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Service Diversions 07-27-12

Posted by
on July 27th, 2012 at 6:11 am

Get an early start to planning your weekend travels as I have just updated the Service Diversions.

As always, if I hear/see anything interesting or just have a comment/complaint (mainly about how crappy the LIRR is!), I will tweet about it so follow @TransitBlogger & tell all your friends to do the same. I’d highly suggest following as I am using it a lot more often now.

Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
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NYC Transit Service Enhancement Info

Posted by
on July 26th, 2012 at 6:02 pm

Now for the final entry, here is the NYC Transit service enhancement info via its official press release:

MTA New York City Transit announced today that it is adding and extending service on dozens of bus routes throughout the city and making the G Train line extension to Church Avenue in Brooklyn permanent. As ridership continues to grow, overall ridership revenues have increased and enabled the MTA to make new service investments to better meet our customers’ needs. MTA New York City Transit will make service investments in all five boroughs in order to respond to increased ridership demands and to fill in gaps in service coverage in certain geographic areas or at certain times of day.

“These service investments are not about adding buses to existing routes, but rather extending service during weekend and off-peak periods when riders had limited options,” said NYCT President Thomas F. Prendergast. “As a result of new revenue from increased ridership as well as our continuing cost-saving measures, we are now able respond to this growth in ridership by filling gaps in service coverage in certain areas as well as provide new service to developing neighborhoods throughout the city.”

Along with this document is a line-by-line breakdown of all the improvements. Many of the enhancements involve service to new markets and will go through the process of public hearings. We will be working closely with the communities in DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Spring Creek in Brooklyn, with Hunts Point residents in the Bronx and far West siders from Clinton to the West Village in Manhattan to devise new routes for bus service in those areas.

We will be extending established routes to include new areas of residential and commercial growth. The Bx13 route, for example, will be extended from East 161st Street to the Gateway Center Mall at all times not only for the benefit of shoppers, but for mall employees as well.

Other route extensions include the B57 to Red Hook, the B4 to Knapp Street, the M9 to Battery Park City, the Q30 to Queensborough Community College (weekdays only), alternate Q36 buses to the Little Neck LIRR station (weekdays only), the S93 onto the College of Staten Island campus and the X17 to Tottenville.

In addition, the X17 will operate on Sundays as it currently does on Saturdays and a bus stop will be added in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Weekend service on the X27 will be restored from Bay Ridge to midtown Manhattan. Changes to the X17 and X27 may begin as early as October 2012. The B2 weekend service will also be restored in October in time for holiday shopping at the Kings Plaza Mall. Weekend service is set to be restored on the Bx34 in the Bronx, B4, B24, and B69 in Brooklyn and the M1 to 8th Street, M21 in Manhattan and the Q76 in Queens by early 2013.

Service will also be restored to:

B39 between the lower East Side of Manhattan and Williamsburg, Brooklyn on a 30- minute frequency from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

B48 service between Atlantic Avenue and Prospect Park

B64 service south of 25th Avenue

M9 to 29th Street

Q24 extension west of Broadway Junction

Midday Q42 in Jamaica and Addsleigh Park

Weekend S76 serving New Dorp and Oakwood

In addition we will provide full-length overnight service on the Q27 serving Queens Village and Cambria Heights and the X1 express bus route serving the eastern shore of Staten Island and Manhattan.

It was not a surprise to see most of the service enhancements geared towards bus service considering it was the biggest loser when service cuts were put into place. Some I have spoken with shared their displeasure of not seeing the V Train & W Train return along with extra service on 4th Ave.

To be honest, those 2 lines do not need to return. The M Train is serving a lot more of a purpose along Queens Blvd than the V ever did. The Q Train is doing fine in replacing the W Train as it is more useful for riders. The only point I will give them is that I would hate to only have the R Train to depend on along the 4th Ave corridor in Brooklyn. The nickname “Rarely” is quite accurate to that line especially when you need or expect it to be there on time if at all.

Overall I feel the agency did best with its Metro-North Railroad & NYC Transit service enhancements with the LIRR being a completely different story. It will be interesting to see how much these “enhancements” end up costing us in fare hikes which are inevitable.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR Service Enhancement Info

Posted by
on July 26th, 2012 at 5:12 pm

Now here is the scheduled service enhancements for the LIRR via its press release:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road announced today investment in a series of service enhancements to be phased in starting November 2012. The enhancements will provide increased service during off-peak periods on the Ronkonkoma Branch, the addition of rush hour trains on the Montauk, Long Beach and Port Jefferson Branches, extension of late-evening train service for Atlantic Terminal, and the addition of evening diesel scoot service on the Montauk Branch. While initial investments are planned for November, most of the added service will be implemented in March 2013.

“Long Islanders and others are increasingly using our service,” said LIRR President Helena E. Williams. “We’ve seen ridership increases for the last 10 months in a row on the LIRR and we are responding to this customer demand by investing in areas where we are seeing growth. We are also planning for anticipated demand in a new market opportunity with the opening of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. These investments in service are good news for our customers, for the Long Island economy and for our entire region.”

Some of the investment will restore service that was curtailed during the severe budget crisis of 2010, when the MTA was forced to cut $93 million worth of operations to keep its budget in balance. Other parts of the plan will enhance service in areas where there is increased rider demand.

Details on the LIRR’s service investments:

Ronkonkoma Branch Off-Peak Service

During key time periods, weekend and weekday off-peak service on the LIRR’s Ronkonkoma Branch will be increased to half-hourly intervals to meet rising customer demand. The added trains will operate between Farmingdale and Penn Station – making stops at Bethpage, Hicksville, Mineola and Jamaica.

Weekends

Beginning in November, half-hourly service will be added in two three-hour periods on weekends on the Ronkonkoma Branch between Farmingdale and Penn Station. For westbound service the three-hour period is between the hours of 9 AM and 12 Noon; for the eastbound, the three-hour period of half-hourly service is between the hours of 4 PM and 7 PM.

Weekday – Post AM Rush Hour

In March 2013, the LIRR will be adding a three-hour period of half-hourly westbound service from Farmingdale to Penn Station after the morning rush hour between the hours of 9 AM and 12 Noon.

Peak Hour Service Enhancements

Montauk Branch – PM Peak train restored May 2013

The 4:30 PM train from Hunterspoint Avenue to Montauk (arriving 7:35 PM) is being restored to the schedule for daily service during the summer season (mid-May through mid-October) starting May 2013. This train was reduced to seasonal Friday-only service in September 2010. Adding this train back to seasonal daily service provides customers a second opportunity for peak service east of Speonk and closes a seven-hour gap in eastbound service to Montauk.

Port Jefferson Branch – PM Peak train restored March 2013

The 5:11 PM train from Hunterspoint Avenue to Port Jefferson (arriving 7:00 PM) is being restored in March 2013. In May 2010, this train was converted to a scoot service originating from Huntington to Port Jefferson, requiring customers traveling east of Huntington to transfer from an electric train at Huntington. Having this train originate from Hunterspoint Avenue will help reduce standees on the Port Jefferson Branch.

Long Beach Branch – AM Peak train restored March 2013

The 6:09 AM train from Long Beach to Atlantic Terminal (arriving 7:03 AM) is being restored to the Long Beach Branch morning rush hour schedule in March 2013. Restoring this train eliminates a one-hour gap in service on the Long Beach Branch during the morning rush hour that was created when this train was eliminated in September 2010.

Late-night Atlantic Terminal Service:

Beginning March 2013, late-night Atlantic Terminal service is being added between the hours of midnight and 2 AM. With the opening of the new Barclays Center and expanded evening entertainment offerings, demand for late-night LIRR service is expected to increase. Overnight service to Atlantic Terminal was eliminated in September 2010, with no train service operating between midnight and 5 AM on weekdays and between midnight and 6 AM on weekends.

Added Atlantic Terminal Service:

Weeknights:

Four eastbound and four westbound trains will be restored, serving Atlantic Terminal between midnight and 2 AM on weeknights.

Eastbound: Two Far Rockaway and two Hempstead branch trains would originate at Atlantic Terminal instead of Jamaica.

Westbound: Two Far Rockaway and two Hempstead branch trains would operate to Atlantic Terminal instead of terminating at Jamaica.

Weekends:

Four eastbound and four westbound trains will be restored, serving Atlantic Terminal between midnight and 2 AM on weekends.

Eastbound: One Far Rockaway, one Long Beach and two Hempstead branch trains would originate at Atlantic Terminal instead of Jamaica.

Westbound: Two Far Rockaway and two Hempstead branch trains would operate to Atlantic Terminal instead of terminating at Jamaica.

Montauk Branch Evening Service:

In March 2013, the LIRR will be restoring three evening diesel scoot trains to operate between Babylon and Patchogue/Speonk. Restoring these trains closes two 2-hour gaps in Patchogue/Speonk service and also restores hourly service until midnight as far east as Patchogue on the Montauk Branch. This service was eliminated in May 2009. The restored trains are:

Eastbound:

The 10:36 PM train from Babylon to Patchogue (arriving 11:06 PM)

The 12:36 AM train from Babylon to Speonk (arriving 1:36 AM)

Westbound:

The 11:22 PM train from Patchogue to Babylon (arriving 11:52 PM).

The service investments will be formally presented to the MTA board during its regular monthly meeting next week. They are part of the scheduled July update to the MTA financial plan, which relies on additional efficiencies, three years of net-zero wage increases and a previously scheduled fare and toll increase next year to generate an additional $450 million in annualized revenue.

For the prices we pay, they owe LIRR riders more service. However since this is the LIRR we are talking about, I don’t expect these new “enhancements” to function as well as they could which is a complete shame considering how they overcharge for the garbage they pass off as service.

My biggest gripe would have to be with the additional service on the Ronkonkoma branch. I have for years voiced how badly that line needed extra service considering it has the heaviest ridership in the system. The majority of those riders are coming from stops east of Farmindale so why are they not getting extra service? I think this is a big mistake as it does not address the majority of the line’s riders. However expecting the LIRR to look out for the benefit of its riders was completely foolish on my part.

I do think it is a good call to bring back some late night service to Atlantic Terminal. In my many appearances at Jamaica Station during the overnight period, I see a lot of people wanting to get to Brooklyn & hopping cabs to do so versus taking the extremely long subway ride. The same could be said for additional service to Patchogue & Speonk as that corridor has a good amount of ridership. Addressing the gap was very important.

However besides the Atlantic Terminal & Patchogue/Speonk additions, I don’t feel the agency did enough to help the riders out. Their biggest mistake was definitely on the Ronkonkoma branch where extra service east of Farmingdale would have been huge.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro-North To Add 230 New Trains A Week

Posted by
on July 26th, 2012 at 3:45 pm

As part of the MTA’s $29 million in service enhancements, the Metro-North Railroad will be adding 230 new trains a week. Here are complete details via the official press release:

MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced plans to add 230 trains a week, 220 east of Hudson and 10 west of Hudson, in the largest service expansion since the railroad’s inception in 1983. Most of the new service will be on weekends and in the off-peak to meet non-commutation ridership that is growing at about 6% a year.

The railroad also plans to add rail cars to 27 trains each weekend for a more comfortable ride as the loading standards that were imposed in 2009 due to severe budget constraints are being relaxed.
“Metro-North is projecting record ridership of over 85 million rail rides in 2012, its highest ever,” said Metro-North President Howard Permut. “We are gratified to be able to add service where it’s most needed – on weekends and in the off-peak periods. By establishing 30-minute headways where we now offer only hourly service, we make the railroad an even more attractive choice and we expect ridership to grow even more as a result of these initiatives.”

With weekend ridership growing significantly faster than the traditional AM-peak inbound commutation market, Metro-North is poised to increase the number of east-of-Hudson trains it operates on Saturdays from 418 to 442 and on Sundays from 357 to 413. Historically, Sundays were not as busy as Saturdays, but this pattern is changing and Metro-North is moving to reduce the old difference in service levels.

Some Upper Hudson customers will save about 12 minutes on the trip to Grand Central on off-peak and weekend trips because of a new departure pattern. Weekend and off-peak trains will depart Poughkeepsie on the hour, 20 minutes later than currently, and most will run express from Croton-Harmon to Manhattan. To provide better travel options for Upper Hudson Line customers traveling to local stops between Croton-Harmon and New York, these trains will make a direct connection at Croton-Harmon to local trains, eliminating a 26-minute wait for a local.

The Hudson line is getting 11 new weekday trains, 12 new Saturday trains and six new Sunday trains, for a total of 73 new trains a week. The Hudson Line changes will be implemented in April 2013.

On the Harlem Line, Metro-North will add 12 new trains on Sundays between North White Plains and Grand Central in October, Trains that previously had been “Saturday-only” trains will now operate both days to accommodate the line’s highest ridership during the fall/winter holiday shopping season.

In April 2013, weekday Upper Harlem line service will be beefed up to provide 30-minute frequency from Southeast to Grand Central between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on inbound trains and at all off-peak times until midnight in the outbound/northbound direction. Also, another six trains will be added on Sundays, to accommodate higher ridership outbound from New York City in the spring and summer months.

In addition, three weekday Upper Harlem Line trains, one inbound off-peak and two outbound peak trains, will be split into six, zoned express trains, to accommodate ridership that is approaching capacity.

This initiative will add 17 new weekday Harlem Line trains, four new Saturday trains and four new Sunday trains. A total of 93 new trains a week will operate on the Harlem Line.

In October on the New Haven Line, Metro-North, in cooperation with the Connecticut Department of Transportation, will add 20 trains on Sundays and 8 trains on Saturdays to increase the frequency to every 30 minutes from both New Haven and Stamford at most times of the day. As on the Harlem Line, these changes will accommodate higher ridership during the fall/winter holiday shopping season.

In April 2013, another eight trains will be added on Sundays between New York and Stamford, to accommodate traditionally higher ridership outbound from New York City in the spring and summer months.

On the Pascack Valley line west of the Hudson, Metro-North, in conjunction with its operator, NJTRANSIT, will add one AM peak and one PM peak train to/from Hoboken this fall.

These service investments will be presented to the MTA board during its regular monthly meetings next week. They are part of the mid-year update to the MTA financial plan, which relies on additional efficiencies, three years of net-zero wage increases and a previously scheduled fare and toll increase next year to generate an additional $450 million in annualized revenue.

I honestly can’t remember the last time I rode the Metro-North so it is hard for me to comment personally so I asked people I know who regularly do. From everyone I have spoken with, they are looking forward to the additional service.

From what I can tell, Metro-North riders will benefit from the service enhancements which is more than I can say for LIRR riders especially on one branch. However I will save that for the next entry.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Announces $29M In Service Enhancements

Posted by
on July 26th, 2012 at 3:32 pm

The biggest transit news over the past week was the MTA announcing $29M in service enhancements which feature adding & extending service on a combination of nearly 40 bus, subway & commuter rail lines. Here is more via the official press release:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is adding and extending service on almost 40 bus, subway and commuter rail lines to better serve its customers. These service investments will connect customers across the MTA’s service area, enhance access to mass transit, accommodate ridership growth and attract new transit customers.

The service investments come at a time when MTA ridership is steadily increasing. Subway ridership has reached levels not seen since the 1950s, while commuter train ridership is approaching all-time records. Ridership growth is especially pronounced outside of the traditional rush hours, prompting increased investment in night, weekend and off-peak weekday service.

“As the New York metropolitan region grows, the MTA’s 8.5 million riders increasingly rely on transit not just for commuting, but for getting around at all times for all reasons,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota. “The service investments we are announcing today will give our customers more connections to where they want to go, more options on nights and weekends, and more reason to stay out of their cars and take buses, subways and commuter trains instead.”

The service investments will be phased in over several months and will cost an additional $29 million per year to operate when fully implemented. They are paid for with increased revenue generated by additional ridership on the MTA system, as well as savings from the MTA’s continued rigorous efforts to contain costs. MTA planners analyzed ridership data in conjunction with residential and business growth patterns and accessibility to transit to determine which routes, days and times would benefit the most from enhanced bus, subway and commuter rail service.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how to improve both the quality and quantity of service for our riders, and I’m pleased that these investments will make a difference in the lives of our customers,” Lhota said. “The MTA is the lifeblood of the New York region’s economy and a critical element in its environmental sustainability. With extended routes, less crowding and more frequent service, the MTA will help New York thrive.”

The service investments will be implemented across all elements of the MTA’s mass transit system, with the common goal of solidifying ridership gains and improving the customer experience. Some of the investments will restore service that was curtailed during the severe budget crisis of 2010, when the MTA was forced to cut $93 million worth of operations to keep its budget in balance. Others will enhance service to neighborhoods and regions that have seen demand for transit grow in recent years.

New York City Transit will add five new bus routes, restore one route, extend 13 existing bus routes and add midday, night or weekend service on 11 bus routes in all five boroughs. The temporary extension of the G subway line to Church Avenue during reconstruction of the Smith/9th Street station will be made permanent.

Metro-North Railroad will enhance service on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines to reduce crowding and better serve growing off-peak and weekend ridership with increased half-hourly frequency. West of the Hudson, a new round-trip peak train will be added on the Pascack Line.

The Long Island Rail Road will provide increased service from Ronkonkoma every 30 minutes on weekdays after the morning rush and during some weekend periods. Extra trains will accommodate increased rider demand on the Long Beach, Port Jefferson and Montauk branches. Trains from Atlantic Terminal will also be extended until 2 a.m.

The service investments will be formally presented to the MTA Board during its regular monthly meeting next week. They will be included in the MTA’s 2013 Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan, which relies on additional efficiencies, three years of net-zero wage increases and a previously scheduled fare and toll increase next year to generate an additional $450 million in annualized revenue.

What I am going to do is create separate entries for each agency receiving enhancements along with comments on them.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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