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Schedule Change To 7 Line Work

Posted by
on April 14th, 2014 at 2:20 pm

Catching up on some transit news from Friday, MTA NYC Transit announced a change to the work schedule for CBTC work on the 7. Here is more:

MTA New York City Transit has worked in the past few weeks to rearrange the necessary work undertaken on the 7 Line in order to accommodate requests from community members regarding the impact that some weekend service shutdowns would have on community events along the 7 Flushing Line. Most notably, the planned 7 Line service shutdown scheduled for the weekend of May 17-18, 2014 has been cancelled and NYC Transit will run normal 7 Line service.

A summary of changes for 2014 is outlined below:

• (May 3-4) is no longer a 74 St-Broadway to Times Square shutdown. It will now be a shutdown between Queensboro Plaza and Times Sq-42 St.

• (May 17-18) is no longer a 74 St-Broadway to Times Square shutdown. Normal 7 service will operate this weekend between Flushing-Main St and Times Sq-42 St.

• (May 31-June 1) will now be a 74 St-Broadway to Times Sq-42 St shutdown.

• (Sept. 20-21) will now be a 74 St-Broadway to Times Sq-42 St shutdown instead of a Main St-bound reroute to the middle track between Queensboro Plaza to 74 St-Broadway.

• (Nov 15-16) will now be a limited service to Queensboro Plaza with no service between Queensboro Plaza and Times Sq-42 St weekend. Previously, this was a Times Sq-42 St to Queensboro Plaza shutdown combined with a Main St-bound reroute to the middle track between Queensboro Plaza and 74 St-Broadway.

The work we are doing on the 7 Line remains absolutely critical to this service’s reliability, safety and longevity. Therefore, the work that we had previously scheduled for the weekend of May 17-18, 2014 will have to be rescheduled. However, this change will not increase the number of Steinway Tube closures for 2014. Some Main St-bound reroutes to the middle track (between Queensboro Plaza and 74 St-Broadway) will be rescheduled to 2015.

The multi-year, $550 million capital improvement project to replace the antiquated 50- to 90-year-old signaling system on the 7 line with state-of-the-art CBTC technology will continue into 2017. Upon completion, CBTC technology will interface with subway cars and countdown clocks to increase operational flexibility and reliability, and allow NYC Transit to run more trains per hour. These improvements will reduce crowding, prevent signal problems associated with old equipment, and further accommodate the population growth in Queens.

NYC Transit will also continue its work bringing the 120-year old Steinway Tube back to a state of good repair. Work in 2014 will include $33 million in component replacement and upgrade, which will include demolishing and reconstructing collapsed duct which houses critical electrical and communication lines to house new cables that supply power for the new technology we’re installing. NYC Transit will be rehabilitating the tube’s pump room and discharge lines, which were damaged during Sandy.

NYC Transit is also addressing critical track conditions that require the removal and replacement of elevated track panels that have neared or exceeded their useful lifespan and pose risks not just to safety but also to the 7 Line’s operational capacity. If old track panels are not replaced, they become subject to mandatory speed reductions to prevent derailments, which result in fewer trains operating per hour and more crowding. In all, NYC Transit expects to renew and replace approximately 2,980 feet of old track representing a $15 million investment.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit Warns Of Credit Card Scam

Posted by
on April 10th, 2014 at 6:25 pm

Once again riders need to be wary of credit card scam artists who are targeting ticket vending machines. This issue started to make headlines again the other day when the LIRR warned about a suspect targeting riders at the Baldwin station.

Now NYC Transit has issued a warning after finding a skimming device & hidden camera at a MVM at the 59th Street-Columbus Circle station. Here is more:

MTA New York City Transit is asking customers to be vigilant when purchasing MetroCards at MetroCard Vending Machines (MVMs) after a skimming device and hidden camera were uncovered at an MVM inside the 59 St-Columbus Circle station (see photos below). The device was discovered last night around 9:30 p.m. attached to an MVM located on the north end of the southbound 1 platform at Columbus Circle.

An unidentified customer noticed the device, removed it from the machine and brought it to the Station Agent on duty. The New York Police Department is investigating the device.

New York City Transit urges customers who have purchased a MetroCard at that location using a credit or debit card to immediately check with their bank or credit card company to determine if their accounts show any signs of unauthorized activity.

“We have already dispatched personnel to check all MVMs system-wide today for other devices,” said MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco. “As was the case yesterday, we continue to ask our customers ‘If You See Something, Say Something,’ particularly if they notice any suspicious activity or device in our system.”

This is exactly why anytime I swipe or insert my card at any machine (not just in transit stations), I feel for devices & cameras. People sometimes look at me like I am crazy. However I do not care as my security trumps their opinion. Plus it has worked for me as I have found such machines attached on a few occasions.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 04-10-14

Posted by
on April 10th, 2014 at 3:22 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 a safe & wonderful weekend.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Far Rockaway Schedule Adjustments

Posted by
on April 8th, 2014 at 5:55 pm

This upcoming weekend & one in May will see the LIRR’s Far Rockaway line have schedule adjustments due to maintenance work. Here are the complete details:

On April 12-13, and on May 3-4, the Long Island Rail Road will perform waterproofing maintenance on a bridge that carries two tracks over 150th Street in Jamaica, Queens. As a result, Far Rockaway Branch train schedules are being adjusted by up to eight minutes.

Throughout both weekends, arrival and departure times at Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn will not be affected. But arrival and departure times between Jamaica and Far Rockaway will be changed. Details are below.

Westbound:

Brooklyn-bound trains will depart Far Rockaway, Inwood, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, Hewlett, Gibson and Valley Stream stations up to eight minutes earlier than normal. These trains will be held at Jamaica for up to eight minutes and will arrive at Atlantic Terminal at their regularly scheduled time. For special timetables detailing the amended departure times, please visit http://bit.ly/1hoRo0D.

Eastbound:

Far Rockaway-bound trains will depart Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, at the usual time. Trains will arrive at stations Valley Stream through Far Rockaway up to eight minutes later than normal. For special timetables detailing the times that trains will stop, please visit http://bit.ly/1hoRo0D

Additionally, the Far Rockaway-bound train departing Atlantic Terminal at 12:15 a.m., due to depart Jamaica at 12:36 a.m., will not make its usual stops at Locust Manor (12:41 a.m.), Laurelton (12:43 a.m.), or Rosedale (12:46 a.m.) As an alternative, customers should board one of the following Long Beach-bound trains:

• Departing Jamaica at 12:18 a.m., stopping at Locust Manor (12:23 a.m.), Laurelton (12:25 a.m.), and Rosedale (12:28 a.m.);

• Departing Jamaica at 1:41 a.m., stopping at Locust Manor (1:46 a.m.), Laurelton (1:48 a.m.), and Rosedale (1:51 a.m.).

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR Ticket Scam Update

Posted by
on April 8th, 2014 at 5:52 pm

Earlier this morning, I posted about the LIRR warning about a ticket scam at the TVM machine located in the Baldwin station. Here is an update as the MTA Police have released new information:

The MTA Police today released a WANTED poster (see attachment) for a suspect allegedly behind an attempt to scam Long Island Rail Road Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) at Baldwin Station. The poster includes photographs of the suspect, identified as Vasile Ovidiu Haidau, a 35-year-old Romanian national who police say has ties to a credit card – identity theft gang in California.

Last week, LIRR TVM technicians discovered a scanning device inside the credit/debit card slot in a Baldwin TVM as well as a tiny camera secreted above the keyboard that was videotaping as LIRR customers typed in their PIN. The LIRR routinely monitors its TVMs for signs of tampering. MTA Police were immediately called to the scene and determined that the scammers had not been able to download any of the information picked up by either device so they do not believe that any LIRR customers who used that machine in Baldwin had their credit-debit information compromised.

Still, the MTA PD and the LIRR advise customers to take precautions to protect their PIN number when using a credit or debit card at LIRR Ticket Vending Machines and advise anyone who finds unfamiliar transactions on their bank statements to immediately contact their financial institution.

MTA Police said Haidau was last seen on Monday morning driving a 2014 Blue Volvo S80 traveling west on Sunrise Highway in Baldwin. The rental car carried the license plate number GXR5959. Detective say Haidau should be considered dangerous and if in anyone spots him they a should notify the MTA Police Department Detective Division at (516) 222-6501 or the On Duty-On Call Detective Sergeant via MTA Police Communications at (718) 361-2201. For tips from the MTA Police on how to safeguard your valuables when riding MTA trains and buses go to:.
http://web.mta.info/safeguardyourstuff/safeguardyourstuff.htm

Click here to view the WANTED poster for the suspect who is still at large.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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