New York City - Transit News

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Crawford

The subway stops at 8th; obviously if you live near the Hudson you'll hop on the bus if you're traveling locally.

you said the subway does not serve 14st residents. in fact it did and equally to the buses. that's how bad the buses were.

now of course the busway bus is clearly much faster for 14st and les travel.

Originally Posted by Crawford

I was talking about the LES, not Harlem. The SAS will eventually serve the LES.

yes and that wasn't a response to you. i was talking about harlem because the others asked about it.

any future crosstown 125st subway service and service north of 125st for sas take a backseat to bringing the train downtown in the next phases. and rightly so. in the meantime, a 125st busway could be very helpful to get more cars off the streets and speed things up for people to make all of the subway and mnrr connections along it.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

What I find hard to imagine is how cities among the world's largest and densest allow key thoroughfares to become clogged with inefficient private automobiles. It reminds me of those paintings from medieval times showing bridges lined with buildings. Almost like they were thinking, "What? How could we possibly treat this key piece of transportation infrastructure any differently than a normal street? Normal streets are lined with buildings, so this one should be too!"

^ yep totally agree --- and the busway is getting conversations going about that very topic.

i see they are putting in bike paths and temporary boarding pads along the route, with a goal to make the boarding platforms permanent. maybe when they do they could even * gasp* widen the sidewalks? imagine that?

we will see where this leads!

[aquablue]

Rockaway Branch to JFK or bust. Stick a park alongside it, put some sound barriers up so people will shut up, everybody wins. Get it done. JFK express needs to happen or else you will endure decades more of being laughed at by befuddled Euros and Asians when they arrive!

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by k1052

I was back in NY last week for a bit and walked 14th from Union Square to 9th Ave. The change is incredible. Trucks making deliveries easily, no traffic blocking pedestrian crossings, busses moved quickly. It was almost like a dream.

That the city doesn't immediately implement this on at least 34th and 42nd seems like a crime.

On a different subject why are sidewalk sheds slowly taking over the entirety of midtown even on buildings that clearly have no work being done or staged? I assume there is some very NY explanation for this. They are a real menace to pedestrian flow.

right on time -- the sheds make the post cover:


OPINION
Devine: How the scourge of scaffolding is ruining New York City
By Miranda DevineDecember 1, 2019 | 10:36pm | Updated


***

The problem began in 1980, as a well-meaning response to a tragedy on the Upper West Side. Grace Gold, 17, a Barnard College student, was killed by a falling piece of masonry that came loose from a building at Broadway and West 115th Street.

The goal of Local Law 11, enacted the following year, was to prevent another such incident, but as usual, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

***

The worst offenders are rental buildings where landlords leave scaffolding in place indefinitely because the $1,200 a month it costs to rent the structure is cheaper than doing a $200,000 repair on the building.


more:
https://nypost.com/2019/12/01/devine...new-york-city/

[Busy Bee]

The worst offenders are rental buildings where landlords leave scaffolding in place indefinitely because the $1,200 a month it costs to rent the structure is cheaper than doing a $200,000 repair on the building.

Nail meet head


As a sort of related note, I want the City of New York to develop a program through the DOB to help building owners citywide obtain extreme low interest loans and maybe even split direct grant assistance to not only repair deteriorating brick and façade work but to also preserve existing and RESTORE missing cornices on all types of buildings citywide. The technology now exists to create historical cornices out of inexpensive impervious lightweight foam and this would go so far in improving the architecture of so many mutilated buildings.

[k1052]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

right on time -- the sheds make the post cover:


OPINION
Devine: How the scourge of scaffolding is ruining New York City
By Miranda DevineDecember 1, 2019 | 10:36pm | Updated


***

The problem began in 1980, as a well-meaning response to a tragedy on the Upper West Side. Grace Gold, 17, a Barnard College student, was killed by a falling piece of masonry that came loose from a building at Broadway and West 115th Street.

The goal of Local Law 11, enacted the following year, was to prevent another such incident, but as usual, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

***

The worst offenders are rental buildings where landlords leave scaffolding in place indefinitely because the $1,200 a month it costs to rent the structure is cheaper than doing a $200,000 repair on the building.


more:
https://nypost.com/2019/12/01/devine...new-york-city/

Figured it was cheaper to put up sheds than to actually do any work. Also those sheds aren't even good protection really if left up for years. Big chunks of brick or stone can certainly go through.

[Busy Bee]

Yet another shed story, this time Curbed.

[mrnyc]

mta ceo pat foye's end of the year review:


Op-ed: MTA on a roll as 2019 winds down


The holiday season is a time for reflection and thanks, and I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight what the MTA’s 74,000 employees have delivered this year for millions of New Yorkers.

Topping the list, we’re seeing a sustained upswing in subway on-time performance. November was the sixth straight month that it surpassed 80%, reaching 81.7%. That’s nearly a 17% increase from the year before. And the results are paying dividends as more and more riders are coming back to the system. Average weekday subway ridership climbed to 5.77 million people in September, up from 5.43 million in 2018. These gains are critical as we work to rebuild public trust.


more:
https://www.amny.com/opinion/op-ed-m...19-winds-down/

[k1052]

Did the improvement in OTP come from reducing schedules to meet the reality of the service being provided or actual improvements?

My suspicion is both, to different degrees.

[Gantz]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Nail meet head


As a sort of related note, I want the City of New York to develop a program through the DOB to help building owners citywide obtain extreme low interest loans and maybe even split direct grant assistance to not only repair deteriorating brick and façade work but to also preserve existing and RESTORE missing cornices on all types of buildings citywide. The technology now exists to create historical cornices out of inexpensive impervious lightweight foam and this would go so far in improving the architecture of so many mutilated buildings.

Are you out of your mind? NYC just passed more rent regulations, capping the rent increases due to building improvements... what you are proposing is completely the opposite of the current city hall and administration agenda.

[chris08876]

NJ Transit set to borrow $500M to replace old trains and buses

NJ Transit is about to take out the mother of all new vehicle loans -- $500 million to purchase new trains and buses to rid the fleet of the old ones that break down and cause delays.

The financing could come from the state Economic Development Authority, scheduled to decide on Tuesday whether to issue tax exempt transportation revenue bonds. NJ Transit’s board could vote Wednesday to authorize spending the $500 million to replace aging trains and buses.

The financing would allow NJ Transit to retire some of its oldest GP40 diesel locomotives, which were built in the 1960s and rebuilt in the early 1990s. NJ Transit has 52 of those locomotives. Twenty-nine would be replaced and 17 rebuilt and remain in revenue service, under the agency’s 2014 fleet plans.

That plan also calls for replacement of 1,338 NABI city-style buses starting in 2021. Those buses would be purchased over six years under the plan.

The purchase would come on the heels the agency’s ongoing $100 million replacement of NJ Transit’s aging 1,200-cruiser bus fleet, happening over five years, and its $75 million plan to build and purchase 113 electric-powered, multi-level rail cars, which will replace the 40-year old Arrow III cars in use now. Another 17 dual-mode locomotives are included in the fiscal year 2020 budget.

===============
https://www.nj.com/traffic/2019/12/n...and-buses.html

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Gantz

Are you out of your mind? NYC just passed more rent regulations, capping the rent increases due to building improvements... what you are proposing is completely the opposite of the current city hall and administration agenda.

This is a very specific incentive akin to storefront/façade improvement programs that exist countrywide. No, I'm not out of my mind and I had no idea such a low threshold existed.

[mrnyc]

whur muh new subway cars?

the old bum manufacturer, bombardier, holds mta hostage with delay after delay:


MTA ‘ignored’ production issues of long-delayed new subway cars: audit

Vincent Barone


The MTA overlooked warning signs and failed to hold the contractor accountable for delivering now long-delayed new subway cars, according to an audit from City Comptroller Scott Stringer.

The transit authority is still waiting on a handful of new cars in a 300-train order it took out with manufacturer Bombardier back in 2012 — cars the MTA expected to have received nearly three years ago. The exorbitant delays have cost the MTA millions in increased maintenance fees for the ancient fleet the new trains were meant to replace.


more:
https://www.amny.com/transportation/...ay-cars-audit/

[Busy Bee]

God can some billionaire please resurrect St. Louis Car Co.?

[Barney Greengrass]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Nail meet head


As a sort of related note, I want the City of New York to develop a program through the DOB to help building owners citywide obtain extreme low interest loans and maybe even split direct grant assistance to not only repair deteriorating brick and façade work but to also preserve existing and RESTORE missing cornices on all types of buildings citywide. The technology now exists to create historical cornices out of inexpensive impervious lightweight foam and this would go so far in improving the architecture of so many mutilated buildings.

Amen. Brooklyn would look like a billion bucks with its cornices restored. It never ceases to amaze me what some of these landlords will do. I used to live in a beautifully renovated apartment in Park Slope, brand new kitchen, bathroom, the works. But to achieve this the landlord moved the entrance and stairway, bricked up redundant windows and the former door with cmu, and then never painted any of it on the outside. The place looks f'ing abandoned, no idea how the guy gets away with it. I had to put up a street number bc he never bothered. This building is, it goes without saying, missing its cornice. If it wasn't going to profit him, he wasn't going to do it. Have some pride, people!

I am now a new homeowner on a rare block where every cornice is intact, it is heaven and one of the reasons we finally decided to buy. Who wants to plunk down that kind of money when the neighbors make your block look like the South Bronx in the 80's?

[Barney Greengrass]

Fearing ‘Spy Trains,’ Congress May Ban a Chinese Maker of Subway Cars

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/14/b...-security.html

I get the concern, but there are ways to have enough control during fabrication to eliminate most of the worry.

[Barney Greengrass]

Wtf is up with the R lately? I mean, yes it's notoriously unreliable, but I've encountered 30+ minute waits on some occasions, that's commuter rail. Also, just rode this on the R, don't think I've ever seen one of these cars on the line:

[Barney Greengrass]

MTA, Transit Innovation Partnership, Empire State Development announce signaling challenge and demo day at Signaling Innovation Summit
MTA will begin to solicit bids in the second half of 2020 for the $7.1-billion signaling modernization program as part of the Capital Plan.

A Signaling Innovation Summit was hosted by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the Transit Innovation Partnership and Empire State Development to bring together innovators to accelerate the modernization of New York City’s subway signaling system – a $7.1-billion program to improve performance, service reliability and safety.

“The MTA is committed to pursuing the most innovative solutions possible as we undergo a historic transformation to change the way we do business,” said Patrick J. Foye, MTA chairman and CEO. “We’re eager to hear proposals on signal modernization that will help us deliver on our core mission to provide faster, more reliable service for our millions of daily customers.”

https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/...ovation-summit

[Barney Greengrass]

NY: New tech looks to speed up bus trips through Lincoln Tunnel

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved an 18-month, $4.8 million demonstration program to test connected, autonomous vehicle technology in the Lincoln Tunnel’s Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL).

https://www.masstransitmag.com/techn...lincoln-tunnel

[Barney Greengrass]

Penn Station Now Has the MTA's New Fare Payment System

The MTA's new contactless fare payment system is now live at Penn Station.

The system will expand to more trains later this month, including the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 lines.

The MTA says it's on track to have OMNY readers installed in all subway stations and on all its buses by the end of this year. It's already in place at some stations in Queens and Brooklyn, and along the Staten Island Railway.

Transit officials said commuters have used OMNY over 4 million times since the limited rollout began earlier this year. They tout the OMNY tap as faster than the traditional MetroCard swipe.

HOW DOES OMNY WORK?

Commuters can tap credit or debit cards with a Wi-Fi logo, or smart devices, such as phones and watches linked to digital wallets.

The MTA says OMNY will only be available on a full-fare, pay-per-ride basis until every subway station, bus route, and the Staten Island Railway is outfitted with the new technology, meaning you'll still need a MetroCard for the 30-day or 7-day unlimited ride fare.

The MTA said it will allow commuters to purchase OMNY prepaid cards in 2021, and an OMNY app was also being developed. Officials say commuters will be able to pay for the OMNY card with cash, as well as debit and credit cards.

If all goes according to plan, in 2023, the MetroCard will be swiped into history.

https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs...n-omny-rollout