And in other NYC-area transit news, congestion pricing received the final go-ahead today. No more hurdles, just implementation next year.

Jeez, it took forever, but I'm happy it's finally happening.

Should be interesting. This is for sure.

I can appreciate that the homeless problem in New York may be more prevalent, but outright hostile architecture impairs the experience for those with disabilities, the pregnant, the elderly or just people not wanting to stand around, whether they’re travelling passengers, people waiting for passengers, people using the station as a meeting point, or passing through. Mitigation through higher frequencies to be in-line with service standards found in Europe or Asia would help, but Washington Union station didn’t have this seating issue.

I wish I’d taken some decent pictures of the station to demonstrate the point further as I was just there a few weeks ago, but my personal experience ties with similar recent experiences over the past six months. This isn’t a malicious dig, its questioning dubious design decisions based on intercity rail travel across Europe, Asia and now the US.

Anyway, message me directly if you want further thoughts.

I didn't know about this until today but the MTA lost a key figure last week. Michael Horodniceanu was president and chief engineer of MTA Capital Construction (now called MTA Construction & Development) until a few years ago and directly oversaw projects like SAS Phase 1, 7 train to HY and East Side Access. He would often be interviewed in news clips and short feature documenteries regarding MTA projects. He was known for having a gregarious and affable personality and boyish enthusiasm for all things urban, transportation and civil engineering and it's said that he was well loved by those that worked with and knew him. He passed away from cancer June 22. Obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obit...ceanu-11343766


https://global-uploads.webflow.com/6...rodniceanu.png
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none of this is true. at all. there is a a large food hall, shopping and a comfortable, large, modern waiting area for ticketed passengers, pregnant or otherwise, and you completely missed it. now you are doubling down and obfuscating by posting a pic of moynihan hall before any of the waiting, dining or retail was open. i would say misrepresenting so hard is very malicious and you should just stop while you are behind. btw, you might have noticed, or err, maybe not, but all of manhattan is hostile to seating. you would have better luck arguing that. :shrug:

more on congestion pricing —




Congestion pricing coming to NYC after Federal Highway Administration signs off

BY ELIJAH WESTBROOK 

JUNE 27, 2023


NEW YORK - Congestion pricing is set to become a reality for drivers coming into Manhattan's Central Business District.

The Federal Highway Administration has cleared the way for the city to implement the controversial plan.

This federal approval was the final hurdle in allowing the MTA to move ahead with rolling out congestion pricing. This means drivers will be charged a fee when they go below 60th Street or enter what's called the Central Business District.

The MTA hasn't set a fee scale yet, but a report it released last summer shows one proposal under review would charge $23 during rush hours and $17 for off-peak hours.


more:
https://apple.news/A6xSykLW7Tr-7SnVTMKgrIA

True, and there are actually now two waiting areas at Moynihan.

There's the general waiting area, for all ticketed passengers, and the Metropolitan Lounge, which is for Acela first/business class passengers.

thats right, the amtrak acela lounge is open as well now — i havent used that yet, but i’m sure its nice.

its seems the timeline for implementing congestion pricing is soon --



Congestion pricing likely to go into effect by middle of 2024

more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/congest...iddle-of-2024/

MTA claims they're hoping to start congestion pricing by April 2024. The sooner the better, as it should deliver $1 billion+ for transit annually, plus improve air quality and boost transit ridership.

yeeow — the humungous mta fleet of new kawasaki r211s is tested out and streadily going into full service now — :tup:



MTA rolls out more modern trains on NYC subway

By Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 29, 2023 


More modern trains are hitting the city’s subway tracks, MTA officials announced Thursday.

Since March, just one train made up of the agency’s newest subway cars — called R211s — has operated on the A line. The MTA said a second new train has hit the tracks, making it easier for straphangers to take a ride in one of the modern cars.

And starting in August, the MTA said it will deploy at least two new modern trains into service each month.


more:
https://gothamist.com/news/mta-rolls...-on-nyc-subway

so moynihan this fri am --

for the record, nobody sitting around ...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...JnMO4KAc=w1200



... oh wait, i did see plenty of people sitting around waiting ... in there. :rolleyes:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw...RejwhZqY=w1200

i see richard ravitch passed away too --


Former Lieutenant Governor and MTA chair Richard Ravitch dies at 89


under Governor Carey, Ravitch was appointed as the chairman of the MTA in 1979. During his tenure, Ravitch lobbied for long-term financing in order to completely rebuild the transit system, coming up with an $8.5 million plan to achieve it. He insisted upon not taking a salary for his work.

Ravitch was chairman from 1979 to 1983, with the 11-day 1980 New York City transit strike landing in the middle of his run. He retired in 1983

https://www.amny.com/people/richard-ravitch-dies-at-89/

Those kiosks in front of the Ticketed Waiting Room should go and be replaced by an expanded Ticketed Waiting Room.

^ they probably will be at some point.


***


we'll see about this ... !



Op-Ed

Op-ed | Busy summer for NYC Transit as they make subways ‘faster, cleaner, safer’

By Richard Davey
Posted on July 2, 2023


School’s out for summer but New York City Transit won’t be taking a break. We’re actually ramping up improvements so riders can get to the beach, ballpark, or wherever they want to go “Faster, Cleaner and Safer” all season long.

The first round of service increases we announced back in May are now in effect on the G, J and M lines. With this additional weekend service – which was made possible by additional funding provided in the State budget — trains in Brooklyn and Queens will now be arriving every eight to nine minutes apart instead of every 10 to 11.

The goal was to increase service at off-peak times of day and on weekends, when ridership on some lines has recovered faster than during the traditional commuting hours, to give riders the best travel experience possible. We’re going to monitor trends closely to gauge the impact before we roll out the next three phases of enhancements before next summer.

Look out for round two in August, when we increase weekday midday service on the C, N, and R lines, and add more weekend trains to 1 and 6 service.


more:
https://www.amny.com/news/op-ed-busy...-transit-2023/

I was going to ignore your last post, but because you have an intrinsic requirement to be publicly embarrassed, let me oblige you by highlighting the people sitting on the ground in your photo.

https://i.ibb.co/0jc6nGg/IMG-3808.jpg
Image taken by mr “lol” nyc on skyscraperpage.com: https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...postcount=3832


But why stop there when a cursory Twitter search for pictures of the train hall over the past two months, also demonstrates my point as shown here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Don’t get me wrong, the train hall looks nice, but it is irrefutably a case of form over function with glaring flaws. Washington Union station didn’t have a ticketed waiting room, and I’ve never experienced a ticketed waiting room (also bad design that I didn’t even notice them) that is outside the gate line anywhere on my international train travels, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that countless people and I have and will end up standing or sitting/lying on the ground. That still doesn’t get around the issue that if you’re meeting someone or passing through, tough luck I guess.

With regards to your previous comment around seats on the streets of Manhattan, I saw publicly accessible (non-commercial) seats in the partly pedestrianised part of Broadway in Midtown, but if you’re saying that there is a deliberate lack of on-street seating, then yes that would be classed as hostile architecture and would be idiotic beyond belief.

I think you aren't seeing things correctly.

^ i’ll say — i see someone on an escalator and luggage.

freaking hilarious.

i am surprized our nearsighted nigel nito didn’t see a ufo or a bigfoot.

and yet he missed the seating area again.

you know, the place where if he used his conspiracy powers there he might have noticed all the people are actually, really, truly seated and waiting if they want to be.

well, let’s hope —



MTA’s congestion pricing plan means big upgrades for NYC transit

By Stephen Nessen
Published Jul 5, 2023


…
The money makes it possible for the MTA to pay for its planned $7.7 billion extension of the Second Avenue subway with three new stops in East Harlem. It enables the MTA to complete its Penn Access project, which aims to bring Metro-North trains into Penn Station and add four new stations in the Bronx. And it helps pay for work to make 70 subway stations and 12 Long Island Rail Road stations accessible with ramps and elevators.


more:
https://gothamist.com/news/mtas-cong...or-nyc-transit

the first second ave phase two renders — 



SEE IT: First-Ever Rendering Of 2nd Ave East Harlem Subway Extension

Phase two of the 2nd Avenue subway extension will move forward to find its first construction contract, Gov. Hochul announced Wednesday.

Gus Saltonstall, Patch Staff
Posted Wed, Jul 5, 2023


EAST HARLEM, NY — The second phase of the long-stalled Second Avenue Subway extension into East Harlem is taking its next step, and the first renderings of the exterior and interior of the newly planned 125th Street Station were revealed, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday morning.


more:
https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/se...C%2BNY%2BPatch

https://patch.com/img/cdn20/users/23...png?width=1200