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Site Issues

Posted by
on November 15th, 2011 at 3:47 am

I would like to apologize for the sudden site issues. The temporary host I was using seems to have gone down including their own company site. Instead of waiting around, I have moved Transit Blogger to a new host for time being before a complete change is made in the coming weeks.

Before the end of the week, I will be back posting daily entries on the latest happenings in & around the world of mass transit in the region. Thank you for your patience & have a wonderful day.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 10-01-11

Posted by
on October 1st, 2011 at 6:22 am

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest planned work for the upcoming weekend, next week & beyond in some cases.

Riders of the L Train should be warned that service will once again be split into 2 sections with 24 minute intervals on the latter half of the line due to the Canarsie fencing upgrade. Full details on that project can be found here.

I suggest printing out a copy before heading to your destination. If you have an internet capable handheld device, you can use it to access the mobile version of this site.

While out traveling, if I notice or hear any changes, I will update them on the twitter feed so don’t forget to follow @TransitBlogger today which you can do by clicking the button in the sidebar.

Stay safe & have a wonderful weekend.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Catch The Nostalgia Train

Posted by
on September 30th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Nostalgia Train
The “Nostalgia Special” that the MTA will run for tonight’s Yankees game. Photo courtesy of the MTA.

The MTA has a special treat for those heading to the ALDS opener at Yankee Stadium. The treat is the return of the “Nostalgia Special”. Here are the details for those interested in catching it:

A reminder, that the four-car “Nostalgia Special” is scheduled to leave 42 Street-Grand Central on the uptown side, 4 line around 7:15PM, making stops at 59th, 86th, 125th, 138th/Grand Concourse, 149th/Grand Concourse and 161st Street/Yankee Stadium.

The cars, originally operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) system and pictured below, entered service in 1917 and worked into the early 1960s.

So if you are heading that way, why not have a little fun before the game. Just remember that these trains do not have air condition. However considering the rarity of seeing them in service now, it is worth sweating over!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Still Looks To Capitalize On Properties

Posted by
on September 26th, 2011 at 6:09 pm

It seems every few months over the last couple of years, the MTA maximizing its real estate holdings has come up. The usual banter stems from the agency not cashing in on some of the assets it possesses such as its former headquarters at 370 Jay Street in Brooklyn.

Earlier today, the agency announced it plans on selling or leasing 9 properties including the aforementioned former headquarters as part of their strategy to maximize its real estate holdings. Here is more courtesy of a press release:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that it intends to sell or lease nine parcels of MTA-controlled real estate in New York City, including MTA New York City Transit’s former headquarters building at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The move is part of an ongoing effort by the Authority to reduce costs and maximize the revenues it receives from real estate holdings. Last April, the MTA announced that it intends to sell or offer for long-term lease its headquarters building in Midtown Manhattan. In July, it announced plans to dramatically expand the footprint of retailing operations at Grand Central Terminal.

The MTA is preparing to issue requests for proposals (RFPs) for 370 Jay Street and the other eight properties. The RFPs will be issued jointly with the City of New York, which owns the properties and leases them to the MTA for a nominal amount.

“We are fully committed to deriving the maximum value we can from our real estate holdings, and I’m pleased that our thorough review of the properties we own or otherwise control in the City has turned up a number of opportunities,” said Jeffrey Rosen, MTA Director of Real Estate. “All proceeds help pay for the MTA’s critical Capital Program. While these revenues represent just a very small fraction of the MTA’s capital funding needs, every bit helps.”

In addition to 370 Jay Street, the MTA plans to issue requests for proposals for the following eight properties:

• A vacant parcel adjoining the Gun Hill Bus Depot, at Gun Hill Road and Interstate 95 in the Bronx

• A triangular parcel at Houston Street and Broadway in Manhattan

• 351 East 139th Street (between Willis and Alexander Avenues) in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx

• 707 East 211th Street near White Plains Road and Gun Hill Road in the Bronx

• A parcel on Van Sinderen Avenue in Brooklyn

• 851 Avenue I in Midwood, Brooklyn

• 103-54 99th Street in South Ozone Park, Queens

• An elongated parcel at Varick Avenue & Johnson Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

The MTA’s review of its database of New York City properties included another 3,944 properties that are either not suitable for disposition because they are required for MTA operations or have value that could be monetized only when and if development were to proceed on adjoining, privately-owned parcels.

The MTA Finance Committee today was also apprised of challenges and potential benefits of allowing development atop five MTA facilities:

• The Michael J. Quill Bus Depot between 40th and 41st Streets and Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues in Manhattan

• The MTA Bridges & Tunnels parking garages near the entrance to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel

• The N Train’s Sea Beach Line trench in Brooklyn and the adjacent Bay Ridge Freight Branch of the Long Island Rail Road

• Long Island Rail Road right-of-way near Woodside, Kew Gardens and Forest Hills Stations

• Long Island Rail Road facilities along Jackson Avenue in Long Island City.

“We need to address these potential overbuild projects opportunistically as market conditions permit,” Mr. Rosen said.

Today’s presentation is the third of four planned presentations on maximizing the MTA’s real estate holdings. The board discussed plans for right-sizing the MTA’s office space portfolio in April and in July looked at the growing retail revenues from leasing at Grand Central Terminal. The MTA Finance Committee will hear a presentation on the MTA’s suburban real estate holdings later this year.

I am glad that the agency is continuing to find ways at maximizing the real estate assets it possesses. One can only wonder what could have been though if they did this during the real estate boom that saw inflated prices all over our region.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Amtrak To Replace East River Tunnel Tracks

Posted by
on September 26th, 2011 at 5:42 pm

Earlier today, the MTA announced that Amtrak will begin replacing all 4 tracks in the East River Tunnel. For those of us who ride Amtrak or the LIRR, this is a project that is long overdue. Here is more information courtesy of a press release:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road announced today, at a committee meeting of the MTA Board, that Amtrak is beginning the work on a multi-year project for the full replacement of track in all four of its East River tunnels starting the weekend of October 1-2. The MTA urged Amtrak – which owns Penn Station – to perform this critical work to improve the reliability of train service.

In May, an Amtrak train derailed in one of the East River tunnels due to a broken rail. The track damage resulted in a major disruption of LIRR service for almost a week as Amtrak crews worked around-the-clock to make repairs. Following this incident, inspections revealed significant water drainage issues inside the tunnels.

“I would like to thank Amtrak for their quick response and cooperation in taking on this critical work to improve the reliability of LIRR service for our customers,” said LIRR President Helena E. Williams. “I would also like to recognize elected officials for urging Amtrak to make these necessary track and drainage improvements to the East River Tunnels.”

“Amtrak looks forward to completing this vitally important infrastructure enhancement to the our East River Tunnel system, said Mike DeCataldo, Amtrak General Superintendent, Northeast Division. We thank our partners at Long Island Railroad/MTA for their continued support to provide our passengers with a reliable and efficient mode of rail travel.”

The work – to be performed in 55-hour weekend outages in one or two of the four tunnels each weekend – will begin at 10 PM on Fridays and continue through 5 AM on Mondays. There will also be double tunnel outages during weekday overnight periods for the duration of the project.

Over the course of the project work, which is expected to be completed by mid-year 2015, the total track structure in each tunnel will be replaced. New ties, continuous-welded running rail, stone ballast (rock), insulated joints and impedance bonds will be installed for the length of each tunnel. Equally important, the drainage system throughout the tunnels will be re-established with newly re-designed drainage improvements.

The work is being performed on weekends, since fewer trains operate through the tunnels than on weekdays with the demands of the peak periods. While Amtrak performs this work, it is expected to have little or no impact on LIRR train service, as long as the tunnels are returned to service as planned prior to the start of the morning rush hour on Mondays. The LIRR will continue to run its full complement of weekend train service. However, the LIRR will have less operational flexibility on the routing of weekend trains into and out of Penn Station should an issue develop that would normally result in a train being routed to an alternate tunnel.

This necessary and critical tunnel work by Amtrak is expected to impact the construction work being performed on the MTA’s East Side Access project. The impacts to the ESA schedule are under review and will be part of a re-baselining of the schedule.

As I said this project is long overdue as this year has especially seen a long list of delays due to track issues in the tunnel. My only concern is with Amtrak doing the work, can LIRR riders really expect to have little to no impact from it? No offense but Amtrak’s track record has me doubting that assessment. I hope I am wrong though.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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