7 Train Signal Project Nearing Completion
line riders are all too familiar with the service diversions that have plagued the line for nearly a decade due to a long term signal upgrade. Thankfully I can report that the project is nearing completion as the MTA announced it will be done by the end of this month.
The upgrade will let the agency run 14 additional round trips every day to help ease the chaotic rush hour that currently exists. Jose Martinez of NY1 has more:
For nearly a decade, riders on the 7 line have endured frequent weekend service interruptions in Manhattan and Queens so the MTA could upgrade its signal system. That’s about to change.
The MTA now says the signal work will be completed by the end of November. That will allow 14 additional round trips every day, easing overcrowding during rush hours.
Officials said the additional service will come online in April, just in time to handle a surge of riders when the MTA shuts down the L line between Manhattan and Brooklyn for 15 months of tunnel repairs.
Another influx will come when Amazon locates 25,000 jobs in Long Island City, at a site two blocks from Court Square, which is served by the 7, E, G and M lines.
Announcing the Amazon deal Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged even more transportation upgrades will be needed in the community.
“We have to look at every conceivable way to improve and increase the amount of mass transit available to people in Long Island City,” de Blasio said.
The mayor also said that options include adding a Long Island Rail Road stop in Long Island City, and shuttle bus service to and from the NYC ferries that stop there.
Click here for the complete report.
This project being completed is huge as the constant service diversions on the line made it severely hard to get around whether it was the weekday or weekends. Considering the huge ridership this line gets 7 days a week at all times of the night, anything that will help make the commute better is a good thing.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Looking To Increase Service On 4 Lines
- LIRR Anticipates Normal Rush Hour Service
- MTA Plans Service Increase For 2 & 7 Lines
- Increased Service For 12 Subway Lines
- 7 Train Disruptions To Last Up To 5 Weekends
Woman Beaten & Stabbed On Subway
Last Friday, 57 year old Ann Marie Washington was riding the Q train home after a long day at work. She departed the train at the Church Ave station & started to walk up the stairs when an unknown male came up from behind & attacked her while shouting racial slurs.
He punched her multiple times which led to bruises & a cut on her lip. She ended up being stabbed as well which she did not realize until she woke up in her home the next day in a pool of blood. She ended up having to be taken to a hospital & rushed into surgery as it turns out she had a collapsed lung from the attack. Thankfully the surgery was a success.
The incident which is now being investigated as a hate crime has riders in the area worried. Kezia Bernard-Nau, a witness to the attack wonders why the NYPD has not released surveillance footage from the station to help in the capture of the white male. I hope that this footage gets released soon as the longer it takes to do so, the more likely this scumbag gets away with this heinous crime.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Woman Attacked At 34th St Subway Station
- Man Arrested For Subway Hate Crime
- Possible Hate Crime Occurs On The Q Train
- Multiple Stabbings On The NYC Subway
- Person Slashed At Queens Subway Station
Brooklyn Elevator Only Works Half The Time
NYC Subway riders are already up against it on a daily basis whether it be with delays or the system conditions they face daily. So when an elevator that was installed to help ease commutes only works 50% of the time, it just adds further insult to injury.
This is the case at the Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center station where according to the transit advocacy group Transit Center, the elevator was out of service 88 days in the first 6 months of 2018 making its availability stand at a pathetic 52%. Here are more details courtesy of their exclusive report:
A TransitCenter review of MTA/New York City Transit elevator performance data found that eight of New York City’s wealthiest real estate owners are shirking their legal obligation to maintain and operate their subway station elevators at stations adjacent to their properties.
From January to June 2018, the nine worst performing privately-controlled elevators in the subway were in service only 81% of the time. That may sound like a passing grade, but that availability translates to 301 days of outages, or 33 days per elevator in justthe first half of the year. The performance of these elevators is so bad it makes the MTA-maintained elevators look impressive by comparison, which themselves need major improvement.
Onexim owns the worst performer, an elevator that serves the 40,000 daily commuters at Barclays Center-Atlantic Avenue station, home to 10 subway lines and L.I.R.R. commuter rail. That elevator was operational a pathetic 52% of the time – barely more than a coin toss – for 88 days of outages. The eight other elevators serve stations adjacent to luxury condominiums and multi-million-dollar office towers, including Times Square Intercontinental Hotel, 7 Bryant Park, 400 Park Avenue South, Two Court Square, Resorts World Casino, 3 Bryant Park, and 100 Willoughby Street.
Click here for the complete report.
The report came as no surprise to me. I seem to always see an escalator or elevator out of service on virtually every one of my subway commutes regardless of what borough I am in.
A big part of the problem usually stems from the ones run by private companies who agreed to maintain them for huge loophole benefits for real estate builders. Such loopholes need to be closed as the MTA would be better off maintaining all the equipment as their response times tend to be better versus the private company.
However one has to ask themselves, does the MTA or these private companies even care? I seriously doubt it considering the historical track record of these outages throughout the system. Once again the paying customer gets the shaft. Stop me if you heard me say that before!
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Launches Real Time Elevator Escalator Info
- Subway Elevator & Escalator Reliability Improves
- MTA Looks To Decrease Response Times
- Riders Speak Out Against The MTA’s Recent Proposal
- MTA Continues To Squander Real Estate Assets
Man Dies After Being Shoved At Penn Station
If you ride the NYC Subway, at some point you found yourself running to catch a train at any cost & were willing to do whatever it took to do so even if it meant pushing or running through someone.
Sadly such actions ended up costing 89 year old Nazi survivor & Hofstra professor Kurt Salzinger his life. He & his wife Deanna Chitayat had just departed a 
as they planned to head to Macy’s when a man running to board the train swiped the couple and ended up knocking Kurt to the ground. He eventually succumbed to his injuries.
The cops are trying to locate the man who the wife feels did not purposely kill her husband but in the end he did just that. What really disturbs me is how could the guy look back briefly & just get on the train anyway as if to say oh well, accidents happen. Hopefully he gets caught & pays for this thoughtless & unfortunate death.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Local Subway Service Forgetfulness
- Cops Seek Subway Pusher
- Missing Kid Reunited With Mom
- Man Found Dead On Subway Tracks
- Man Flashes Weapon On Bronx Bus
Man Pushed Onto Subway Tracks
Officials released the following photos of a man accused of pushing a commuter onto the subway tracks in a random attack. (NYPD)
When you ride the NYC Subway, you should do your best to always pay attention to your surroundings as your life can change in an instant & usually not in a good way. Such was almost the case for 55-year-old Edwin Pinez of Staten Island who was randomly pushed onto the Bronx-bound 
train track at the Brooklyn Bridge station in Manhattan on Friday morning.
Some good samaratins jumped onto the track to help him while also getting the attention of an oncoming train to slow down. Edwin survived the ordeal & escaped with bumps & bruises along with a nasty cut to the lip that required stitches. Thankfully these were the only injuries that occurred & a life was not lost. Hopefully the sick bastard responsible for this crime is caught as soon as possible!
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:
