New York City - Transit News

[jmecklenborg]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

yes and the enormous upfront cost is very, very enormous.

not to mention the time involved and the tradeoff of what we would not be getting built because of this tunnel project.

I dove a little deeper into the subject and I'm unenthusiastic about the passenger rail/transit possibilities. The single-track freight tunnel might have merit, but transit service of some sort between Brooklyn and Newark Airport would involve a lot of complicated bridging/tunneling between the Newark Airport terminal and Bayonne. Establishing transit along the current freight corridor puts a station in a weird spot in Bayonne, far from the existing light rail stations.

[mrnyc]

***

mta fare capping pilot starts feb 28:


https://www.silive.com/news/2022/02/...in-feb-28.html

[mrnyc]

report says gateway needs better management from amtrak:

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger...am-management/

[mrnyc]

ferry landing troubles --



Transit

NYC Ferry ramps jam ‘every day’ leading to repeat service suspensions: source

By Kevin Duggan
Posted on February 9, 2022


NYC Ferry’s pier walkways are on the fritz daily and often more than that, leading to routine service suspensions, a source with internal knowledge of the heavily-subsidized maritime transit system told amNewYork Metro.

“Every day, sometimes it’s multiple times a day,” said the source of the pathway malfunctions.

Each ferry pier has two electrically-retractable ramps allowing vessels to dock even when one isn’t working. Crews can often fix them within a couple of hours, but other times they can be out for longer.

“[There are] landings where there’s a ramp out for multiple weeks or multiple months in certain cases,” the source said. “Then you’re only one ramp away from not being able to use the landing.”


more:
https://www.amny.com/news/nyc-ferry-...ry-day-source/

[mrnyc]

lga is no longer a hellscape -- terminal b review!


https://www.curbed.com/2022/02/la-gu...-b-review.html

[Busy Bee]

I know the Penn tunnel, the bankrupting of passenger railroads and the general passage of time made them unnecessary, redundant, unprofitable or all of the above, but what a time to be alive it would have been to see all those railroad ferries crossing the Hudson all at once 100 years ago.

[mrnyc]

a renewed call for full length G trains:



Transit

‘Stubby little cars’: Brooklyn lawmaker renews call for full-length G trains

By Kevin Duggan
Posted on February 15, 2022


The MTA should make G trains longer to carry more riders, said a local politician Tuesday, renewing calls to run full-size trains along the Brooklyn-to-Queens people mover.

The crosstown line runs from central Brooklyn up through Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and into Long Island City, Queens, but only has four train cars instead of the usual eight, which forces riders waiting at the wrong end to run halfway down the platform to board.

Transit officials in the past promised to double its length and increasing service temporarily during the L train shutdown, noted state Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (D–Brooklyn) during a Feb. 15 Albany budget hearing on transportation, asking leaders with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to revisit the idea.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/longer-...agher-subways/

[mrnyc]

new s.i. ferry ollis launches -- we got to ride it last night, randomly of course -- it has new car smell and spotless clean floors lol:



maiden voyage:
https://www.silive.com/news/2022/02/...irst-time.html


michael h ollis is afghan war hero who sacrificed himself to save others:
https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/90902

[Busy Bee]

Good looking boat but they should have dropped the middle initial cause it looks like it says Hollis not Ollis.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Good looking boat but they should have dropped the middle initial cause it looks like it says Hollis not Ollis.

well for consistency they couldn't do that because all the other ferries have the middle initial too, ie., barberi, newhouse, noble, molinari & marchi, except of course for the alice austin and the spirit of america ferries.

btw -- along with the ollis, the other two new ferries are the sandy ground and the dorothy day.

the sandy ground has arrived, but i am not sure if its in service as yet.

the dorothy day is finishing up construction and will arrive later this year.

they are built by eastern shipbuilding company in port st. joe, florida.

[mrnyc]

ridership is steadily rebounding:


NYC Transit rebound continues as 3 million commuters rode subways three straight days last week

By Kevin Duggan
Posted on February 13, 2022


More than 3 million people rode the New York City subway each day for three consecutive days last week, the first time the MTA recorded such high numbers since the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in December.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week all logged north of 3 million straphangers, a milestone not seen since Dec. 17, and rides were back to 55% of pre-pandemic levels as of Feb. 10, according to the latest MTA counts.

“Strong public transit ridership is yet another sign that New York’s comeback is only growing stronger,” said Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement Saturday. “Strong and dynamic transportation infrastructure is key to our recovery, and we are working hard to maintain our progress in returning to pre-pandemic levels.”


more:
https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-tra...subway-record/

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by jmecklenborg

I dove a little deeper into the subject and I'm unenthusiastic about the passenger rail/transit possibilities. The single-track freight tunnel might have merit, but transit service of some sort between Brooklyn and Newark Airport would involve a lot of complicated bridging/tunneling between the Newark Airport terminal and Bayonne. Establishing transit along the current freight corridor puts a station in a weird spot in Bayonne, far from the existing light rail stations.

it's been suggested the IBX would go to staten not jersey.

but of course the dream in staten is a new north shore train going to west bayonne to meet the nj hudson-bergen light rail there.

how can you do all of this though? IBX, single or dual harbor crossing tunnels, north shore/nj?, the bronx?? the time and costs are insane.

meanwhile, second avenue, 125 st extension?, mnrr expansion in the bronx, utica extension?, etc., await.

maybe planning for a few lifetimes ahead is fine, but it's fantasy for the foreseeable future.

meanwhile, brooklyn-queens IBX is quite something doable in anyone's lifetime.

[mrnyc]

more IBX blog chat here:



Interborough Express

The Interborough Express is Kathy Hochul’s crowning project, if she wants it badly enough

written by Benjamin Kabak
February 9, 2022

When Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her support last month for a truncated version of the RPA’s 25-year-old Triboro RX proposal, I was surprised.

If it survives a gubernatorial election this year, your garden-variety NIMBY opposition and a lengthy review and planning process, the renamed Interborough Express — a 14-mile circumferential route that will connect Bay Ridge to Jackson Heights using an existing freight rail corridor — will become a welcome addition to the city’s transit-scape.

But the break-neck pace that started with an out-of-the-blue announcement during her January 5 state-of-the-state speech and continued two weeks later with the release of the MTA’s feasibility study and the start of the environmental review process threw me for a loop.

Why? Because I had simply forgotten the MTA had previously announced plans to study the route. I forgot that they had already cut out the Bronx portion. I forgot it had attracted some support from a handful of New York Assembly representatives. The feasibility study was so out of mind, I didn’t even include it in my transportation to-do list for the new governor last summer.


more:
https://secondavenuesagas.com/2022/0...-badly-enough/

[manchester united]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/n...SCxHVjQc6hU6tM

[k1052]

Originally Posted by manchester united

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/n...SCxHVjQc6hU6tM

I was just in NYC and lol at this. The subway stations are full of cops mostly hanging out around fare control all reading their phones doing exactly jack. It seems more like they'll maybe end what is effectively a work stoppage rather than change a policy that never really existed in the first place.

Unrelatedly I am still very annoyed that PA just didn't adopt OMNY. As usual I got stuck paying for AirTrain fare behind dozens of confused people (understandable) and arrived at the LIRR platform just in time to see my less than very frequent Atlantic Terminal train pull out.

[chris08876]

[Randomguy34]

How the hell did phase 2 of the 2nd Ave Subway blow up to $17 billion??

[chris08876]

I assume they are factoring in the forecasted cost. Assuming materials, labor, and all that other rubbish once its actually complete.

Eight years can add a lot. It's NY!

[ardecila]

What is the Hudson River Tunnel project and how is it different from Gateway?

I think this is a very sloppy list. NYC's costs are astronomical but the 2nd Ave Subway Phase 2 is currently pegged at $6.3bn, not $17bn. Signal modernization on the Staten Island Rwy might be between $1bn-2bn, but not $7bn. Etc etc.

[Busy Bee]

I don't know where that graphic came from but it's eff'd. I mean it says 7.1 billion real American dollars for a Staten Island Rwy signal modernization. The 7 train was like 600 million. I mean come on.