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Service Diversions 08-01-11

Posted by
on August 1st, 2011 at 5:01 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions by removing all of the weekend work that wrapped up by a minute ago. The planned work for this week & beyond in some cases has been moved to the forefront.

Riders of the LIRR’s Montauk Branch, be aware that buses replace all trains between Speonk & Montauk for 48 hours beginning tomorrow afternoon due to a bridge repair in Southampton. Click here for complete details.

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.

The diversions will have minor updates as scheduled ones drop off. Any minor updates will take place on the page as it is updated daily but will not be noted in an entry. The next complete update will be sometime on Thursday after I received the planned weekend diversions from the MTA directly.

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.

As always, stay safe & have a wonderful week.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Reduced LIRR Main Line Wkd Service In August

Posted by
on August 1st, 2011 at 4:34 am

The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) announced on Friday that riders will see reduced weekend service along the main line in August due to a track modernization project. Here are the complete details:

A track modernization project on the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line in Mineola over four consecutive weekends in August will result in some cancellations and service adjustments on the Huntington-Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Ronkonkoma, Far Rockaway and Babylon branches.

LIRR personnel will be installing new running rail, resurfacing and making repairs at the Willis Ave. grade crossing on Saturday and Sunday, August 6 and 7, Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14, Saturday and Sunday, August 20 and 21 and Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28. The work, when completed, will provide a smoother ride and more reliable service.

Since one of two Main Line tracks will be out of service during the project, the LIRR had revised weekend service on those branches to accommodate the track work.

Over the first two weekends, August 6-7 and August 13-14, the track work will get underway Saturday at 12:43 AM and continue until 10 AM on Sunday when regular service will resume. Over the third and fourth weekends, August 20-21 and August 27-28, the track work will get underway Saturday at 12:39 AM and continue until 10 AM on Sunday when regular service will resume.

On Saturdays, the work will affect approximately 24,000 customers traveling east and west of Jamaica. On Sundays, the work will affect about 1,200 customers eastbound and 1,700 customers westbound.

Huntington Branch:

Service on the Huntington Branch will be hourly instead of half-hourly and some trains will be adjusted earlier by three minutes.

Port Jefferson Branch:

Port Jefferson Branch trains will run every two hours instead of every 90 minutes. Customers can also expect an increase in travel time of 2-3 minutes.

Oyster Bay Branch:

Oyster Bay Branch trains have been adjusted to run every two hours.

Babylon Branch:

Babylon Branch trains departing Penn Station on Saturdays at 7:40 AM, 8:40 AM, 9:40 AM and 11:40 AM can expect an increase in travel time of 8 minutes. Sunday trains departing Penn Station at 7:40 AM and 8:40 AM will also increased travel time of 8 minutes.

Ronkonkoma Branch:

On Sundays, the 12:16 AM train to Ronkonkoma has been adjusted 14 minutes later. Also on Saturdays, customers on the 11:21 PM train from Ronkonkoma can expect an increase in travel time of up to 5 minutes.

Far Rockaway Branch:

On Sundays, the 12:16 AM train from Penn Station, which normally connects to the Far Rockaway train at Jamaica is adjusted. Instead, Far Rockaway customers should board the 12:01 AM Babylon train at Penn Station and change at Jamaica for the Far Rockaway connection.

Well this will sure make me think twice about hopping the railroad to the city during the weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

No LIRR Service Between Speonk & Montauk

Posted by
on August 1st, 2011 at 4:21 am

LIRR riders who take the railroad between Speonk & Montauk, please take notice that buses will replace trains for 48 hours starting tomorrow due to a bridge repair in Southampton. Here are the complete details:

Buses will replace train service on the Montauk Branch east of Speonk for 48 hours beginning at 12:40 PM on Tuesday, August 2 and continuing through Thursday, August 4 at 1 PM so MTA Long Island Rail Road can replace the damaged railroad bridge that spans Hill Station Road in Southampton.

The Hill Station Road Bridge suffered serious structural damage when it was struck by a flatbed truck in April. Scheduling the bridge project during a 48 hour period in mid-week was necessary so that train service could be restored in time to meet the heavy weekend service demand between New York City and the East End of Long Island.

The work will result in the suspension of train service between Speonk and Montauk, including some AM and PM Peak trains, and the substitution of bus service. The LIRR’s goal was to perform the bridge work in a way that would impact the fewest customers. At this time of the year, weekend ridership on the Montauk Branch greatly exceeds weekday ridership.

Customers can pick up a copy of the special “East of Speonk” timetable, which is reprinted below, for the revised schedules for specific train. The East of Speonk timetable can also be found at the Railroad’s website: www.mta.info/lirr. The outage will affect approximately 370 eastbound customers and 440 westbound customers each day. On a typical summer Friday, some 3,400 customers ride the branch.

Customers who travel to or from Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, East Hampton, Amagansett and Montauk should pick up a copy of the special timetable titled “East of Speonk Customers” to find the bus departure and arrival times during the two-day train outage.

Eastbound customers will take their train as far as Speonk and then board buses for stations Westhampton through Montauk. They should allow for up to 40 minutes additional travel time depending on their destination.

Westbound customers at stations Montauk through Westhampton will board buses to Speonk where train service will resume. Westbound customers will be boarding buses up to 39 minutes earlier and will arrive at their final destinations at normal times.

AM PEAK and PM PEAK TRAVEL

Buses will replace the following Montauk Branch AM Peak and PM Peak trains during the bridge replacement project.

Tuesday, August 2 – Eastbound PM Peak:

The 6:17 PM train from Jamaica, scheduled to arrive at Speonk at 7:55 PM will end its run at Speonk where passengers will board buses to continue on to Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Amagansett, and Montauk.

Wednesday, August 3 – Westbound AM Peak:

The 5:39 AM train from Montauk, scheduled to arrive at Amagansett at 5:58 AM, East Hampton at 6:03 AM, Bridgehampton at 6:12 AM, Southampton at 6:22 AM, Hampton Bays at 6:32 AM, Westhampton at 6:41 AM will board buses at their station for Speonk where normal trains service will resume for points west.

Wednesday, August 3 – Eastbound PM Peak:

The 6:17 PM train from Jamaica, scheduled to arrive at Speonk at 7:55 PM, will end its trip at Speonk where passengers will board buses to continue on to Westhampton, Hampton Bays, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton, Amagansett and Montauk.

Thursday, August 4 – Westbound AM Peak:

The 5:39 AM train from Montauk, schedule to arrive at Amagansett at 5:58 AM, East Hampton at 6:03 AM, Bridgehampton at 6:12 AM, Southampton at 6:22 AM, Hampton Bays at 6:32 AM, Westhampton at 6:41 AM will board buses at their station for Speonk where normal service will resume for points west.

Regular train service is scheduled to resume on Thursday at 1 PM.

The Hill Station Road rail bridge was struck on the afternoon of Friday, April 22 by a flatbed truck. The truck, outfitted with a boom, became wedged underneath the bridge. The impact damaged the bridge’s structural integrity.

Service was immediately suspended while the LIRR’s Engineering Department determined the extent of the damage and how to shore up the structure so that train travel could resume Monday morning.
Normal train speed through the area is 65 miles-per-hour. But since the incident, trains have been moving over the bridge at the restricted speed of 15 miles-per-hour for safety reasons. To complicate matters for local residents, the temporary support system devised by the LIRR has prevented vehicular traffic from passing under the bridge.

The cost of the new bridge, designed by Structural Bridges USA, is $367,505. The road below the bridge is scheduled to reopen to traffic on Friday, August 19.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Releases Preliminary 2012 Budget

Posted by
on August 1st, 2011 at 4:03 am

This past Wednesday, the MTA released its preliminary 2012 budget. I waited until now to write about it as I wanted to read through the material before commenting on it. For starters, here is the press release they sent out:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today released its 2012 Preliminary Budget and July Financial Plan for 2012 – 2015. The plan builds on last year’s successful cost-cutting efforts, expected to yield $3.8 billion in cumulative savings by 2014, to achieve a balanced budget while avoiding service cuts and fare and toll increases in 2012. However, risks remain, including continued economic uncertainty and the need for labor participation to control wage and benefit costs. The Plan also acknowledges and addresses the need for an innovative and pragmatic financing strategy for the final three years of the MTA’s 2010-2014 Capital Program. The July Plan is preliminary; the MTA Board will vote on a final budget in December.

“By keeping our focus on making every dollar count, this financial plan brings stability back to the MTA’s finances,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder. “As a result, we’re able to meet our commitments to avoid service cuts and fare increases next year. The savings also pave the way for a new funding strategy that will advance vital capital investments that protect the safety and reliability of our transportation network.”

Financial Plan:

The MTA’s 2012 – 2015 Financial Plan relies on four key components: a continued focus on cost cutting; a three-year zero wage increase initiative that reflects new fiscal realities; continued implementation of biennial 7.5 % fare/toll increases in 2013 and 2015; and continued receipt of dedicated taxes and subsidies.

Continued Cost Cutting:

The plan builds on $525 million in recurring savings achieved in 2010, with savings targets increasing in each year of the plan and reaching $799 million by 2015. Savings of $623 million in 2011 are being achieved by pursuing better ways of doing business including: rebidding health care contracts; rationalizing and consolidating IT functions; overhauling procurement practices; and improving inventory management.

For example:

• $65 million will be saved by 2015 through IT efficiencies:

o Consolidating 34 data centers into 3
o Shrinking number of servers from 2,600 to under 500
o Merging seven email systems into one

• $60 million will be saved by 2015 through better procurement practices:

o Eliminating 2,100 workstations, reducing cost by 28 percent
o Eliminating 3,000 cell phones
o Eliminating 325 vehicles from non-revenue fleet

These savings, together with a higher than projected favorable 2010 carry-over, higher subsidy and real estate receipts, debt service savings, and the release of $50 million from the MTA’s General Reserve account for a $170 million 2011 cash balance that will be carried over to 2012. Cash balances in 2012 ($4 million), and 2013 ($125 million) will help address out-year deficits beginning in 2014 (-$54 million) and continuing into 2015 (-$178 million).

Despite these savings, the Financial Plan remains subject to risks that could mean additional difficulties. Economic uncertainty remains a concern. The MTA continues to have limited financial reserves and the Plan assumes that the health of the economy does not continue to deteriorate, and that the taxes that are collected by New York State in the MTA’s name are paid to the MTA. The Plan is also predicated on labor settlements that include zero wage increases for three years. Long-term vulnerabilities include skyrocketing employee and retiree healthcare and pension costs.

Funding the Final Three Years of the 2010-2014 Capital Program:

One of the biggest risks facing the MTA is its underfunded Capital Program. While the State’s bailout of the MTA in 2009 provided funding for the first two years of the 2010-2014 Capital Program, the final three years remain unfunded. With no appetite for new taxes in New York State, the MTA today released an innovative, pragmatic financing strategy to fully fund the critical Capital Program.

The Capital Program is focused on achieving two main objectives: protecting the safety and reliability of the transportation system by maintaining and improving key infrastructure; and moving the “mega” expansion projects – East Side Access and the Second Avenue Subway – into service. These investments also provide a major boost to the New York State economy, generating a $44 billion economic impact, and creating jobs for manufacturers and suppliers across the state. More details on the program can be found at mta.info/capital.

Funding Strategy:

The MTA’s strategy for addressing the capital program’s funding gap starts with making tough choices to stretch available investment dollars. In 2010, the MTA cut $2 billion from the program by reducing rolling stock costs, shifting to a component-based station rehabilitation program, and sharing shop space across agencies. Last week the MTA announced plans to double that savings to $4 billion, reducing the overall cost of the program to $24.2 billion while delivering its critical benefits. These savings will be achieved by reducing capital administrative staff by 15%, reducing the cost of train and bus purchases, and partnering with contractors and labor to reduce bid costs. In addition, the MTA is selling underutilized assets – like its Madison Avenue headquarters – to raise additional funds for the plan.

But these actions aren’t enough to fund the final three years of the program. To that end, the MTA has identified an innovative and pragmatic financing strategy:

• Innovative federal loan: The MTA has applied for a $2.2 billion federal loan that benefits from low Treasury rates and utilizes longer maturity bonds that are appropriate for new infrastructure projects with long useful lives.

• MTA revenue bonds: The federal loan would be complemented by $4.7 billion in MTA revenue bonds.

• Manageable debt level: Existing capital funds – protected by ongoing MTA cost-cutting – would be used to repay the federal and MTA debt, creating no additional burden on the operating budget. In addition, during the period this debt would be issued, the MTA will be repaying $6.2 billion of existing debt.

• Ongoing local partnerships: In addition, ongoing support from the State, City and Port Authority add another $1.7 billion.

• Asset sales and other resources will provide an additional $.89 billion.

Along with federal grants ($4.1 billion), these sources provide the $13.6 billion needed to fully fund the remainder of the MTA Capital Program.

“We recognize that there’s no appetite for new taxes in New York today, and that makes it all the more important that we find ways to make these investments as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Chairman Walder said. “At the same time, we continue to pursue innovative and pragmatic ways to move investments forward with our federal, state and local partners, because we can’t afford to eliminate or defer any of these critical projects.”

Click here to view the entire plan.

I have one word that in my opinion accurately describes this plan, disaster. When you are basing your figures on debt financing & assumed increased contributions from the city & state, you are just asking to be disappointed.

While the agency should be applauded for continuing to cut costs, it is clearly not a big enough reason to find this plan as a positive one. The historical trend for city & state funding to the MTA is extremely poor as it is rich with looting of transit funds & purposeful neglect. So why base your preliminary budget on increased contributions?

Where exactly does the agency thing this money is coming from when the city & state continue to cry poverty during these challenging economic times. While no one can legitimately deny the importance of our mass transit infrastructure, it has not led to proper funding in the past so why would it now?

Should our silver lining be that big ticket projects will be completed? Yes, that sounds good but not at the expense of throwing more debt at an agency drowned in it. It will come to a point that the numbers just do not add up & one can say we have been past that point. Either way, adding a future negative to produce a present positive is not the way to go about things.

With this being a preliminary budget, one can expect many changes during what will be an intense process. Hopefully those changes include finding legitimate funding that produces a budget based on more facts & less assumptions.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

MTA Bringing BusTime To Staten Island

Posted by
on July 29th, 2011 at 4:20 am

Last October, MTA NYC Transit introduced a long overdue service to its bus riders, real bus time location information. The service debuted on the M16 & M34 & to this day continues to be an invaluable tool to riders along the route. After showing success in Manhattan, the agency implemented the service across the river on the B63 this past February.

Fast forward to yesterday where the agency announced it plans on bringing the service to Staten Island by the end of the year. Here are more details courtesy of a press release:

Staten Island bus riders will soon be able to benefit from MTA Bus Time, the latest Metropolitan Transportation Authority initiative to alert riders to the status of their commute in real time, with actual bus locations available on the web, by text message and on smartphones. The MTA board yesterday approved a contract with VeriFone, Inc. to install on all Staten Island buses the necessary hardware that will provide real-time bus information to customers in the entire borough.

The $6.9 million contract also includes an option to purchase 500 smart card readers to test the new contactless fare payment system that the MTA is developing and plans to fully implement in 2015.

“Today, our transit system is quickly catching up with our 21st century expectation that real-time information is available on the go for all New Yorkers,” said MTA Chairman Jay H. Walder. “That means knowing if your bus is on time before you leave home, getting updates on delays while you’re out and about, and unlocking opportunities for better service across our entire network. MTA Bus Time is a big part of this new vision for bus service in New York.”

MTA Bus Time is already taking the guesswork out of waiting for your next bus ride along the B63 route in Brooklyn. The successful pilot was launched in February and uses enhanced global positioning system devices that triangulate bus locations in real time. Accessible through cell phones and other electronic devices, all bus customers have to do is text us a code that is prominently displayed at their bus stop. They immediately receive a return text with the real-time locations of the next several buses.

Electronically-savvy customers are also using their smartphones to snap a picture of a two-dimensional barcode installed at every B63 stop. A barcode-reading app, available free of charge, can then interpret this information, and take customers directly to our mobile website.

The MTA Bus Time website, www.MTA.info/BusTime, is accessible from any computer with an Internet connection. The site presents map-based moving images representing the real-time location of every B63 bus in service. The same information is available through smartphones, on a simplified website designed specifically for mobile phone browsers.

The pilot on the B63 was developed in-house by the MTA in collaboration with a non-profit civic group called OpenPlans utilizing non-proprietary open standards and software for development and deployment, allowing for increased flexibility, and done at a fraction of the cost of previous vendor pilots.

The system selected for Staten Island is part of VeriFone’s TransitPAY solution, a rugged, reliable and secure system that can transform the customer experience and accommodate NFC smartphone-based payments and contactless smart cards.

“VeriFone is thrilled to be a technology solutions partner in the MTA’s ongoing effort to modernize New York’s transit services,” said Jennifer Miles, VeriFone senior vice president – Retail, Global Security and Vertical Solutions. “VeriFone is committed to development of new mobile solutions for taxis and buses, and self-service solutions for areas like mass transit and parking.”

The next step in the process will involve awarding a contract for the development of the systems software to fully integrate the location and other relevant information that will be transmitted from the hardware on Staten Island buses to a central server that will transform such information into customer-friendly formats.

“I’m certain that bus customers will be thrilled with MTA Bus Time,” said NYC Transit President Thomas Prendergast. “Having next bus arrival times right in your hand available at any point in your trip is part of our ongoing effort to improve the customer experience.”

“With a variety of ways of accessing MTA Bus Time, Staten Island customers will find it extremely convenient and useful. It’s another way we’re committed to improving bus service,” said Darryl Irick, VP for Department of Buses and President for MTA Bus.

Complete information on MTA Bus Time is available at the MTA website at www.MTA.info/BusTime.

This is wonderful news for bus riders in the usually forgotten borough. While the service has only been limited to 3 routes in 2 boroughs respectively, it has shown to be an invaluable tool to those riders. Hopefully in the coming years, we will see the service implemented system wide.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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