Second Avenue Subway

Breaking News: The 2nd Ave. subway is so ‘boring’

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 25, 2007

The current remains of earlier work in the 2nd Ave. subway tunnel. (NYTimes.com)

My dad, 57, has spent his entire life in New York. He is one of millions of people skeptical that a Second Ave. subway line would be operational in their lifetimes. Can you blame them?

This subway line has transcended history. Originally proposed in 1929, the line has become a symbol of the rise and fall of American urban society in the Twentieth Century. It was the victim of short-sighted policies and poor financial planning by the ancestors of today’s MTA, the government of New York City and the old IRT and BMT corporations. When automobiles and Robert Moses took over New York City, the Second Ave. subway died for the second time in the 1940s.

It was revived in the 1970s, only to mee its end at a broke city. We had no money; we had no presidential support (“Ford to City: Drop Dead”). But we do still have a remnant from that area: some completed parts of that infamous Second Ave. line. Don’t believe me? Just look at the top of this post.

Now, if the news is to be believed, the Second Ave. subway will soon exist. The City, as NY1 reported today, is one month away from construction on this ill-faited and much-needed subway expansion. Allow me to quote, at length:

MTA officials say that in a few weeks, they will award a $333 million contract to build what they call Phase One. “This is real now, and it is happening,” said Mysore Nagaraja of the MTA Capital Construction Corporation. “And we are excited about it.” …

A consortium of three American companies submitted the winning bid for construction work: Skanska USA Civil, Schiavone Construction, and J.F. Shea Construction. They will be formally awarded the contract after a two-to-four-week vetting process.

Then construction work will begin between 96th and 92nd Streets, where a tunnel boring machine will begin drilling the new tunnels.

So this is actually happening. In a few years, the Q will go beyond 57th Street up into areas of the Upper East Side that desperate need subway service. Then, we’ll get the turquoise T. But what does this mean for the folks living along that Second Ave. corridor?

Well, at first, there will be disruptions. But the MTA isn’t exactly using the cut-and-cover method to construct this subway line. Here’s how Nagaraja explained it to NY1. “We are going to be taking two to three lanes for construction,” he said. “And we have to relocate all the utilities there first. And once the utilities are relocated, then we have to make this hole, which is about 60 – 70 feet deep. That is when the machine can be dropped in there and [we can] start assembling the machine.”

Construction trailers and heavy machinery will soon dot the landscape of Second Ave. But then the boring machine will be dropped far underground and the real work will begin as the city finally starts to connect the tunnel sections. We’ll have a new subway line soon enough. My dad won’t believe it until he sets foot in one of the new stations, and I’m sure millions of New Yorkers share his skepticism. But sooner, rather than later, we’ll have to find another ill-fated project to hope for aimlessly. How about a new river crossing?

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7 Line Extension

Screwing over a neighborhood, one project at a time

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 22, 2007


When last we checked in on the 7 line extension plans, amNY had just announced, to little fanfare, the MTA’s seemingly under-the-table plan to construt one of the two planned stops. While I was, at first, skeptical of the reality of these cuts, it seems that I was wrong.

Ten days ago, The Daily News noted some rumblings and grumblings about the plan. But the story came to a head today when amNY reported on the planned efforts of transit advocates to bring attention to these plans.

[Nonvoting rider MTA board representative Andrew] Albert and the New York City Transit Riders Council are scheduled to hold a news conference Monday morning along with elected officials to demand the creation of the 41st Street station.

“Thousands of people live in the area. They deserve a station,” Albert said. “Its an insult to watch the trains whiz by your neighborhood.”

Even worse Albert said, the MTA’s own bean counters estimate, that if they build the 41st Street station now it would cost $200 million, but to wait several years to build it the cost could easily top $400 million.

As details have emerged about the scaled-back plan, we can put together a clearer picture of the planned extension. The MTA will construct a new tunnel that follows 41st St. to 11th Ave. and then heads south down 11th Ave. to a turnaround point at 23rd St. and 11th Ave. Original plans called for a station at 41st and 10th and a terminal at 34th and 11th.

But now, to keep the project under budget, the city will build a shell station at 41st and 10th and only one operating station at 34th and 11th. This so-called shell station could then be converted into an operating station at “some point in the future.”

As rider advocates work to deliver a true extension that could serve Hell’s Kitchen – a vibrant residential area in need of a subway stop – Lee Sander, the proactive new CEO of the MTA, said he would take a look at building the station at 41st and 10th now rather than later.

For more on the 7 line extension, check out all of the technical documents at the MTA’s Capital Construction Web site. This track image comes from the Scoping Document.

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MTA Politics

New transit chief saying all the right things on service, security

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 17, 2007

Almost two weeks ago, we first met Elliot “Lee” Sander, the new MTA chief. Sander has stayed in the news since taking over the reins of the MTA, and this week, he is saying all the right things. Labor relations, service improvements and aesthetic changes are all high on his to-do list.

New York 1 caught up Sander to discuss his plans:

[Sander] says he’ll tackle overcrowding on certain transit lines, and he’ll make it a priority to change inaudible announcements into something more understandable on the subway PA systems.

He also says he’s put together a panel to examine labor relations and plans to bring in new management.

Already, Sander has been quick to act on one of his goals. He had lunch with Roger Toussaint at the Old Homestead this week. Toussaint, the somewhat embattled head of the transit workers union, came away pleased from this lunch, The Times reported.

“We discussed the relations between the T.W.U. and the M.T.A. and how to move the relationship to a better place. It was a very constructive conversation,” Toussaint said to reporter William Neuman.

In terms of his second goal, I would suggest that Sander find a way to free up some money for more trains. Nothing solves overcrowding that frequent service along perennial crowded lines, such as the L.

Meanwhile, a Representative Anthony Weiner issued a call for bomb-proof trash cans similar to the ones in the D.C. Metro to be installed in the subways, Sander also pledged to examine security in the subways. As the MTA examines the trash cans to make sure they work in the smaller enclosed spaces of the New York subways (as opposed to the cavernous D.C. stations), Sander noted that the MTA will work with the TWU to train subway workers as first responders in case of emergency or terrorist attack.

All in all, it’s a good start for someone who will play a big role in setting subway policy over the next few years.

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MTA Technology

Subway signs enterting the 1990s

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 16, 2007

It was a big weekend for the New York City subway as the MTA finally figured out that the 1990s started seventeen years ago. No longer will passengers be forced to stand at the platform’s edge peering into dark tunnels searching in vain for the faint glimmer of the headlines of an approaching train.

Instead, New York has finally caught up to London, Washington, D.C, and the vast majority of the world’s subway lines as they unveiled the first of what promises to be many boards notifying passengers just how far away that next train is.

As The Post noted over the weekend, these signs, pictured above, debuted on the L train a few days ago and should be “fully operational” in February. Considering that these other subway systems had long featured train notification, we should be more skeptical of the MTA and less celebratory.

But maybe the celebrations have been met with the appropriate levels of New York cynicism. As with all things MTA, the debut of these signs has been far from smooth. First, these signs were supposed to be unveiled last July, but as another who lived through the reconstruction of the 41st St. Times Square tunnel recontruction, MTA timetables are notoriously terrible.

More notable, however, was The Sun’s examination of the new signs after a few days of use.

The screens, which display departure times for two scheduled trains in each direction, regularly overestimated the time until a train’s arrival or else announced only a “Delay.” At some stations, the screens were not working at all, and displayed just one generic message: “This is a test. May not be accurate.”

The Sun also notes that these signs will only go up on the old IRT lines. So while the numbered subway lines, the city’s most popular routes, will get technology of, well, the past, the lettered subways of the city’s old BMT and IND lines still won’t run too frequently and passengers still won’t know when the next train is due in at their station.

Image courtesy of thelexiphane at Flickr.

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MetroCard

MetroCard payments getting EZ-er

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 10, 2007

While not the most exciting of news especially after Monday’s fun with condoms, now, subway riders won’t end up harming their naughty bits with the EasyPay XPress MetroCard, a balance replenishing system that works much like the EZ-Pass program.

Using super-advanced technology – no wait, basic computer technology – the MTA has finally figured out a way to tie your MetroCard into your bank account, reports The Daily News. So says the newspaper:

The EasyPay XPress MetroCard, which is good for two years, works like the popular EZPass system. When the card’s balance dips to $25, it’s replenished with a $50 infusion.

Although EasyPay XPress MetroCards were designed with express bus riders in mind, subway and local bus riders can also use them, officials said.

“Initiatives like EasyPay XPress are designed to make it as easy and convenient as possible for our customers to access MTA services,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive Director and CEO Elliot Sander said.

Except for those of us who have done the economics and prefer the unlimited options, never again will unsuspecting straphangers bang into the turnstile bar without noticing the Insufficient Fare sign light up. Instead, the MTA will just suck the money out of your bank account, $2 at a time.

Edit: One commenter asked if the pay-per-ride discount applies. It does. If you buy $20 worth of rides, you get a $24 MetroCard. Likewise, when the MTA charges your bank account $50, you get $60 on your MetroCard.

Old-school blue MetroCard picture courtesy of AMNY.com.

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MTA Absurdity

Condoms a la NYC Subways

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 8, 2007

With the Disney-fication of Times Square, the closing of the city’s numerous sex shops and the lower presence of prostitution, it was only a matter of time before safe sex became the agenda du jour of City Hall. While the rest of the country struggles with the idiocy of abstinence-only education, Mayor Bloomberg will soon unveil New York City condoms wrapped in the colors of the New York City subway lines, says The Post.

The condoms, produced by LifeStyles, will be wrapped in colored foil corresponding to one of the MTA’s distinct subway lines. “The condom packets will be modeled after the New York City subway system. Every foil will have a color,” said Carol Carozza, spokeswoman for Ansell, LifeStyle’s parent company, told The Post.

Now, while promoting safe sex is a noble venture, especially in the city that leads the nation in AIDS cases, I have to wonder just how closely tied in to the subway lines this promotion will be. And so I bring to you condom styles based on the subway lines.

The G Condom Condoms wrapped in the familiar lime green of the ever-unreliable G train are for the man in your life who takes a while. Generally, you have to wait a long time for the train to come, and when it does, it’s usually a short one.
The 6 Condom As the 6 was once again rated the best subway line in the city, by the Straphangers Campaign, the 6 condoms, wrapped in vibrant green, are for great sex. Ribbed for her pleasure, perhaps?
The 7 Condom Ah, the 7 train. In the immortal words of John Rocker, it’s home to “some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids.” But it’s also the dirtiest train in the city with just 55 percent of the cars passing the Straphangers’ cleanliness test. But 89 percent of the time, the 7 is on time. So I guess this one’s quick and dirty.
The Shuttle This one just goes back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.
The M Condom A lovely shade of brown, the M train condoms will mirror the Nassau Street Local. It doesn’t come to frequently; it’s pretty empty; and it breaks down a lot. Maybe it needs some Viagra?
The 1 Condom And last but not least, we get the 7th Ave. Local. It keeps itself clean with frequent, on-time service, but it’s tough to find a seat. It also stops everywhere. So this is the condom for the man with less-than-discriminating taste and an unsatiated appetite for sex.

Yes, the K train was a real subway line in New York. It ran on various routes in the city, most recently as the 8th Ave. Local. The last K train rode off into the sunset on December 10, 1988. Read more at Wikipedia.

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MTA Politics

Sander, new MTA CEO, to make first key appointment

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 4, 2007

Elliot “Lee” Sander is a big player in the transportation scene in New York. A professor at NYU, Sander has a wealth of academic and professional experience under his belt. Most recently, he served on the TLC’s Board of Commissioners. But now, he faces a high-profile position as Governor Eliot Spitzer has tapped him as the MTA’s newest executive director and chief executive.

As Spitzer has long pushed for an overhaul at the MTA, from Chairman Peter Kalikow on down, Sander will play an important role in shaping the future of transportation and transportation policy in New York. He’ll get to flex his muscles nearly immediately as Lawrence G. Reuter, the president of New York City Transit, announced his resignation. He’ll leave to, coincidentally, join the engineering firm that designed New York City’s IRT line 122 years ago. It now falls on Sander’s shoulders to find a suitable replacement for the man in charge of the city’s buses and subways.

Under Reuter, the city’s transportation system experienced a massive growth in ridership. As The Times reported, “Annual subway ridership reached 1.45 billion trips in 2005, the highest total since 1953 and a 31 percent increase over 1996, when Mr. Reuter took over the agency. Annual bus ridership rose by 53 percent, to 736 million trips, in the same period.”

For us subway and transportation buffs, this is a Big Deal. It’s Spitzer’s and Sander’s chance to put a real stamp on the future of the subways. Will they pick a visionary who could guide New York City Transit in its efforts to land the funds and will to build the needed subway lines? Will they find someone who can adequately address the potential of terrorism and the subways? Can they find someone who will partake in Mayor Bloomberg’s NYC2030 plan to clean up and renovate every subway station in the next 23 years? I hope so.

In other Sander news, the new MTA director announced earlier this week that he would try to ride “many” of the subway lines so that he can understand his job. Um, well, that’s a relief. I sure hope the MTA is headed up by someone who might ride the subway now and then and actually understand what he’s supposed to be doing. Now, if only they’ll start talking about that Second Ave. subway.

Image courtesy of NYC.gov.

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MTA Absurdity

Six friends break subway record

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on January 1, 2007

Friday was a record-breaking day for the New York City subway. Six friends, all grads of Regis High School, broke the record for fastest per-navigation of the New York City Subway on a single fare.

Headed by New York City transit buff Bill Amarosa, the group completed their Rapid Transit Challenge more than 90 minutes faster than the previous best. Here’s what New York 1 had to say:

“It was a unique experience it was definetely worth ten years of waiting for,” said Amarosa. “It is probably something I won’t do again in the immediate future; but it was great to spend a day on the subway with other New Yorkers, with my friends and classmates. It was just an awesome experience.”

“I was really proud because he was planning this for a long time and when he said he was actually going to do it, it was great, really great,” said Carol Amarosa, Bill’s mother. “He’s wanted to do it for 12 years.”

The group started out at 3:30 Thursday afternoon at the Rockaway Park station in Queens and they made it to the 241st Street station in the Bronx by 4 p.m. Friday.

By starting at Rockaway Park in Queens, the group of friends made sure to cover the hardest-to-reach stations first. They started on the outskirts of the New York City subway and made their way eastward (with some backtracking during the day).

The group included their 125 favorite photos from the day on their website. It will still be a while before the Guinness Book of World Records certifies this new run as the official world record.

Image from Rapid Transit Challenge.

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MTA Absurdity

Post: Bar ban presenting a potential conflict

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on December 27, 2006

After a tragic accident on an LIRR train involving a drunk passenger, the MTA board announced in December that they might consider a ban on alcohol sales on MetroNorth and Long Islrand Rail Road trains. Clearly, commuters looking to take the edge off a busy day at work were none too thrilled about this news.

But all is not what it seems, as the New York Post reported on Tuesday. According to an exclusive report, the board member behind the drive to ban alcohol sales, Mitchell Pally, works for the law firm that represents many of the bars and restaurants in Penn Station. These bars and restaurants would clearly benefit from a ban of on-board alcohol sales on commuter trains.

Long Island Rail Road bartenders, who fear their jobs are on the line, say it was only after Mitchell Pally was hired three months ago to handle “government relations” at the Weber Law Group, a Melville-based firm, that talk of the prohibition began.
“We’ve all been wondering where this whole thing came from, and when we checked the company’s Web site, we thought we may have our answer,” said one LIRR bar-cart attendant, who asked not to be identified.

Other MTA board members say this conflict of interests certainly raises some eyebrows, and they’ll be looking into it before issuing any decision on an alcohol ban.

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Buses

If I don’t get some shelter, oh yeah, I’m gonna fade away

by Benjamin Kabak
written by Benjamin Kabak on December 21, 2006

Image from Gothamist.

Gimme shelter, sang the Rolling Stones, and now New York City along with street furniture company Cemusa has obliged.

Alright, alright. Sorry for the cheesy lead. In all seriousness, yesterday, the City and Cemusa unveiled the first of what will be 3300 new bus shelters across the city. As you can see, these shelters are sleeker than the old ones and come equipped with whatever modern amenities one can cram into a bus station. As Gothamist notes, the bus shelters will feature the following:

  • Each bus shelter will include bench seating. The bench is vandal-resistant and designed to prevent reclining.
  • The bus shelters display the name of the bus stop in prominent letters that can be read by approaching passengers. An illuminated interior side panel will display customer service information such as bus route maps.
  • The design of the bus shelter ensures meaningful protection from the elements. Specifically designed to prevent any blind spots, the bus shelter provides excellent visibility for added security.
  • The components of each bus shelter are made from recyclable materials that are free from pollutants and will have minimal impact on the environment.

Sounds good. What else is in it for the City and Cemusa? Money, of course. From Mediaweek:

The shelter and all the new street furniture elements have a simple, contemporary design that blends into the streetscape of New York. In 2007, Cemusa will add more bus shelters, begin to replace City newsstands and build the public toilets.

To start the contract, Cemusa delivered the first $50 million cash payment to the City in June. Under the terms of the agreement, Cemusa will provide the City with $999 million cash and $398 million of in-kind services, including ad space on street furniture elements around the world, which will promote the City as a tourism destination.

So the City gets $999 million in cash and $398 million worth of ad space. Cemusa, on the other hand, gets to keep the rest of the ad revenue they derive from selling space on the bus shelters but must pay for the upkeep of these new shelters. I wonder if the glass is scratchiti-resistant.

After all, a vandal war is just a scratch away.

For more images, check out this (annoying) PDF file from CEMUSA. Why these can’t be JPEG files on site, I don’t know.

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