Second Ave. Sagas
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • 2nd Ave. Subway History
  • Search
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • 2nd Ave. Subway History
  • Search
Second Ave. Sagas

News and Views on New York City Transportation

AsidesBuses

BusTime Notes: M34, B61, Transit Museum

by Benjamin Kabak April 13, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 13, 2012

A few quick notes on BusTime: The MTA’s in-house real-time bus tracking system is making its debut in bits and spurts. With Staten Island and the B63 on board and the Bronx on tap for later this year, Transit has unveiled the service on a few other routes. Manhattan’s M34 and M34SBS buses are now available on BusTime. This route had been the subject of an earlier, much more expensive tracking pilot, and the MTA switched over to the in-house solution earlier this week. On the downside, the bus countdown clocks along 34th St. are no longer in use.

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, with word that the Smith-9th Sts. renovation will take nearly six months longer than anticipated, the MTA will introduce BusTime to the B61 in June. This bus — the only one serving Red Hook — helps alleviate the lack of nearby subway service, and Transit says they readied these buses ahead of schedule to help stranded straphangers adjust their travel schedules.

Finally, BusTime will take center stage at my next Transit Museum Problem Solvers event. Michael Frumin who has spearheaded the BusTime effort will be my guest. He’ll be on hand to discuss how BusTime can help with the problem of declining bus ridership throughout the city. It’s set for Wednesday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Transit Museum. Save the date.

April 13, 2012 4 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
New York City Transit

Behind the Numbers: The great weekend decline

by Benjamin Kabak April 13, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 13, 2012

Over the past few days, I’ve examined the trends in subway ridership. We started with a pretty basic look at the top ten busiest stationsof 2011 and drilled down by borough as well. Today, I want to flip the numbers a bit.

Below, are two tables that show the biggest declines in ridership over the weekend. Some stations — particularly those located in Lower Manhattan and Midtown East — are quite susceptible to a great weekend decline. These are popular destinations for the working commuter, and the neighborhoods clear out after the work week is over. We’ll start with Saturday.

Station Weekday Saturday Percent
Hunters Point Av (7) 6,113 1,051 17
5 Av-53 St (E,M) 23,970 4,556 19
Wall St (2,3) 25,559 5,405 21
33 St-Rawson St (7) 13,587 3,162 23
Pelham Pkwy (5) 3,236 797 25
Morris Park (5) 1,966 573 29
Avenue M (Q) 4,632 1,399 30
55 St (D) 1,983 601 30
Wall St (4,5) 22,986 7,291 32
Fulton St (A,C,J,Z,2,3,4,5) 63,203 20,167 32

I was surprised at first to see Hunters Point Ave. leading off this list, but upon further reflection, it’s clear that there is literally nothing there that would be open on the weekends. The decline at 5 Ave.-53rd St. is pretty extreme considering that MOMA is down the block, but clearly, the museum-goers aren’t taking the E train there on the weekends. Fulton St. is another station with a huge decline. The weekend numbers are still impressive, but that two-thirds drop is extreme, especially considering the expense of the Transit Center that will ideally attract more people during off-peak hours.

Now, Sunday. It’s an awfully similar chart, and even fewer people head to Fulton St. on Sunday.

Station Weekday Sunday Percent
33 St-Rawson St (7) 13,587 1,530 11
Hunters Point Av (7) 6,113 809 13
5 Av-53 St (E,M) 23,970 3,190 13
Wall St (2,3) 25,559 4,033 16
Pelham Pkwy (5) 3,236 540 17
Morris Park (5) 1,966 403 20
Eastchester-Dyre Av (5) 4,603 991 22
Fulton St (A,C,J,Z,2,3,4,5) 63,203 14,318 23
Wall St (4,5) 22,986 5,219 23
36 St (M,R) 4,340 1,018 23

The numbers for Wall Street are pretty amazing really. This 2/3 station with its tiny platform sees over 25,000 entries on a typical weekday but only 9400 over the two days of the weekend combined. No matter how much the city pushes residential life in Lower Manhattan, the Financial District has seemingly remained stubbornly immune to it. It’s just your typical urban business center from which the population vanishes at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Outside of the top ten, other notables include Grand Central, which sees a decline of 63 percent on Saturday and 72 percent on Sunday over a typical weekday. Even with a decline of over 100,000 riders, the station still sees 41,000 passengers on Sunday. Similarly, Bryant Park dips from over 50,000 per weekday to 20,000 on a Saturday and just under 15,000 for Sunday. Just something to chew on.

April 13, 2012 25 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Service Advisories

Weekend work on 18 lines and a baseball nostalgia special

by Benjamin Kabak April 13, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 13, 2012

The old Low-V cars, shown here in 1963, will return to Yankee Stadium today as part of the Opening Day celebration. (Photo via NYC Subway)

As the suggestion of a few readers, I’m trying something a little new this Friday. I’m going to post the weekend service advisories now so that they wind up in people’s inboxes in the morning. This will allow the SAS faithful to better plan their weekend trips. (You can get SAS posts emailed to you once a day via this link.) I’ll have regular content later in the morning, and then, I’ll bump this post to the top for Friday evening and the remainder of the weekend.

Before we jump into the service advisories, though, some trainspotting news to address: As the Yankees gear up to open their home schedule later today, Transit is celebrating with a Nostalgia Train. The Low-Vs that ran to Yankee Stadium from 1917-1969 will make a trip on Friday from Grand Central to Yankee Stadium along the express tracks. The train leaves at noon, and Stadium-bound straphangers will have plenty of time to revel in subway history before the game’s 1:05 p.m. start time. Were I heading to the Stadium today, I’d hop this train, but alas, I am not Bronx-bound for Opening Day.

And now the weekend’ changes. It’s a busy one.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, there is no 1 service between 242nd Street and 168th Street due to station and structural rehabilitation at Dyckman Street, platform edge and canopy work at stations from 207th Street to 242nd Street and track panel installation north of 215th Street.

  • For 181st Street and 191 Street, take the uptown 1 to 168th Street and transfer to the M3 or free shuttle bus.
  • For Dyckman Street and 207th Street, take the uptown 1 to 168th Street and transfer to the A.
  • For stations from 215th Street to 242nd Street, take the uptown 1 to 168th Street and transfer to the A to 207th Street, then take the free shuttle bus along Broadway.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, there are no 2 trains between Franklin and Flatbush Avenues due to electrical work near Church Avenue. 2 trains operate between 241st Street and the Utica Avenue (3, 4) station. Free shuttle buses will provide alternate service.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, 3 service is extended to New Lots Avenue due to platform edge, mechanical and electrical work at Fulton Street and renewal of switches north of Borough Hall.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, there are no 4 trains between Brooklyn Bridge and New Lots Avenue due to platform edge, mechanical and electrical work at Fulton Street and renewal of switches north of Borough Hall. Customers should take the 3, N, Q or R instead. Note: 4 trains operate local in both directions between 125th Street and Brooklyn Bridge.


From 6 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Saturday, April 14 and from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Sunday, April 15, there are no 5 trains between Grand Central-42nd Street and Bowling Green due to platform edge, mechanical and electrical work at Fulton Street and renewal of switches north of Borough Hall. Customers should take the 4 (operating between Woodlawn and Brooklyn Bridge), Q or R instead. Note: 5 trains run every 20 minutes between Grand Central-42nd Street and Dyre Avenue.


From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, Flushing-bound 7 trains skip 82nd, 90th, 103rd, and 111th Streets due to conduit and signal work for Flushing CBTC.


From 12:15 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 4:45 a.m. Monday, April 16, shuttle trains and buses replace A trains between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway due to the rebuilding of existing piers and bearings on the South Channel Bridge and replacement of drain pipes between South Channel Bridge and Hammels Wye.

  • Rockaway Park (S) shuttle trains operate between Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park
  • Free shuttle buses operate between:
    1. Howard Beach and Far Rockaway, non-stop
    2. Howard Beach and Rockaway Park, making one stop at Broad Channel.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, uptown C trains skip Spring, 23rd, and 50th Streets due to work on the Broadway/Lafayette-to-Bleecker Street transfer connection.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Bronx-bound D trains run via the N line from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue to 36th Street due to station and line structure rehabilitation near 9th Avenue. Note: Out-of-system transfer with MetroCard at 62nd Street-New Utrecht Avenue.


From 11 p.m. Friday, April 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Brooklyn-bound D trains skip 182nd-183rd Sts. due to track maintenance.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Bronx-bound D trains run express from 36th Street to Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street, skipping DeKalb Avenue due to track replacement north of Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14, to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, E trains operate via the F in both directions after 36th Street in Queens to West 4th Street in Manhattan due to work on the 5th Avenue Interlocking Signal System Modernization project.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Queens-bound F trains run via the A line from Jay Street-MetroTech to West 4th Street due to work on the Broadway/Lafayette-to-Bleecker Street transfer connection.


From 11 p.m. Friday, April 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, April, 16, there are no G trains between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avs due to the installation of fiber optic, communication and control cables from Bedford-Nostrand to Flushing Avenue.


From 6 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 10 p.m., Sunday, April 15, there are no J trains between Jamaica Center and Crescent Street due to structural steel repair, painting and track panel work north of Cypress Hills. J Trains operate between Crescent Street and Chambers Street. Free shuttle buses and E train service provide alternate service.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Queens-bound N trains run express from 36th Street to Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street, then via the Manhattan Bridge, skipping DeKalb Avenue due to track replacement north of Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street.


From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, Brooklyn-bound N trains skip 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue and 39th Avenue in Queens due to rail and tie renewal north of 39th Street.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Manhattan-bound Q trains run via the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track replacement north of Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street. Note: Q trains stop at Jay Street-MetroTech, Court Street, Whitehall Street, Rector Street, Cortlandt Street and City Hall.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 13 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 16, Coney Island-bound Q trains skip Avenue U and Neck Road due to track panel work south of Kings Highway.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15, Manhattan-bound R trains run express from 36th Street to Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street, then via the Manhattan Bridge, skipping DeKalb Avenue due to track replacement north of Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street.


From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m., Monday, April 16, there is no R service between 59th Street and 36th Street in Brooklyn due to track replacement north of Atlantic Avenue-Pacific Street. Customers should take the N instead. R trains will operate between 95th Street and 59th Street in Brooklyn.


From 12:15 a.m. Saturday, April 14 to 4:45 a.m. Monday, April 16, the Rockaway Park shuttle (S) trains operate between Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park due to due to the rebuilding of existing piers and bearings on the South Channel Bridge and replacement of drain pipes between South Channel Bridge and Hammels Wye. See A entry for details.

April 13, 2012 21 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
LIRR

MTA IG: Worker errors to blame for LIRR outage

by Benjamin Kabak April 12, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 12, 2012

An unexpected lightning strike that took out Long Island Rail Road service near Jamaica had some help from LIRR workers executing a flawed process, a report released today by the MTA Inspector General said. On September 29, 2011, a lightning strike knocked out the LIRR signal system, delaying service across the region. A few hours later, an LIRR worker disabled another signal system while attempting to repair the damaged one, and all service shut down. The report, available here as a PDF, is not a particularly glowing one for the LIRR.

With a new signal system in place, the LIRR should have been prepared for such an outage. It was instead a 12-hour shutdown, and the IG had the following to say:

  • LIRR personnel performed deficient Quality Assurance/Quality Control both during and after installation of the new system. Specifically, LIRR failed to detect both the installation of the wrong serial server connector as well as the non-installation of certain components shown on the original ASTS design.
  • The diagnostic tools pre-programmed by ASTS into the new signaling system failed to pinpoint which critical components were not functioning. This complicated LIRR’s identification of the failure’s cause, thereby extending the duration of the incident.
  • ASTS did not provide LIRR with operating manuals for the system as a whole, nor did ASTS provide LIRR with adequate troubleshooting procedures. Additional training of LIRR personnel by ASTS on troubleshooting could have mitigated the duration of theoutage and prevented the human error that brought down the signals at the second signal hut.
  • LIRR employees did not have adequate replacement parts to diagnose and correct system problems. For its part, ASTS did not provide LIRR with a list of critical spare parts after its design was completed.
  • The LIRR Signals Department was unaware of a separate contract modification with ASTS to provide emergency response services in situations just like the lightning strike. Further, ASTS failed to provide LIRR with the contract-required phone number and e-mail address to obtain immediate emergency assistance. LIRR did not attempt to contact ASTS using existing known contact information during the first five hours of the disruption.

The ultimate conclusion is an obvious one: “Believing that it had contracted for and installed a system providing appropriate redundancy and protection, LIRR was not adequately prepared for this emergency.”

By and large, the various recommendations in the report are fairly obvious. The Rail Road needs to work closely with its technology vendors to ensure adequate documentation and training. It must also train its workers in the maintenance of the technology to avoid future accidents. That we needed an incident and an IG report to reach that point is dismaying.

From a rider perspective, though, the Inspector General did not find the LIRR adequately informed its passengers of the outage, and that’s something easily fixable. The Rail Road, says the report, “should further develop and refine its protocols to facilitate the dissemination of appropriate information to passengers on stranded or standing trains regarding why they are stopped, and the plans being pursued and progress being made to get them going again.” Shouldn’t that be a lesson from Customer Service 101?

April 12, 2012 4 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Second Avenue Subway

Video: The Voice profiles Sandhogs

by Benjamin Kabak April 12, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 12, 2012

As construction proceeds underneath Second Avenue, we tend to think of progress on a grand scale. We celebrate when the tunnel boring machine reaches its end. We bemoan air quality and noise. We await muck houses and dump trucks. We often overlook the people who are underground everyday building this subway.

This week, The Village Voice takes a journey into the Second Ave. Subway, but it’s not your typical journey. While we may marvel at scope and size of the project, the Voice is more interested in the human side of what’s happening. This week, Sean Manning >profiles the Sandhogs, the members of Local 147 who are digging the tunnels that will one day play host to the Second Ave. Subway.

Manning’s piece traces the lives and times of these workers. Many are former military men looking to make a living back home. Take a gander at this excerpt and sneak a peek at the video above. There’s a photo slideshow as well:

That’s another parallel between soldier and sandhog life, one that particularly appeals to Buzzell: the hierarchy. Just as in the military, the sandhogs follow a strict chain of command. At the bottom is the gang, typically composed of six men. Each gang is led by a foreman, who reports to a walking boss, who in turn reports to a superintendent. Unlike the military, though, sandhog rank can change from project to project. Depending on recent performance as well as on what men and positions are available, a walking boss on one job might be a gang member on another and vice versa. Also, there is no pay grade: Except for the project superintendent, all sandhogs take home the same $45 an hour. Counting the money directed into union-benefit funds, the rate is closer to $100 an hour. In a busy year, a sandhog can make more than $100,000. (Financial compensation is one thing the sandhogs and the military most assuredly do not have in common. In 2012, basic pay for an Army private first class with less than two years of experience is $21,089.)

While the sandhogs are among the highest-earning laborers in the country, they give the lie to any public perception of union sloth, of work being needlessly, greedily dragged out. “The faster we get the job done,” says 51-year-old, 30-year-veteran Scott Chesman, “the more work the city is likely to give us.” Plus, on a job like pouring concrete, speed is imperative.

For the Second Avenue tunnels, the concrete was trucked in from Queens and delivered underground through a six-inch diameter pipe called a slick line. The slick line is screwed together in 10-foot segments, each costing $400. On this project, the slick line stretched as long as 1,500 feet. If the concrete is not applied to the tunnel quickly enough, or if the balance of retarder and accelerator in the mix isn’t precise, or if one of the trucks gets stuck in traffic, the concrete in the slick line begins to set up. When this happens, with $60,000 worth of slick line at stake, the trucks have to stop pumping, and the slick line has to be flushed, what’s called “shooting the rabbit.” That’s as much as a quarter-mile of concrete expelled into a pile that must be shoveled into muck bags—roughly 40 pounds per bag once hardened—and then wheelbarrowed and heaved by hand, bag by bag, into a dumpster. Lunch and urination are infrequent. (Even when working fast, the work is slow-going. Because of the six hours it takes the concrete to fully set and the time necessary to break down and move and reassemble the multi-ton steel arch form, progress is limited to at most 120 feet per day.)

It’s easy to lose site of the individuality of the construction work. The unions are often nameless and faceless entities that insist on work rules too onerous for our times. They are a politically powerful force but are also one of the reasons why construction work in New York City is so expensive. The city relies upon them for progress but may also be hindered by their demands as well.

The tragic accident last week at the site of the 7 line extension served as a reminder of the human element involved in that project and other tunnel work. Back in the early 20th Century, many New Yorkers lost their lives digging out the first subway, and our society today does not take the time to remember those workers. Today, safety is paramount, and accidents are few and far between. Yet, people are in there everyday, wading through dank tunnels working to extend our transit system. This is but a small snapshot of who they are and what they’re doing.

April 12, 2012 14 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
New York City Transit

The top 10 subway stations of 2011, by borough

by Benjamin Kabak April 11, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 11, 2012

I examined yesterday the top ten most popular subway stations in New York City, and by virtue of Manhattan’s central focus and popularity, nine of the ten are in the County of New York. Let’s expand the scope a bit and explore the other boroughs as well. We’ll start with Queens.

Rank Station Ridership
1 Flushing-Main St (7) 18,967,751
2 74-Bway (7)/Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av (E,F,M,R) 16,377,496
3 Jamaica Center-Parsons-Archer (E,J,Z) 12,147,163
4 Forest Hills-71 Av (E,F,M,R) 8,316,825
5 Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike (E,F) 8,179,749
6 Woodhaven Blvd (M,R) 7,241,776
7 Junction Blvd (7) 6,963,489
8 Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport (E,J,Z) 6,839,255
9 Jamaica-179 St (F) 6,818,728
10 Court Sq (E,G,M,7) 6,334,869

In Queens — as in Brooklyn and the Bronx — key transfer points seem to be the most popular stations. These stops are also centrally located in some densely populated residential areas. Court Square will likely see a bump this year with the new complex.

Rank Station Ridership
1 Jay St-MetroTech (A,C,F,R) 11,149,629
2 Court St (R)/Borough Hall (2,3,4,5) 11,115,037
3 Atlantic Av (B,Q,2,3,4,5)/Pacific St (D,N,R) 10,726,332
4 Crown Heights-Utica Av (3,4) 8,438,284
5 Bedford Av (L) 7,738,863
6 Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College (2,5) 6,547,958
7 Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs (L,M) 5,358,434
8 Kings Hwy (B,Q) 5,311,662
9 Nostrand Av (A,C) 5,139,201
10 DeKalb Av (B,Q,R) 5,122,803

In Brooklyn, the first two stations feed into the downtown area with jobs and housing. I expect Atlantic Ave./Pacific St. to move to the top of this list once the Barclays Center arena opens. If the rest of the Atlantic Yards project ever sees the light of day, it will far surpass Jay St. on the leaderboard. Beford Ave. has seen annual ridership grow by 2 million since 2007. That’s stunning growth.

Rank Station Ridership
1 161 St-Yankee Stadium (B,D,4) 8,605,893
2 3 Av-149 St (2,5) 7,232,070
3 Parkchester (6) 4,851,182
4 149 St-Grand Concourse (2,4,5) 4,169,699
5 Fordham Rd (4) 3,966,339
6 Fordham Rd (B,D) 3,680,312
7 Burnside Av (4) 3,528,312
8 Hunts Point Av (6) 3,191,706
9 Kingsbridge Rd (4) 3,169,615
10 Morrison Av-Soundview (6) 3,028,145

In the Bronx, with the courthouse up the hill and the Yankees across the street, the 161st St. station leads the pack. The remainder are key transfer points, job centers or major residential areas. I sense a theme.

April 11, 2012 24 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
ARC TunnelAsides

ARC Report Fallout: How many years until Gateway?

by Benjamin Kabak April 11, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 11, 2012

In the aftermath of yesterday’s GAO report criticizing the cancellation of the ARC Tunnel, the political air has been rife with acrimony. Christie, of course, has been defending his decision while his political opponents have renewed their attacks. A former New Jersey Governor accused Christie of playing the state for a short-term gain, but none of these reactions are unexpected.

If we step back and take a look at the larger picture, though, things are a bit gloomy. NJ Spotlight offers up a very thorough overview of the problems plaguing trans-Hudson rail access and the prospects for the future. Mark Magyar devotes quite a few inches in his piece to the goings-on involving Amtrak’s proposed Gateway Tunnel. Although it would provide only around 65 percent the capacity of ARC, it seems to have the best future. However, with no real funding in place, Thomas Wright of the RPA said, “2022 is probably too ambitious a target date.”

Without the 7 extension and without ARC, Gateway is indeed our best (and possibly last) hope for improved trans-Hudson rail access in this generation, and that fact is not lost on those paying attention. In an editorial today, The Star-Ledger urged Christie to provide “more than his moral support” for Gateway. That’s an exhortation that runs both ways. Both New York and New Jersey will have to put their support behind Gateway, and politicians in New Jersey who have spent a few years pointing fingers over ARC will have to work together. The future of our region may depend upon it.

April 11, 2012 37 comments
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
New York City Transit

Report: Service advisory sign placement ‘mediocre’

by Benjamin Kabak April 11, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 11, 2012

As Friday rolls around in New York, the city’s straphangers know that weekend subway service will be spotty, at best. Trains that should run local will go express, and trains that should run express might run local. Other trains may not run at all or head to some other train’s usual terminal. It’s confusing, and travel takes longer. According to a new report, the MTA isn’t particularly good at informing its customers of these changes.

One problem the MTA has struggled to combat over the years concerns signage. At a basic level, many New Yorkers simply do not read signs, and that’s a problem impossible to overcome. To fight that basic stubbornness or laziness, Transit instead bombards us with frequent in-car announcements concerning upcoming stops and rerouted trains. If a rider doesn’t know where the train is going, he or she is simply not listening.

But on a different level, the MTA has also battled an information problem. Although service advisories are posted online a few days in advance, the agency hasn’t quite hit the nail on the head when it comes to in-system signage. Transit’s latest iteration of its service advisory posters are more colorful and easier to read, but covering the system appropriately remains a challenge. According to a report released yesterday by the New York City Transit Riders Council, the MTA does not always post signage in every station as they promised, and old signage lingers long past its expiration date.

The Riders Council conducted their study over the course of a few weekends in October and November. They surveyed 48 stations 63 times from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and on the traditional letter grade system, the MTA would likely walk away with a D for its signage efforts. While Transit promised to hang signs near entrances and on platforms, only 64 percent of entrances featured signs, and just 60 percent of platforms hosted the posters.

With the London-inspired posters, Transit in 2010 also debuted new line-specific signs to be hung upon station columns. The Riders Council found that these signs were featured in just 55 percent of station entrances but on 72 percent of platforms. To make matters worse, five stations surveyed had no signage at all concerning service changes at that station. These included Nostrand Ave., Broadway Junction and High St. all on the IND Fulton Line in Brooklyn.

In terms of alternative access, Transit did not fare any better. The authority provided ADA-accessibility information in just 53 percent of stations surveyed, and only 71 percent of stations had signs that listed alternate routes for any straphanger combatting service changes. The Riders Council was not impressed. “Looking at the 48 stations overall,” the report says, “the level of compliance is mediocre at best.”

After noting that some stations featured only hastily-scribbled hand-written signs, the Riders Council issued some fairly obvious recommendations. The MTA must make a more concerted effort to post signs at every station and every entrance. “Riders need to be informed of all service changes prior to entering the station,” the report noted.

Interestingly, the Riders Council issued a call for faster installation of the MTA’s new digital Station Advisory Information Displays. Noting the flexibility and visibility of these 21st Century screens, the report urged the MTA to pick up the pace of installation and target areas that are both high traffic and likely to go through service diversions. “By installing SAID boards in the unpaid areas of stations, NYC Transit would provide riders with a predictable and reliable place to look for service advisories,” they said.

It’s hard to dispute any of these findings. While I recognize that the MTA can’t force its customers to read the signs, it must make the signs available and visible. Without the signs, riders must partake in a massively confusing guessing game that will leave them frustrated and delayed. They should be in every station, at every entrance and on every platform. Anything less is just lazy.

April 11, 2012 8 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
New York City Transit

The 10 most popular subway stations of 2011

by Benjamin Kabak April 10, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 10, 2012

I’ve been slowly making my way through the data dump of station information New York City Transit released this week, and later on, I’m hoping to have a post highlighting the busiest fare control areas in the city. Right now, let’s jump in with the basics. The top ten busiest subway stations of 2011 are……

Rank Station Ridership
1 Times Sq-42 St 60,604,822
2 Grand Central-42 St 42,795,505
3 34 St-Herald Square 37,731,386
4 14 St-Union Square 34,927,178
5 34 St-Penn Station (1,2,3) 26,758,623
6 34 St-Penn Station (A,C,E) 24,751,771
7 59 St-Columbus Circle 21,300,892
8 Lexington Av-59 St 20,377,141
9 86 St (4,5,6) 19,425,347
10 Flushing-Main St 18,967,751

Now, that’s not surprising because Times Square is the center of the known universe. The rest make sense too. Interestingly, Queens, which has the third subway ridership by borough, has a station in the top ten while Brooklyn, the second most popular borough, does not. In fact, the most popular station in Brooklyn — Jay St./MetroTech — was just 26nd overall last year.

At the bottom of the list are a bunch of stations in the Rockaways, East 143rd St. along the 6 and 21st on the G. The last one sees just 1,123 per weekday and around 730 per weekend. I’ve always wondered why that station, so close to Court Square, exists. More with this data later.

April 10, 2012 51 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
ARC Tunnel

Gov. Christie and the ARC lies that bind

by Benjamin Kabak April 10, 2012
written by Benjamin Kabak on April 10, 2012

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie killed the flawed ARC Tunnel project in 2010, it came as a big surprise to people in the region and politicians in Washington, DC. With a major funding commitment from the feds, the project was among the largest public works in the nation, and despite its flaws, a trans-Hudson rail tunnel would have greatly improved access into and out of New York City.

Christie cut the cord over budget concerns. He claimed the project’s cost could double. He claimed New Jersey would have to foot the entire bill for overruns. Now, a new report issued by the Government Accountability Office [PDF] accuses Christie of exaggerating, if not outright lying, in his highly political battle over the ARC Tunnel. This was, alleges the GAO, all about politics and gas taxes.

Kate Zernicke of The Times has the scoop:

The report by the Government Accountability Office, to be released this week, found that while Mr. Christie said that state transportation officials had revised cost estimates for the tunnel to at least $11 billion and potentially more than $14 billion, the range of estimates had in fact remained unchanged in the two years before he announced in 2010 that he was shutting down the project. And state transportation officials, the report says, had said the cost would be no more than $10 billion.

Mr. Christie also misstated New Jersey’s share of the costs: he said the state would pay 70 percent of the project; the report found that New Jersey was paying 14.4 percent. And while the governor said that an agreement with the federal government would require the state to pay all cost overruns, the report found that there was no final agreement, and that the federal government had made several offers to share those costs.

Canceling the tunnel, then the largest public works project in the nation, helped shape Mr. Christie’s profile as a rising Republican star, an enforcer of fiscal discipline in a country drunk on debt. But the report is likely to revive criticism that his decision, which he said was about “hard choices” in tough economic times, was more about avoiding the need to raise the state’s gasoline tax, which would have violated a campaign promise. The governor subsequently steered $4 billion earmarked for the tunnel to the state’s near-bankrupt transportation trust fund, traditionally financed by the gasoline tax.

Somehow, Christie’s office claims that the GAO report backs up their position. After admitting that Christie fudged some numbers, spokesman Michael Drewniak defended the controversial decision. “The bottom line is that the GAO report simply bears out what we said in the fall of 2010 and say to this day: the ARC project was a very, very bad deal for New Jersey,” he said. It’s tough to make such a sweeping generalization when the final deal hadn’t been completed.

The Times has a bit more:

Mr. Christie further explained his decision by saying that the financing agreement with the federal government required him to declare that New Jersey would pay any costs above the $8.7 billion. That is the standard procedure for full-financing agreements, but the report found that there was no agreement when Mr. Christie canceled the project, and that the federal government, which was already paying 51 percent of the costs, had offered to help with any cost overruns, pledging additional money, low-interest railroad loans and public-private financing.

Before Mr. Christie declared the tunnel dead, his transportation advisers told state legislators that they had discussed taking money from the project to fill the transportation trust fund, which was almost empty. Since then, the governor has steered $4 billion in tunnel money to the trust fund, avoiding an increase in the state’s gasoline tax, the second lowest in the nation.

One of ARC’s earliest supporters, Martin Robins, now with the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, slammed Christie. “In hindsight, it’s apparent that he had a highly important political objective: to cannibalize the project so he could find an alternate way of keeping the transportation trust fund program moving, and he went ahead and did it,” he said to The Times.

This is ultimately a lesson in national politics and local elections. Christie the Candidate vowed support for the ARC Tunnel, but then Christie the Governor gained national prominence in a political party searching for leaders. He canceled the ARC Tunnel near the height of the Tea Party movement as a statement on spending and taxes. He played fast and loose with numbers, and he stretched the truth. The New York/New Jersey region is worse off for it, and it may yet be decades longer, and billions of dollars more, before we see the need for a new trans-Hudson tunnel realized.

April 10, 2012 40 comments
2 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
Load More Posts

About The Author

Name: Benjamin Kabak
E-mail: Contact Me

Become a Patron!
Follow @2AvSagas

Upcoming Events
TBD

RSS? Yes, Please: SAS' RSS Feed
SAS In Your Inbox: Subscribe to SAS by E-mail

Instagram



Disclaimer: Subway Map © Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Used with permission. MTA is not associated with nor does it endorse this website or its content.

Categories

  • 14th Street Busway (1)
  • 7 Line Extension (118)
  • Abandoned Stations (31)
  • ARC Tunnel (52)
  • Arts for Transit (19)
  • Asides (1,244)
  • Bronx (13)
  • Brooklyn (126)
  • Brooklyn-Queens Connector (13)
  • Buses (291)
  • Capital Program 2010-2014 (27)
  • Capital Program 2015-2019 (56)
  • Capital Program 2020-2024 (3)
  • Congestion Fee (71)
  • East Side Access Project (37)
  • F Express Plan (22)
  • Fare Hikes (173)
  • Fulton Street (57)
  • Gateway Tunnel (29)
  • High-Speed Rail (9)
  • Hudson Yards (18)
  • Interborough Express (1)
  • International Subways (26)
  • L Train Shutdown (20)
  • LIRR (65)
  • Manhattan (73)
  • Metro-North (99)
  • MetroCard (124)
  • Moynihan Station (16)
  • MTA (98)
  • MTA Absurdity (233)
  • MTA Bridges and Tunnels (27)
  • MTA Construction (128)
  • MTA Economics (522)
    • Doomsday Budget (74)
    • Ravitch Commission (23)
  • MTA Politics (330)
  • MTA Technology (195)
  • New Jersey Transit (53)
  • New York City Transit (220)
  • OMNY (3)
  • PANYNJ (113)
  • Paratransit (10)
  • Penn Station (18)
  • Penn Station Access (10)
  • Podcast (30)
  • Public Transit Policy (164)
  • Queens (129)
  • Rider Report Cards (31)
  • Rolling Stock (40)
  • Second Avenue Subway (262)
  • Self Promotion (77)
  • Service Advisories (612)
  • Service Cuts (118)
  • Sponsored Post (1)
  • Staten Island (52)
  • Straphangers Campaign (40)
  • Subway Advertising (45)
  • Subway Cell Service (34)
  • Subway History (81)
  • Subway Maps (83)
  • Subway Movies (14)
  • Subway Romance (13)
  • Subway Security (104)
  • Superstorm Sandy (35)
  • Taxis (43)
  • Transit Labor (151)
    • ATU (4)
    • TWU (100)
    • UTU (8)
  • Triboro RX (4)
  • U.S. Transit Systems (53)
    • BART (1)
    • Capital Metro (1)
    • CTA (7)
    • MBTA (11)
    • SEPTA (5)
    • WMATA (28)
  • View from Underground (447)

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

@2019 - All Right Reserved.


Back To Top