astoria prefers an airtrain link to jamaica for lga —



Op-Ed: LaGuardia AirTrain derailed

By Richard Khuzami
Posted on March 17, 2023


The Port Authority of NY/NJ has completed its study on public transit to the new LaGuardia Airport. It has declined to endorse any sort of rail, ferry, or subway service to the airport, instead opting to support a shuttle bus from the end of the N/W line at the Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard station and a revamping of the Q70 service from Jackson Heights, including creating a bus only lane on the northbound BQE.


more:
https://qns.com/2023/03/op-ed-laguar...rain-derailed/

Lol what a surprise they are against any use of the N, shuttle from Ditmars, and bus lanes.

Any sane city would have extended the N decades ago.

you mean moved lga to stewart. :shrug:

but anyway, if you had actually read it or more carefully you would have seen they are in support of a bus shuttle from astoria station and also of a rail connection if the ibx plan were to be extended there.

also, that they spelled van wyck wrong. ;)

what a waste of moo laaah. hopefully its only a demo.



NYC set to install protective platform doors at select subway stations in ‘coming months’

By Giulia Heyward
Published Jun 4, 2023

...

The protective platform doors are set to be installed at the Times Square 7 train, the Third Avenue L train and the Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue E train stop. The Platform Screen Door Pilot Installation program is estimated to cost more than $100 million, according to one report.

The MTA declined to share a specific date for when the construction would begin. The program is coming despite previous concerns over whether this technology could actually be installed at certain older subway stations, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said at a meeting in May.


more:
https://qns.com/2023/03/op-ed-laguar...rain-derailed/

Please tell me you're joking^

"do not oppose at this time" does not equal support.

I do love their contention that an N extension would only maybe be useful for people in Astoria and the UES so it should not be done totally ignoring that the line runs right through the middle of Manhattan from 59th St to the Battery.

meh, what does it even matter? if there is an ibx someday, and thats a big if, they aren’t getting it. :shrug:

now this here is hardcore — good luck to them & the cause —



Advocates set to go on hunger strike in Albany as State Assembly mulls over Sammy’s Law allowing NYC to lower speed limits

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on June 5, 2023


A proposed law allowing New York City to set speed limits on its own streets, named for a child who was tragically killed by a speeding driver, is once again hitting roadblocks in the State Legislature, and advocates plan to go on a hunger strike this week to showcase the bill’s urgency.

Sammy’s Law, which advocates have been trying to pass through Albany for years, would allow the Big Apple to reduce speed limits on its own streets from 25 to 20 miles per hour; the city’s speed limits are presently controlled by the state.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/advocat...-speed-limits/

no give —



MSG, transit agencies at crossroads over future of Penn Station

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on June 7, 2023


The gulf between the railroads using Penn Station and the arena sitting on top of it, Madison Square Garden, was on full display Wednesday at a marathon public hearing of the City Planning Commission, where the transit agencies what they deem the Garden’s lack of compatibility with the train station as city officials weigh a permit renewal that could ultimately force it to relocate.


more:
https://www.amny.com/new-york/manhat...-penn-station/

20mph in urban environments is an absolute no-brainer. In London where most of the city has now rolled out 20mph limits, in the past year there has been a 25% drop in people killed or seriously injured and a 64% drop in pedestrian collisions. There was also a three-fold increase in enforcement of traffic offences to ensure

I was recently at New York Penn (used LIRR and Amtrak services) and it has to be one of the worst major train stations in the developed world; a cluttered and dirty environment, with poor wayfinding and that’s before you get to the platforms which are dark, far too narrow, and in need of a proper deep clean. The new Moynihan train hall looks pretty but appears to be more focused on food and retail outlet provision rather than providing a pleasant environment for people using trains... in a train station. Like who thought it was a smart idea to have no seating so people just sit on the ground all over the place, or have just one escalator down to the platform, or dedicate the biggest screens for advertising rather than departure boards?

From everything I’ve read about Penn, there needs to be fewer but wider platforms with more through running. Adding lipstick to the pig, still makes it a pig.

^ i dk how you missed the ticketed waiting area in moynihan. its very pleasant.

i never heard of this, but if it works ok —



Why Blue Lights Are Appearing at Some Subway Stations

The MTA is testing a technology, already in place in other transit systems, that’s been shown to deter suicide attempts.

BY JOSE MARTINEZ JUN 7, 2023


more:
https://www.thecity.nyc/2023/6/7/237...ubway-stations

I’m both amazed and puzzled that somehow I missed that; I just joined everyone else just standing around, with other people sitting or lying on the ground. I can’t even caveat to say that it was rush-hour (my journey was mid-morning) or that there were delays. My impression was that Moynihan was a pleasant retail experience, but a substandard travelling experience which is an absurd way to view transit infrastructure. Washington Union is a right old mess, but that’s for another thread.

in other words the moynihan travelling experience wasn't substandard, your flawed review was. the waiting area is right there in plain sight. :rolleyes::shrug:

summer streets doubled this summer -- :tup:



NYC ‘Summer Streets’ initiative will expand to all five boroughs this summer

By Michael Dorgan
Posted on June 12, 2023


New York City is making around 20 miles of its streets car-free on various Saturdays this summer as part of its “Summer Streets” initiative expansion, Mayor Eric Adams announced in Queens on Monday.


more:
https://www.amny.com/news/summer-str...pand-nyc-2023/

https://www.amny.com/wp-content/uplo...er-streets.png

https://i.ibb.co/zhz2hDK/9db5c231202...ntal-w700.webp
Image sourced from Curbed: https://www.curbed.com/2021/07/viral...n-benches.html

They probably avoid putting benches there because of the homeless.

exactly.

so that pic is from back in 2021 when it first opened lol. the shops and waiting area opened later on in stages. :rolleyes:

moving forward on the penn redo — while waiting on gateway and the penn south expansion.



Penn Station's $7B overhaul to be paid for by federal and state subsidies, Hochul says

By Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 26, 2023


It’s back to the drawing board for the plan to renovate Penn Station, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

After five years of relying on former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to use fees from 10 new skyscrapers to help pay for an overhaul of the train hub and its surrounding area, Hochul now says the estimated $7 billion of work will be paid for by state and federal subsidies.

The announcement comes after the developer Vornado backed away from plans to build new skyscrapers near the station last year due to low demand for office space.

Hochul said the MTA will run the redesign of the station, which is owned by Amtrak. Preliminary renderings of the plan released Monday are similar to previous ones released by the MTA, with a new skylight and a single concourse with high ceilings.


more:
https://gothamist.com/news/penn-stat...es-hochul-says

https://nypost.com/wp-content/upload...0008898881.jpg
A rendering of Italian firm ASTM’s proposal for Penn Station.

Right, the Moynihan waiting area has nothing to do with the concourse. Actually, that's true of all the main NYC-area terminals. Grand Central, Grand Central Madison, Penn, Moynihan, Atlantic Terminal and Hoboken Terminal all have separate waiting areas for ticketed passengers, separate from the main concourse.

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
___

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

BOOM!

Hudson Tunnel Project to Get $6.9 Billion in Largest U.S. Transit Grant


By Patrick McGeehan
6 July 2023
New York Times

"The federal funding would allow work on the long-delayed Gateway tunnel to start by next year, said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York.

The federal government is on track to give $6.88 billion, the most ever awarded to a mass-transit project, for the construction of a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River to New York City, Senator Chuck Schumer said Wednesday.

Mr. Schumer, the Democratic majority leader from Brooklyn, said he intended to announce the grant in the city on Thursday. A White House aide confirmed that the Department of Transportation planned to notify the tunnel project’s sponsor, the Gateway Development Commission, of the decision this week..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/06/n...l-gateway.html

^ yup, happy friday!

boom goes the dynamite, show me the money, there it is.


Biden admin awards nearly $7B to Gateway Tunnel project, largest federal transit grant in US history

By Ben Brachfeld
Posted on July 6, 2023


The Biden administration has awarded an eye-popping $6.88 billion to build new train tunnels under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, with plans to start constructing the new tubes next summer and finally get the ball rolling on the long-gestating Gateway project.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/gateway...deral-funding/

They have to include double tracking the Empire Tunnel in this mega project.

They would if they were wise. The jury is out on that determination.

This is actually going to kill NYC! As a former NYer, if this becomes a reality, then I can see other cities slowly replacing NYC such as Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, and Miami.

There's no other city in America that has such a thing such as congestion pricing. I believe London has such a thing, but this being America, a lot of companies as well as a lot of shipping and trucking companies will have it harder and I can also see a lot of companies leaving NYC due to this short sighted plan!

Are you being sarcastic ?

I was just wondering the same thing. I assume it must be satire. :shrug:

So true. If there's one thing NYC is known for, its shipping and trucking companies. Even worse, theyre all located on Manhattan below 60th street!! The city's most iconic warehouses and logistics facilities will have to move to Queens and New Jersey. This will be the END of New York.

As for the trucks coming into the city, they might even have to come into the city at non-peak traffic hours, like at night or early morning!! The poor drivers will be sooo sleepy. total nightmare

Obviously there will be shipments and deliveries to and from central Manhattan, but if anything the companies doing the shipments will be among the most benefited by the congestion toll. That's mainly because they'll be able to perform their activities more quickly and predictably without being stuck in traffic.

Remember, congestion has a cost either way. Either in lost time and productivity though congestion, or through a fee that prevents congestion. The difference being that with congestion pricing, the price people pay isn't just wasted the way it is with lost time and productivity. The money from a congestion charge can be used to improve the city such as by expanding transit. But the toll that congestion takes is just wasted, evaporated into thin air. Cities lose billions every year due to congestion, so not having a fee is also expensive. This 2020 article pegs the cost of congestion in NYC as $11 billion per year. So yes, business will be glad to have a toll that improves their economic productivity rather than one that reduces it.

what to do with fordham road bus transit —



Advocates for Fordham Road bus lane changes continue to push city, second protest planned for Tuesday

By Aliya Schneider
Posted on July 10, 2023


Advocates for better bus service on Fordham Road are not giving up.

In late May, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) announced intentions to move forward with offset bus lanes on Fordham Road instead of a busway — a more extreme measure for prioritizing bus service — just days after business leaders against both ideas wrote a letter to Mayor Eric Adams.


more:
https://www.bxtimes.com/advocates-fo...d-bus-changes/