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MTA Announces LIRR Strike Contingency Plans

Posted by
on July 11th, 2014 at 4:59 pm

Just a short time ago, I got off the conference call where the MTA was discussing their contingency plans in case of a LIRR strike. Here are the details:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced plans to provide limited transportation to New Yorkers in the event Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) service is disrupted by a labor action as early as July 20. Buses, ferries and park-and-ride lots would all be mobilized to help New Yorkers travel in the event trains stop running.

The MTA estimates all the forms of alternative transportation can serve more than three times more people than were assisted during the previous LIRR labor dispute. The MTA encourages Long Islanders to telecommute if possible, but for those who must travel to work, these alternative options provide a far more robust plan than two decades ago.

“When the LIRR unions went on strike in 1994, Long Islanders had very limited options. There were no park-and-ride lots, no ferries, no real-time monitoring, no telecommuting,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “Today, the MTA has a far stronger, more robust, multifaceted plan. Working with the State and elected officials from across Long Island and the City of New York, we are providing more shuttle buses, thousands of parking spots near subway stations, a ferry service, real-time traffic management and real-time parking monitoring.”

“We have reached out to 1,400 employers across Long Island and the City to encourage their employees to telecommute if at all possible,” Chairman Prendergast said. “More than a week away from any threatened labor action, we have commitments for at least 18,000 workers to telecommute.”

Details for each mode of transportation follow:

Buses:

The MTA has worked with Long Island bus companies to establish a network of 350 buses that will shuttle customers from eight locations in Nassau and Suffolk counties to three major subway stations in Queens. The shuttle bus locations include seven LIRR stations and Nassau Community College.

The MTA expects the buses would be able to carry 15,000 customers – twice as many as the 7,000 people carried by buses during the 1994 LIRR labor outage.

The buses would operate during rush hours only, and only in the peak direction of travel. They will run into New York City between 4-7 a.m. and return to Long Island between 3-7 p.m. Disabled customers will also be able to use Access-A-Ride vehicles available at those locations.

Buses would travel along these routes:

In Suffolk County:

• Buses would pick up passengers at the Ronkonkoma and Deer Park LIRR stations and connect to the 7 subway station at Mets-Willets Point / Citi Field.

In Nassau County:

• Buses would pick up passengers at the Manhasset LIRR station and connect to the 7 subway station at Mets-Willets Point / Citi Field.

• Buses would pick up passengers at the Seaford, Bellmore and Freeport LIRR stations, as well as Nassau Community College, and connect to the A subway station at Howard Beach

• Buses would pick up passengers at the Hicksville LIRR station and connect to the M and R subway station at Woodhaven Boulevard

Ferry:

A free ferry service would operate from Glen Cove to East 34th Street in Midtown. The ferry would do three westbound runs in the morning and three eastbound at night. They would be able to carry 1,000 customers and trips would take 40 minutes.

Parking at Glen Cove is very limited. The MTA recommends that passengers carpool or arrange for dropoff and pickup.

Park-and-Ride Lots:

Dedicated park-and-ride lots would be established in Queens as well as Nassau and Suffolk counties, to provide more transportation options than were available in 1994. These lots would be monitored by spotters using social media to send real-time alerts about how many spaces are available.

• CitiField, where customers can connect to the 7 subway, has 4,000 available parking spaces

• Aqueduct Racetrack, where customers can connect to the A subway, has 3,000 available parking spaces.

We are also providing 8,400 parking spots in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, where friends and colleagues can meet to carpool together:

Suffolk County:

• Farmingdale State College

• Belmont State Park

• Sunken Meadow State Park

• Heckscher State Park

Nassau County:

• Valley Stream State Park

• Hempstead Lake State Park

• Bethpage State Park

All of these lots will be secured by MTA Police, Port Authority Police, the NYPD, New York State Police and other police agencies.

For Those Who Choose to Drive

There are also more than 100 public and private parking lots available within five blocks of subway stations in Queens and Brooklyn. Links to them are provided on our website.

The MTA is working closely with the State and Nassau and Suffolk counties to ease traffic as much as possible. The High Occupancy Vehicle lane on the Long Island Expressway will be expanded to require three people in a vehicle, not just two.

Nassau and Suffolk County Police will step up their enforcement on major routes to ensure smoother traffic flow. The State Department of Transportation has 50 portable variable message signs ready to guide customers to the carpool and shuttle lots in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Those messages will be updated in real time with travel times and parking lot capacities to give motorists maximum flexibility.

State DOT will also have tow trucks, Highway Emergency Local Patrol trucks and roadway maintenance crews at key locations to keep the roadways clear. All non-emergency construction and highway work will be suspended.

Here is a link to a map of the contingency routes.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-10-14

Posted by
on July 10th, 2014 at 7:46 pm

Get a head start on your weekend 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 an awesome weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 07-03-14

Posted by
on July 3rd, 2014 at 3:32 pm

Get a head start on your July 4th (Independence Day) holiday weekend plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions through all of next week.

Remember the following in terms of service plans for July 4th:

LIRR: Operates on a Saturday schedule

Metro-North: Operates on a Sunday/holiday schedule

NYC Transit Buses & Subways: Operate on a Saturday schedule. Please remember certain routes do not run on weekends so they will not on Fri July 4

Staten Island Railway: Operates on a Saturday schedule

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 an awesome weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Two Bx 6 Line Stations Close For 7 Months

Posted by
on July 3rd, 2014 at 2:30 pm

Riders at the Buhre Ave & Zerega Ave 6 Train stations will have to make alternate travel plans as their stations will be closed for 7 months due to station renewals. Here is a bit more:

MTA New York City Transit will close the Zerega Av and Buhre Av stations on the 6 line, as part of an ongoing $109 million, renewal project at five stations along the Pelham Line: Castle Hill Av, Zerega Av, Middletown Rd, Buhre Av and Pelham Bay Park. The Zerega Av and Buhre Av stations will be closed in both directions on Saturday, July 5 at 12:01 a.m., and will remain closed until February, 2015.

The station renewal work at the Zerega Av and Buhre Av stations consists of repairing the mezzanines and the street and platform stairs; replacing the platform and street stair canopy roofs and track beds; installing new platform edges, tactile warning strips and ADA boarding areas; painting of the stations; installing pigeon deterrent systems, and other amenities, including artwork.

The Pelham Bay Park station will also undergo renewal work but will not close during repairs. At Pelham Bay Park, repairs will include replacing the platform rubbing board and tactile warning strips, providing new platform canopies; painting the station mezzanine, windscreens and exterior control building and installing a pigeon deterrent system. This work will also begin in July.

In order to provide service for those customers who normally use the Zerega Av and Buhre Av stations, the existing Bx4, Bx8 and Bx24 bus routes, which operate along Westchester Avenue, will provide access to the Castle Hill Av, Westchester Square-East Tremont Av and Middletown Rd stations, all of which will remain open. Customers can travel south from the Zerega Av 6 station via the Bx4 bus to the Castle Hill Av 6 station. Buhre Av 6 station customers can travel south via Bx8 or Bx24 buses to access the Middletown Rd 6 station. Bx4, Bx8 and Bx24 customers will be able to transfer to the subway for free using their MetroCard.

In addition, to compensate for the expected increased ridership on the Bx4, Bx8 and Bx24 buses, supplemental bus service will be provided between the Castle Hill Av, Westchester Square-East Tremont Av, Middletown Rd and Buhre Av 6 line stations during the morning and evening rush hours. As the Bx4, Bx8 and Bx24 buses do not operate during the late night hours, free supplemental shuttle bus service will be provided between these four stations during the overnight hours. This overnight bus service will operate approximately every 20 minutes between the stations from 12:01 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

We regret the inconvenience this work may cause and appreciate our customers’ patience while we complete these important projects. To ensure that our customers are well-informed of these station closures and alternative service, notices will be posted in all stations along the Pelham 6 line and announcements will be made on all 6 trains. Service notices will also be posted on our website, www.mta.info. A “Take-One” brochure explaining the station closures and outlining alternative service is enclosed for your information.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit July 4th 2014 Service Plan

Posted by
on July 2nd, 2014 at 5:36 pm

Here is the July 4th holiday service plan for NYC Transit Buses & Subways:

New York City Subway

On Friday, July 4, subways will operate on a Saturday schedule. There will be no R service below Canal St. Customers are encouraged to use the Bowling Green 45 and Fulton St 2345AC stations. There will be increased subway service on the 5, A, C, F, N and S 42nd Street Shuttle prior to and following the Macy’s fireworks celebration, which will originate from three barges located between The Manhattan Bridge and Pier 9 (near Old Slip) from 9:25 p.m. to 9:55 p.m.

New York City Buses:

Buses operated by MTA New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company will operate on a Saturday schedule on Friday, July 4. There are many routes that either do not operate on Saturdays or do not run on part of the route at certain hours. Customers traveling on the Fourth of July should check Saturday schedules, lines and routes. The following bus routes may be affected by delays and detours: M5; M15 SBS; M20; B25 and B63.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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