operate:

  • Non-stop – Between 96th Street and 3rd Avenue-149th Street
  • Local – Between 96th Street and 3rd Avenue-149th Street

During this time, 2 trains will operate in two sections:

  • Between 241st Street and 3rd Avenue-149th Street
  • Between 96th Street and Flatbush Avenue


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, 3 service is suspended due to station work at 149th Street-Grand Concourse, track maintenance at 96th Street and tunnel lighting in the Harlem River tube. 2 trains make all 3 station stops between 96th Street and Franklin Avenue. 4 trains make all 3 station stops between Franklin Avenue and New Lots Avenue. Free shuttle bus operates as a local between 96th Street and 148th Street.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, 4 service is extended to New Lots Avenue and operates as a local in Brooklyn due to work on the 2, 3, 5 line.

(Overnights)
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9,
From 11:45 p.m. Saturday, March 9 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 10 and
From 11:45 p.m. Sunday, March 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11,
Downtown 4 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to track tie block work near 96th Street and 103rd Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, March 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, downtown 4 trains run local from Grand Central-42nd Street to Brooklyn Bridge due to signal work south of Grand Central-42nd Street.


From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, there are no 5 trains between East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse due to station work at 149th Street-Grand Concourse, track maintenance at 96th Street and tunnel lighting in the Harlem River tube. Free shuttle bus operates across 149th Street between 3rd Avenue-149th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse. 5 train service operates in two sections:

  • Between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street
  • Between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Bowling Green (every 20 minutes)

Note: 5 trains from Manhattan skip 138th Street-Grand Concourse. Take the 4 instead.


From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, downtown 5 trains run local from Grand Central-42nd Street to Brooklyn Bridge due to signal work south of Grand Central-42nd Street.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, downtown 6 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to track tie block work near 96th Street and 103rd Street.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11 (and the next two weekends), there is no 7 train service between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza due to Flushing Line CBTC work. Customers may take the E, N, Q and S (42nd Street shuttle) and free shuttle buses as alternatives.

  • Use the E, N or Q* between Manhattan and Queens
  • Free shuttle buses operate between Vernon Blvd-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza
  • In Manhattan, the 42nd Street S Shuttle operates overnight

*Q service is extended to Ditmars Blvd. (See Q entry for hours of operation.)


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Saturday, March 9, uptown A trains run express from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to 125th Street due to scraping and painting of track ceiling at 81st Street.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9,
From 11:45 p.m. Saturday, March 9 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 10 and
From 11:45 p.m. Sunday, March 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11,
Queens-bound A trains run express from Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts to Utica Avenue due to platform edge and tile work at Utica Avenue.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, downtown C trains run express from Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts to Utica Avenue due to platform edge and tile work at Utica Avenue.

(Overnights)
From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9,
From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, March 10 and
From 12:15 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11,
Queens-bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hillls-71st Avenue due to ADA work at Forest Hills-71st Avenue.


From 11:15 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, Brooklyn-bound F trains are rerouted via the M line after 36th Street, from Queens to 47th-50th Sts due to station work at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street for SAS.


Beginning 12:01 a.m. Saturday, March 9 and continuing for the next 5 months until August 2013, M trains will bypass Central Avenue in both directions due to station rehabilitation work at Central Avenue.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, March 8 to 5 a.m. Monday, March 11, Brooklyn-bound N trains run express from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street due to track maintenance at 8th Street.


From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, March 9 and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, March 10, Q trains are extended to Ditmars Blvd. in order to augment service between Manhattan and Queens.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, Brooklyn-bound R trains run express from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street due to track maintenance at 8th Street.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, Queens-bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to track renewal north of 36th Street.

(42nd Street Shuttle) (Overnights)
From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, March 9, Sunday, March 10, and Monday, March 11, 42nd Street S shuttle operates overnight due to weekend work on the 7 line.

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Manhattan

Old South Ferry loop station set to reopen in April

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on March 8, 2013

As the new South Ferry remains shuttered in the aftermath of Sandy, the MTA will reopen the decommissioned loop station. (Photo by Benjamin Kabak)

To provide better train service to Staten Island Ferry-bound customers, the MTA will recommission the 1 train’s old South Ferry loop station, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today. The station — the first ever to be shuttered and then reopened — will require around $2 million worth of work and will see revenue service begin again during the first week in April.

According to Cuomo’s office — which has now begun to take credit for every bit of good news coming out of the MTA — reactivating the old loop will help ease commutes for more than 10,000 riders while allaying some of the crowding that has plagued the 4 and 5 trains in Sandy’s aftermath. Despite this move, the MTA will not drop its $600 million to reconstruct and harden the new South Ferry terminal.

“The MTA has a long, tough job ahead as it tackles the immense job of virtually rebuilding the new South Ferry terminal station that was flooded 80 feet deep during Superstorm Sandy,” Cuomo said in a statement. “For the extended period of time it will take for this work to be completed, we are returning the old station in the complex to service, making travel easier and more convenient for Staten Islanders and others who work and visit this area.”

According to Cuomo, it will take the MTA approximately two years to restore the new South Ferry station, and Staten Island politicians and MTA Board reps called upon the agency to do something sooner. Over the past few weeks, crews have been working around the clock in the old station, and a recent video clearly showed a station nearing recommissioning.

“As MTA New York City Transit assessed the extent of damage to the new South Ferry station, it became clear that the time necessary to repair it would be too long a period to deny our customers a direct link to lower Manhattan,” MTA Interim Executive Director Thomas F. Prendergast said. “We are working to ensure that all elements and systems are fully operational, safe and reliable before restoring service to the old station, but our primary goal remains restoring the new South Ferry station as soon as possible.”

To reopen the old station, the MTA built a new connection between the new mezzanine and the old loop station, thus maintaining the transfer between the 1 and the R at Whilehall St. Crews also had to refurbish the platform edge extenders and reinstall electrical feeds, closed-circuit television systems to monitor the platform, customer assistance intercoms, security cameras and radio communications in the dispatcher’s office. Remaining work includes rehabbing the fare control area and restoring and repainting lighting in the station and adjacent tunnels.

Furthermore, the problems with the old loop station have not been resolved. Doors in only the first five cars will open at South Ferry, and gap fillers will be used to bridge the space between the car doors and the platform. Additionally, the station is rather narrow and was not, in 2009 when it closed, ADA accessible. It’s better though than a two-year wait.

Considering the MTA’s turnaround time on this project, it’s something to see what the MTA and its contractors can accomplish in short order with the right amount of political pressure. Six months after Sandy and less than four months after officials starting making noises about it, the South Ferry station will be reopened after a prolonged period of time without train service. Now if only they could do something about that price tag for work at the new station.

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