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Service Diversions 12-14-12

Posted by
on December 14th, 2012 at 3:14 am

Get an early start to your weekend plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions for the upcoming weekend, next week & beyond in some cases.

As always if I see anything interesting or noteworthy, I will tweet about it so follow @TransitBlogger which you can easily do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
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A Sneak Peak At Upcoming MTA Fare Hikes

Posted by
on December 11th, 2012 at 3:01 pm

With 2013 only a few weeks away, the time draws closer for the inevitable MTA fare hikes. For those who stay in touch with transit news, this comes as no surprise as we have known that 2013 would see increases across the board.

While official numbers have yet to be put out by the agency for a vote, potential details have been leaked. Some of the potential highlights (or lowlights according to most) include the cost of a 30-day Metrocard going up to $112 ($8 increase) & the base fare going up to $2.50 ($.25 increase). Here is more via Ted Mann of the Wall Street Journal:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota is pressing for a slate of fare increases that would bump the cost of an unlimited monthly MetroCard to $112, but preserve a small discount for riders who pay per-ride.

Mr. Lhota has been calling MTA board members since last week about the agency’s choices for raising fare and toll revenue.

The MTA’s budget requires $450 million from increased fares and tolls in 2013, though the agency now plans to raise $382 million, thanks to better-than-anticipated revenues that prompted it to push the fare boost back until March.

According to people who have spoken with Mr. Lhota, some of the details of the new fare plan are close to final:

• A monthly unlimited ride MetroCard would go up to $112 from $104.

• A weekly unlimited ride card would rise by a dollar—to $30 from $29.

• The base fare for a subway and bus ride would rise to $2.50 from $2.25.

• And the bonus awarded to riders when they put cash on a pay-per-ride card would shrink to 5% from 7% of the amount added.

One board member said Mr. Lhota had seemed to agree with one move to protect low-income riders: lowering the cost at which the bonus kicks in to as little as $5.

Still undecided, one person familiar with the discussions said, is the question of how much to raise tolls on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge between Brooklyn and Staten Island. Holding down the increase on that crossing would require the MTA to make up the revenue elsewhere, possibly by raising tolls slightly more than anticipated on other bridges in the regional system.

Train fares on Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road would also rise, by 8.2% to 9.3%, according to proposals first reviewed in October.

The proposal being solidified in private conversations by Mr. Lhota and board members is similar to the first option in a menu of choices initially shown to the MTA board in October. The board will vote on a final proposal Dec. 19.

Click here for the complete report.

The latest numbers from the fare hike come as no surprise to me considering what I had been reading & hearing over the last couple of months. I knew that the hikes were unavoidable & I feel most knowledgeable people knew the same. The only question would be how much more would we be paying?

I understand that times are tough economically but when it comes to bus & subway service, the costs are pretty decent considering the 24×7 access we have. Could the service use a lot of improvement? Yes, is the obvious answer on that. However many other parts of the country & world for that matter would love to have the same access we do.

My true beef with any sort of fare hikes focuses on the commuter railroads which have proven time & time again to be overpriced. For the amount & quality of service we get, the last thing we should be doing is paying more! The current prices are beyond ridiculous much less the near 10% increase that looms large in 2013.

We will know what the official increase numbers will be leading up to December 19th when the board puts them up for a vote. Stay tuned for more as it becomes available.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 12-10-12

Posted by
on December 10th, 2012 at 6:31 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions by removing all the work that wrapped up by 5AM this morning.

As always if I see anything interesting or noteworthy, I will tweet about it so follow @TransitBlogger which you can easily do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions
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LIRR To Run Full Rush Hour Service

Posted by
on December 10th, 2012 at 4:04 am

In a major sign that transportation issues from Hurricane Sandy are starting to look brighter, the MTA Long Island Rail Road will be running its normal AM & PM rush hour service throughout the system. Here is more via the official press release I received over the weekend:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the MTA Long Island Rail Road will operate full morning and evening rush hour service beginning Monday, December 10, as a result of Amtrak restoring the signal system capacity in one of its two flood-damaged East River tunnels. This will mark the first full service rush hour for the LIRR since Sandy hit six weeks ago.

In replacing the severely damaged signal system in one of the tunnels, combined with an increase in speed on a loop track connecting the East River tunnels with the Sunnyside storage yard, Amtrak restored sufficient train capacity to allow for the increased levels of service during the LIRR’s rush hour. Amtrak is continuing their work to replace the damaged signal system in the other remaining tunnel to restore full train capacity to their East River tunnels. LIRR signal workers are assisting Amtrak in that effort by rewiring one of Amtrak’s five new signal cases for the tunnels. The second tunnel signal system is expected to be restored to full capacity in time for the Christmas holiday.

The LIRR’s off-peak service continues to operate on a regular schedule throughout the LIRR system. – even while one of Amtrak’s damaged tunnels is still at reduced capacity.

“Restoring full LIRR rush hour train service will provide relief to those customers that endured crowded conditions during peak periods due to the loss of tunnel capacity from the flooding effects of Superstorm Sandy,” Governor Cuomo said. “I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak in restoring this crucial LIRR service.”

“I appreciate Amtrak’s efforts to expedite the tunnel work to restore full train capacity in the East River tunnels by the Christmas holidays. And, I would like to thank the men and woman of the LIRR who toiled round the clock to help bring back service,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph Lhota.

“We have been working closely with Amtrak to complete the work and find creative solutions to restore full LIRR service as soon as possible. I appreciate the patience of our customers during this vital restoration work after the devastation of Superstorm Sandy,” said LIRR President Helena Williams.

In bringing back one of the two damaged tunnels to full service, Amtrak replaced all the signal system cases, including the parts and all the intricate wiring within the cases that were destroyed by the flood waters. Installing the new signal cases in the tunnel also required new signal control wires to be fitted in the tunnels. Amtrak’s cutover to the new signal system this past weekend, combined with the speed adjustment to the track connecting the East River tunnels with their Sunnyside storage yard allows all LIRR rush hour train service to be restored. (Reduced capacity remains in the one of Amtrak’s East River tunnels which decreases the LIRR’s operating flexibility during rush hours, in the event of a disruption.)

Amtrak is continuing their work to make permanent repairs to the signal system in the one remaining flood-damaged tunnel. Amtrak will be installing three new signal cases for the new permanent signal system. One of the signal cases was wired by LIRR signal personnel at the LIRR’s Garden City facility. This new signal equipment is expected to be installed and tested on the weekend of December 15-16, so that full train capacity in the East River tunnels can be restored by the Christmas holiday.

This is fantastic news for the hundreds of thousands who ride the LIRR daily. Now only if Gov. Cuomo could do something about it being overpriced! Oh well, one step at a time!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 12-06-12

Posted by
on December 6th, 2012 at 2:45 pm

Get an early start to your weekend plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions for the upcoming weekend, next week & beyond in some cases.

As always if I see anything interesting or noteworthy, I will tweet about it so follow @TransitBlogger which you can easily do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions