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MTA Unveils New MetroCard Calculator

Posted by
on March 20th, 2015 at 6:07 am

Yesterday afternoon, the MTA unveiled a new MetroCard Calculator. Here are the details:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today launched a new MetroCard Calculator, a handy tool that will assist customers with planning a new card purchase or refilling a full fare Pay-Per-Ride MetroCard. The MetroCard Calculator is available at www.mta.info or by going directly to www.mta.info/nyct/MetroCardCalculator.

When a customer enters a dollar amount for the purchase of a new MetroCard, or the dollar amount of a planned refill, the calculator determines:

• Value added with the 11% bonus on purchases of $5.50 or more (beginning March 22);

• The number of rides the customer gets for the money and;.

• Any remaining balance on the MetroCard.

For refills, the customer can also enter the remaining balance on the card which they can get from swiping their MetroCard at a MetroCard reader located in subway stations.

The calculator will also offer suggestions for new card purchases and refill amounts that will end in zero balances. In addition, the calculator will offer suggestions on the type of MetroCard that offers the best value based on the dollar amount entered. For example, for a new card purchase of $32 ($31 value less $1 new card fee), the calculator will suggest the customer consider a 7-Day Unlimited Ride MetroCard if the customer rides the subway or local bus 13 or more times in a 7-day period.

Customers will also have the option of applying for the EasyPayXpress MetroCard in order to enjoy the benefits of a MetroCard that never runs out of rides. The EasyPayXpress MetroCard is linked to the customer’s credit or debit card, and refills automatically. With EasyPay there’s no more waiting in line to buy or refill a MetroCard.

New Fares and Tolls are in effect Sunday, March 22, 2015 for MTA New York City Transit buses and subways, MTA Bus, the MTA Staten Island Railway, MTA Long Island Rail Road, MTA Metro-North Railroad, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. For the purchase of new, full fare Pay-Per-Ride MetroCards, MetroCard Vending Machines will be reprogrammed with common denominations of $10 ($9 card value + $1 new card fee), $20 ($19 card value+ $1 new card fee), $40 ($39 card value+ $1 new card fee), as well as $28.25 ($27.25 card value+ $1 new card fee) that provides 11 rides and a zero balance.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit St. Patrick’s Day Service Info

Posted by
on March 15th, 2015 at 10:00 pm

Here is the NYC Transit service plan info for St. Patrick’s Day 2015:

New York City subways and buses will operate on a normal weekday schedule, with parade-related service changes as noted below.

New York City Subway:

The 77th Street station on the 6 line, near the parade’s end point at 79th Street and Fifth Avenue, will be the most affected station. The NYPD may designate some staircases at the station as entry/exit only on both the uptown and downtown platforms for crowd control.

New York City Buses:

The following New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company routes will be subject to detour in the area along the parade route: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M31, M50, M57, M66, M72, M79, X1, X10, X17, BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM8, BxM9, BxM10, BxM11 and Q32.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR St. Patrick’s Day Service Info

Posted by
on March 15th, 2015 at 9:58 pm

The Long Island Rail Road will be providing special service for St. Patrick’s Day 2015. Here are the details:

MTA Long Island Rail Road has scheduled 16 extra trains – six westbound morning trains and 10 eastbound afternoon trains to accommodate thousands of LIRR customers who will be traveling to and from the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Manhattan on Monday, March 17. The additional trains will supplement the LIRR’s regular weekday schedule.

No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed:

In an effort to maintain orderly travel for customers, alcoholic beverages will not be permitted on trains, platforms or at stations from 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, March 17 through 5:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 18. Any alcoholic beverages found by MTA Police on trains, stations and platforms will be confiscated by MTA Police.

Buy Your Tickets Before Boarding the Train:

LIRR customers can buy round trip tickets including MetroCards for connecting subway and bus service in advance in order to save time and avoid lines at LIRR ticket windows and ticket machines and New York City Transit MetroCard windows and ticket machines. Customers purchasing tickets onboard the train will be charged the higher step-up price.

The following trains are being added to the regular weekday schedule:

6 Extra AM Westbound Trains to Penn Station

Babylon Branch:

8:41 a.m. Freeport train, making all stops through Lynbrook, Jamaica and New York.

9:23 a.m. train from Wantagh making all stops through Rockville Centre, then stopping at Jamaica and New York

9:48 a.m. train from Wantagh making all stops through Rockville Centre, then stopping at Jamaica and New York.

Port Jefferson Branch:

9 a.m. train from Hicksville, stopping at Westbury, Mineola, Merillon Ave, New Hyde Park, Jamaica, and New York.

10:15 a.m. from Huntington, stopping at Hicksville, Jamaica, and Penn Station

Ronkonkoma Branch:

9:27 a.m. from Farmingdale, stopping at Bethpage, Hicksville, Mineola, Jamaica, and Penn Station

10 Extra PM Eastbound Trains from Penn Station

Ronkonkoma Brach:

1:46 p.m. stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville and all stops to Ronkonkoma.

Babylon Branch:

2:22 running express to Rockville Centre, the making all stops to Babylon

2:32 p.m. running express to Lynbrook, then making all stops to Babylon.

3:00 p.m. train to Babylon making stops at Jamaica, Rockville Centre and all local stops to Babylon.

3:31 p.m. running express to Rockville Centre, then making all local stops to Babylon.

Port Jefferson Branch:

2:08 p.m. train to Huntington stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Carle Place and making all stops to Huntington.

2:29 p.m. train to Huntington, stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, and making all stop to Huntington.

3:24 p.m. train to Hicksville stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville.

Port Washington Branch:

3:40 p.m. train to Great Neck, stopping at Woodside, Flushing Main Street and making all stops to Great Neck.

Far Rockaway Branch:

3:48 p.m. train to Far Rockaway stopping at Locust Manor and making all stops to Far Rockaway

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro North Special St. Patty’s Day Service

Posted by
on March 15th, 2015 at 9:50 pm

The Metro-North Railroad will be providing special service for St. Patrick’s Day 2015. Here are the details:

With the 254th St. Patrick’s Day Parade scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, Metro-North will ban alcohol to maintain orderly train service and is planning to run up to six extra inbound trains to help accommodate revelers heading to the parade. Going home, one extra train will
run on the Hudson Line.

An extra train will depart from Poughkeepsie at 8:23 a.m. and stop at New Hamburg at 8:32 a.m. and Beacon at 8:41 a.m. before running express to Harlem-125th Street (arriving at 9:46 a.m.) and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 10:01 a.m.

Five other standby trains will be pre-positioned, crewed, and ready to pick up passengers on the Harlem and Hudson Lines as demand warrants. In the afternoon, two additional trains will run on the Hudson Line, departing Grand Central as demand warrants. Metro-North staff will be located at key stations observing the number of customers awaiting trains. The railroad is prepared to make minute-by-minute decisions about when to operate the extra trains.

To ensure order aboard and to assure that fares are collected, conductors will be posted at Poughkeepsie, New Hamburg and Beacon to collect tickets before customers board trains. This procedure, called gate collection, is commonly used at Grand Central after other high volume travel days, such as the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the New Year’s Eve ball drop.

Customers should buy round trip tickets in advance at their home stations using ticket machines and ticket offices. (Special machines are being installed for the day at Beacon in the underpass.) Because large crowds are expected, customers should get to the station early to buy tickets.

In an effort to maintain orderly travel for customers, alcoholic beverages will not be permitted on trains, platforms or at stations on Tuesday, March 17. Any alcoholic beverages found by MTA Police on trains, stations and platforms will be confiscated by MTA Police.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 03-12-15

Posted by
on March 12th, 2015 at 9:07 pm

Get an early start on your weekend travel plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions through all of next week.

Make sure to follow @TransitBlogger on Twitter by clicking the button in the sidebar as I am using it more often. Also if you are into indie music make sure to follow @IndMusicReview & @SurgeFM!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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