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QM24 Moving To 6th Avenue

Posted by
on April 18th, 2011 at 10:48 pm

Earlier today, the MTA Bus Company announced that its QM24 express bus route would now operate on 6th Avenue instead of 8th Avenue. The 3rd Avenue portion of service remains unchanged. Here are details courtesy of a press release:

MTA Bus Company announced that beginning today, Monday, April 18, the QM24 will operate along 6th Avenue instead of 8th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan between 34th Street and 57th Street. The current 3rd Avenue branch remains unchanged.

The QM24 provides weekday peak period service between Glendale, Queens and Midtown Manhattan, operating in two branches; one along 3rd Avenue and one that operated along 8th Avenue. The QM24 is one of the few express routes not serving 6th Avenue – the center of the Midtown business district. In addition, by operating along 8th Avenue, the bus had to travel a longer path through Manhattan.

In order to provide more efficient service on a centrally located street in the heart of the commercial and office center of Midtown, MTA Bus will now operate the QM24 along 6th Avenue reducing travel time through Manhattan by approximately 6 minutes per trip.

All QM24 bus stops west of 6th Avenue (on 34h Street, 8th Avenue and 57th Street) are discontinued. New stops have been added along 6th Avenue at 35th Street, 37th Street, 43rd Street, 50th Street and 56th Street. All QM24 bus stops in Queens remain the same.

By utilizing 6th Avenue, MTA Bus expects to improve travel time, reliability and marketability, thus attracting additional ridership and revenue.

Call me crazy but it seems weird that the MTA would issue this press release on the same day the service change begins.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 04-18-11

Posted by
on April 18th, 2011 at 5:01 am

I have just updated the Service Diversions page 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.

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 next update will be sometime on Thursday or Friday after I received the planned weekend diversions from the MTA directly.

As always, stay safe & have a wonderful week.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 04-14-11

Posted by
on April 14th, 2011 at 11:57 pm

I have just updated the Service Diversions page with the latest planned work for the upcoming weekend, next week, & beyond. As always, I suggest printing out a copy before heading to your destination. If you have an internet capable handheld device, use it to access Transit Blogger’s mobile site.

A reminder to riders of the BxM2, as of this Sunday, the northbound route in Manhattan will be revised. Click here for complete information.

The next update will be at 5:01 AM Monday when all weekend work will be removed. Have a safe & wonderful weekend.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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QM16 Extends Route In The Rockaways

Posted by
on April 14th, 2011 at 11:54 pm

The MTA Bus Company has announced that beginning this Monday, April 18th, the QM16 will have its route in the Rockaways extended to provide better service for residents of the Roxbury and Breezy Point communities. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release I received:

MTA Bus Company announces that beginning Monday, April 18, the QM16 weekday peak period express bus to and from midtown Manhattan will extend its travel path in the Rockaways from its current location in Neponsit (Rockaway Beach Boulevard at Beach 147th Street) to Roxbury (Beach 169th Street at Rockaway Point Boulevard).

The residential communities of Roxbury and Breezy Point in the western portion of the Rockaway Peninsula have limited transit accessibility with only two local bus routes, the Q22 and Q35. By extending the terminus of the QM16, we can provide direct peak period express bus service to the area. Customers can now avoid having to transfer to and from a local bus.

Since the extension of the QM16 from Rockaway Park to Belle Harbor and Neponsit was implemented in 2007, QM16 ridership has grown by 70%. This new extension will bring the QM16 within walking distance of Roxbury residents and also bring it to a location that is more convenient for residents of Breezy Point.

We expect that over time, the availability of direct express bus service from Roxbury and more proximate service from Breezy Point will generate additional ridership and revenue.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Schedule Info For Spring Religious Holidays

Posted by
on April 14th, 2011 at 11:49 pm

With Passover, Good Friday, & Easter coming up, the MTA will be adding extra railroad service & cut back on construction on the roadways. Here are details courtesy of the press release I received:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the MTA’s railroads will operate additional trains to assist customers with travel during Passover, Good Friday and Easter 2011. The New York City Subway, the MTA’s buses in New York City and Nassau County, and the Staten Island Railway will operate on normal schedules throughout the holidays.

MTA Long Island Rail Road:

The Long Island Rail Road will operate nine additional eastbound trains from Penn Station, between 2:08 PM and 3:48 PM on April 18 and 19 for customers leaving work early in observance of Passover. The railroad will do the same on April 22 for customer leaving work early in observance of Good Friday. On each of these days, there will be three additional trains on the Babylon Branch, three on the Port Jefferson Branch, one on the Far Rockaway Branch and two on the Port Washington Branch.

The extra, afternoon service from Penn Station follows:

Babylon Branch:

2:24 PM express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon.

3:00 PM stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.

3:31 PM express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.

Port Jefferson Branch:

2:08 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, then all stops to Huntington.

2:21 PM stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington.

3:24 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville.

Far Rockaway Branch:

3:48 PM express to Locust Manor, then all stops to Far Rockaway.

Port Washington Branch:

3:18 PM stopping at Woodside, Flushing Main St., then all stops to Port Washington.

3:40 PM stopping at Woodside, Flushing Main St., then all stops to Great Neck.

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MTA Metro-North Railroad:

Metro-North Railroad will add extra cars to trains departing Grand Central between 3 PM and 5 PM on April 18 to accommodate customers who wish to be home before sundown.

Metro-North expects ridership to be down by a third on Good Friday, April 22, as the financial markets will be closed. Metro-North will operate a regular weekday schedule with an extra train bound for the Upper Hudson Line departing Grand Central at 3:25 PM, first stop Beacon, as shown in the April 3 timetable.

On Easter Sunday, April 24, Metro-North will provide three extra Grand Central-bound trains from New Haven, departing at 5:50 PM, 6:50 PM and 7:50PM, making stops at Milford, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Westport. These extra trains are noted in the April 3 timetable.

With Passover, Spring Break and Easter this month, MTA Metro-North Railroad is making some schedule changes to better accommodate its customers’ special travel patterns. These changes
are in addition to the new spring timetables that became effective April 3.

On the eve of Passover, Monday, April 18, there will be extra cars on trains departing Grand Central between 3 PM and 5 PM to accommodate those customers who wish to be home before sundown and the beginning of the holy day.

For Spring Break, Monday-Friday, April 18-22, when most schools in the metropolitan region are closed, there will be extra cars on inbound off-peak Harlem, Hudson and inner New Haven
Line trains, especially on Wednesday April 20.

On Good Friday, Friday, April 22, ridership is expected to be down by a third as the financial markets are closed. Even so, Metro-North will operate a regular weekday schedule but trains
will have fewer cars to save on propulsion costs and reduce wear and tear on the equipment. In addition, there will be one extra outbound train for the Upper Hudson Line departing Grand Central at 3:25 PM, first stop Beacon, as shown in the April 3 timetable.

On Easter Sunday, Sunday, April 24, Metro-North anticipates heavy travel in the afternoon and evening as people return to New York City. There will be three extra inbound trains from New Haven with departures at 5:50 PM, 6:50 PM and 7:50PM, making stops at Milford, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield and Westport. These service changes are noted in the April 3 timetable.

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MTA Bridges and Tunnels:

MTA Bridges and Tunnels will lift all traffic restrictions and roadway closures (other than permanent or emergency conditions) by early afternoon on Monday, April 18, to facilitate Passover travel. Similarly, there will be no restrictions or closures on Easter Sunday.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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