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24 Hour Ban On Alcohol Due To SantaCon

Posted by
on December 13th, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Just a short time ago, the MTA Long Island Rail Road & Metro-North Railroad announced a 24 hour ban on alcohol due to this weekend’s SantaCon festivities. Here are the complete details:

To maintain orderly travel during this weekend’s SantaCon event, alcohol will not be permitted on Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains and stations from 12 noon on Saturday, December 14 through 12 noon on Sunday, December 15.

MTA Police Officers will be on duty at Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station and at train stations and on trains to enforce this restriction. The police will confiscate illegal liquor and issue summonses carrying fines up to $50 or 30 days imprisonment or both. Violators may also be subject to ejection from the train or station by police.

Although alcohol is generally allowed on Metro-North and the LIRR, earlier this year the LIRR instituted a permanent prohibition between midnight and 5 AM on Friday and Saturday nights. Both railroads have imposed temporary bans on occasion for the protection of customers and train crews.

SantaCon is an annual mass gathering of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes parading publicly on streets and in bars in cities around the world. The focus is on spontaneity and creativity, while having a good time and spreading cheer and goodwill. However, in past years some participants have been cited as a public nuisance. The MTA Police have effectively enforced open container infractions during past SantaCon celebrations.

I am normally never a fan of rules that inhibit our liberties but in this case I can completely understand. The absolute idiocy that takes place at SantaCon every year is beyond ridiculous. Unfortunately it is just another example of how so many lack the ability to act civilized when drunk.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Buses To Replace 4 Long Beach Trains

Posted by
on December 13th, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Buses will replace 4 trains on the Long Beach branch tomorrow due to track work. Here are the complete details:

Bus service will replace four early morning trains on the Long Beach Branch this Saturday, December 14 as the Long Island Rail Road carries out track work on the Wreck Lead Bridge between Island Park and Long Beach.

The work is scheduled to begin Saturday at 2:15 AM and finish up by 6 AM and affect approximately 400 customers. During the outage, customers should expect up to 33 minutes of additional travel time between Penn Station and Long Beach.

Eastbound:

Customers aboard Long Beach trains scheduled to depart Penn Station at 2:53 AM and the 4:05 AM will travel as far as Valley Stream, then transfer to buses making all stops to Long Beach

Westbound:

New York-bound customers who normally take the trains scheduled to leave Long Beach at 3:53 AM and 5:06 AM trains will instead have to board buses up to 31 minutes earlier than normal. The buses will make all stops to Valley Stream where customers will resume their trip west by train.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 12-12-13

Posted by
on December 12th, 2013 at 4:13 pm

Get a head start on your weekend plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions.

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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Bus Driver Sues MTA

Posted by
on December 10th, 2013 at 11:21 pm

54 year old bus driver Alberto Rosario was falsely accused of roughing up a man. Even though charges were never filed, MTA bosses tried to have the driver fired anyhow. Here is more in the brief report by Josh Saul of the New York Post:

A city bus driver is suing the MTA for trying to fire him after he got into an altercation with a man outside his bus, court papers say.

Alberto Rosario, 54, claims he was falsely accused of roughing up a man named Stephen Lopez, who had been furiously banging on the bus door before the February incident, the driver’s Brooklyn federal court suit claims.

Rosario says that when he left the bus, Lopez tried to punch him but missed. When cops arrived, Lopez accused the driver of assault, but cops didn’t press charges.

Despite no police action, Rosario’s MTA bosses moved to fire him for “assaulting a passenger, incompetence, failing to report an incident . . . based on Lopez’s accusations,” the federal papers state.

The termination is in arbitration. Rosario wants $30 million and to keep his job.

Growing up around a dad & grandfather who were bus drivers for the MTA, I know their protocol when such incidents do occur. The only thing I could see them having Alberto on is for not reporting the incident if that was even the case.

However how could they try to terminate him for “assaulting a passenger” when law enforcement clearly felt he did not. Their word by default is more legitimate versus the opinion of the MTA. It should come as no surprise that a lot of politics occur at depots all over the city. For all we know, this could be them trying to get rid of someone who is not an ass kisser & such.

I hope that Alberto prevails in what comes off as a severe injustice to him from his own employer.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

Rant Leads To Arrests

Posted by
on December 9th, 2013 at 3:50 am

Any veteran rider of the NYC Subway has come across the occasional idiot ranting on about all sorts of topics. Unfortunately riders on a Brooklyn-bound D Train train not only had to deal with such a person but the melee they caused which led to arrests. Here is more via CBS2 New York:

Five people were arrested, and one person was injured, after a man began ranting and got into a confrontation with other passengers on a subway train this week.

As 1010 WINS’ Carol D’Auria reported, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the man on the Brooklyn-bound D Train was ranting at people and pushing them in the Thursday night incident.

Others became involved, and the emergency brake was pulled just past the Grant Street station, the MTA said.

One person was injured in the melee, the MTA said.

Five people were ultimately arrested at the DeKalb Avenue station, the MTA said. Police have not indicated why they were taken into custody.

I have to admit that I am curious as to what led to so many people being taken into custody. Hopefully the reasons behind that come out in the coming days.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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