grand central madison is supposed to be fully open as of today:


Grand Central Madison finally opens for full LIRR service on Monday

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on February 26, 2023


Full Long Island Rail Road service into Grand Central Terminal is finally set to begin on Monday, significantly increasing service capacity on the railroad and bringing a new, augmented schedule for riders.

Grand Central Madison, the brand-new 714,000-square-foot terminal situated deep underneath Manhattan’s east side, will host 296 LIRR trains per day starting Feb. 27, out of a new total of 936 LIRR trains going in-and-out of Grand Central and Penn Station.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/grand-c...ervice-monday/

Looking forward to hearing how smooth the first day goes.

^ lol well heeeere we go!


Brooklyn riders not feeling the love from new LIRR schedules

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on February 27, 2023


While the Metropolitan Transportation Authority touts 30% more weekday trains at Atlantic Terminal under the new schedules, almost all Brooklyn service is now operating as a shuttle, requiring riders to transfer at Jamaica. Those from Long Island who had gotten used to a one-seat ride to Kings County say they’re not pleased.

“It’s certainly a lot different, and a little confusing,” said Ed Friedman, a resident of Merrick, Nassau County who arrived at Atlantic Terminal at 10 a.m. on Feb. 27. “Now there are no more direct trains here, so you have to change to another track all the way at the other end of the Jamaica station. So it’s very difficult, but it takes some getting used to.”


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/brookly...irr-schedules/

aaaand:


Not so Grand: NYC riders fume as MTA launches LIRR ‘Madison’ changes

By Nolan Hicks and Desheania Andrews
February 27, 2023


some riders making their first trip into the gargantuan $11 billion LIRR train hall beneath Grand Central complained that poor signage made it difficult to navigate and that it takes so long to get down to the platforms — which are 150 feet deep — that much of the time savings from getting dropped off in Midtown was eaten up.

“It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to get down here. I could’ve walked to Penn Station in the same time with how long it took me to get down here,” said commuter Prudence.

“The schedule is pretty bad too. I’m sure it will get better —- (the station) is very pretty though.”


more:
https://nypost.com/2023/02/27/brookl...tral-schedule/

Seems like her name should be Patience.


As for those other complaints... What did Lincoln say about pleasing people? Plus some people are just dumb. No amount of signage can prevent that.

Why only post the negative responses though, also from the article:


“This makes my commute about an hour less,” said 21-year-old Nick Jablonski. “Comparing the 20 minute time to get here versus the 45 minute time to Penn Station, it can actually be different if I do this a lot.”

If this is true, then it really sucks that most can't get a one-seat ride into Brooklyn anymore:

"Passengers heading to Lower Manhattan, the Financial District and Brooklyn accounted for 28 percent of the LIRR’s ridership, according to a 2016 study. That’s a larger percentage than those heading to Midtown East or the Upper East Side."

Also, another stat:

"Officials said that roughly 30 percent of the Monday morning rush hour to Manhattan opted to head to Grand Central Madison."

i didn’t post only the negative remarks, look again. ;) :D

funding the beast —



Transit
Feds not coming to MTA’s rescue under GOP House, Schumer says

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on February 27, 2023


Amid all the talk over the dire financial situation befalling the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and what to do about it, there’s been one glaringly missing component: the federal government.

In her executive budget this month, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed a slight increase in the payroll mobility tax, an enlarged annual city subsidy, and future casino revenues to shore up the MTA’s shaky finances. The transit agency for months had said it would hurtle over a “fiscal cliff” without new dedicated funds from government partners, with lagging post-pandemic ridership decimating farebox revenue and emergency federal COVID aid drying up, leaving a gaping hole in the MTA budget.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/feds-no...mer-gop-house/

here is something about the new jfk terminal one work now underway w/nice renders --



Ferrovial Airports is appointed to design, build, and operate the new Terminal One at JFK International Airport in New York, USA. The project includes replacing Terminals 1 and 2 and former Terminal 3 of the airport. The lease will run through 2060.

The Terminal will offer an enhanced user experience of over 2.5 million square feet upon completion, being the largest terminal at New York’s JFK Airport. T1 will offer the highest levels of passenger experience at JFK through a completely new state-of-the-art terminal building, creating a compelling proposition for airlines and users. The Terminal will be built in phases, with plans for full completion in approximately 2030. It will feature natural-lit public spaces with cutting-edge technology to enhance the customer experience. The terminal will offer passengers more than 300,000 square feet of recreational, dining, retail, and lounge space.

With this project and further operations, Ferrovial and The New Terminal One equity partners will strive to comply with all NTO’s project commitments and achieve its community goals. These include delivering the agreed project concept and design, creating more than 10,000 jobs (including 6,000 construction jobs), and the goal of 30% participation of Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs), with a strong focus on developing local businesses.


more:
https://www.ferrovial.com/en-us/busi...ional-airport/

Many NYC students being coddled by Uber rather than riding the subway to school: https://www.curbed.com/2023/02/upper...=pocket-newtab

Opening days of full GCM schedules getting a 30/70 ridership split with Penn. Apparently overcrowded Penn trains due to GCM service and a whole lot of angry Brooklyn riders.

Schedules and equipment availability/balancing will dictate customer satisfaction but unfortunately these are not exactly LIRR's strong suits. I think untimed transfers at Jamaica only really work (without thousands of pissed riders) if the Atlantic shuttle is significantly more frequent that it is now.

Shouldn't people in Brooklyn be using the subway instead of LIRR anyway?

the terraces, the lookout, the stoop … bqe rebuild deets presented:



As DOT Presents Refined Concepts for BQE, Locals Question Cost, Climate Impact, Two-Lane Study

Mar 1, 2023 • 11:05am
by Anna Bradley-Smith


More than 100 people filled a gymnasium in Brooklyn Friends School in Downtown Brooklyn Tuesday night to review the Department of Transportation’s refined concepts for the future of the city-owned section of the beleaguered Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, which includes the crumbling triple cantilever.


more:
https://www.brownstoner.com/brooklyn...eview-dot-bha/

https://www.brownstoner.com/wp-conte...t-1536x992.png

uber? thats for casuals.

you want coddling you should see the lineup outside the avenues school in chelsea. i think it got press for a bit when katie holmes sent her kid suri there after she divorced tom cruise.

anyway, tricked out suv limos, rapper maybachs and armys of drivers, security, butlers and nannys before and after school. its quite a sight.

edit — i see current tuition is $65,850 a year for ps-12 (nyu is $26,885).

i mean over $65k for a pre schooler? what the heckkers is wrong with this world? :shrug:

Uh lots of people are Brooklyn bound from father out in the LIRR system or reverse commute to work. If the attitude is "take the subway" then why not abandon Atlantic entirely and just tell riders to go enjoy the three times longer leg to/from Jamaica with an extra transfer at Broadway Junction.

bqe alt route considerations during reconstruction -- :shrug:



BQE’s crumbling cantilever: City again considering ‘temporary highway’ to redirect traffic during reconstruction

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on March 1, 2023


In a fit of deja vu, the city is once again considering building a “temporary highway” through Brooklyn Heights to redirect traffic snagged by the eventual reconstruction of the crumbling Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE).

Planning and community engagement remain underway with nothing finalized, but the Department of Transportation told reporters on Tuesday that when reconstruction finally begins on the BQE’s teetering city-owned triple cantilever, two options are on the table for redirecting the considerable car and truck traffic that use the freeway, neither of which are particularly palatable.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/bqe-can...ion-idea-2023/

https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uplo...-2048x1365.jpg
Cars and trucks travel down the BQE in Brooklyn Heights.
File Photo by Kevin Duggan

interesting --- sure, why not?



Port Authority to host second autonomous vehicle demonstration at JFK Airport as it looks to the future of public transit

By Bill Parry
Posted on March 2, 2023

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will take a second look into the future of ground transportation at JFK Airport in June.

The bi-state agency and Ohmio, a leading New Zealand-based autonomous mobility company, announced on Feb. 28 that they will host the country’s first three-vehicle platooning demonstration at a U.S. airport. The Port Authority also hosted a demonstration of two eight-passenger electric autonomous shuttles in a platoon at JFK in October to simulate how such technology could serve passengers in the future.

The Ohmio demonstration will focus on using eight-passenger driverless shuttles in a three-vehicle platoon on a closed road segment at the JFK Long Term Parking Lot. They will travel very closely together without any physical connection.


more:
https://qns.com/2023/03/port-authori...ublic-transit/

https://qns.com/wp-content/uploads/2...unnamed-46.jpg
The Port Authority will test these new autonomous vehicles from New Zealand at JFK Airport in June to see how the new technology can be used in the future. (Courtesy of Ohmio)

How long has hit been since NYU base tuition was only $27k? I'm not even sure that was the case for my brother when he went to Stern undergrad, and that was around 20+ years ago.