MTA & Officials Meet To Discuss Flooding Issue
For those who have ever been in or around the Long Island Rail Road’s Mineola station and its intermodal center, you would know how susceptible it is to flooding during heavy periods of rain. Recently officials from the town & LIRR met to discuss the problem. Rich Forestano of Mineola American has more:
MTA/LIRR and Mineola representatives recently met to discuss a possible solution to the flooding that takes place during heavy rainfall near the Mineola Train Station and its intermodal center. Mineola Mayor Jack Martins was at the meeting, but details of the meeting are unknown at this time.
Martins has discussed the flooding issue at recent board meetings as follows.
Martins said flooding has been a topic of discussion for years and both parties are looking for a potential solution. There has not been much flooding in Station Plaza North, but there has been along the southwest side of Winthrop University Hospital.
“I know that the railroad has already retained engineers to study the drainage issues in the area and I will look forward to the Railroad providing the resources necessary to address the issues in that area,” Martins said.
The notion of using taxpayer money to fix the flooding issue is not something the Village Board wants to utilize. Martins feels the Railroad has a responsibility to remedy the situation.
“That’s how I feel and that’s how it should be,” Martins said. “I’ve told them a few times that I loathe the idea of using taxpayers money to foot the bill of the drainage issue. It’s an area that’s exclusively used by the MTA and LIRR for access to the usage of their facilities like the train platform. They have a responsibility to absorb these expenses. It’s incumbent on them to realize the commitment the village has made towards the railroad and reciprocate with addressing those issues accordingly.”
The Department of Public Works recently completed the finishing touches on Station Plaza North. Martins said the flooding issue was the next phase of the project that needs immediate attention.
Click here for the complete report.
I have spoken with a few friends of mine who frequent the station & the elevator issue has been one of the first complaints I have heard. When the plans were first made for this station, was this flooding issue even addressed? From the sounds of it, I would say it was not. Hopefully all parties involved can quickly come up with sustainable solutions & get them in place as soon as possible.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Passes On Seatless Subway Plan
Back in 2008, MTA NYC Transit announced a pilot program that outraged the majority of NYC subway riders. The pilot in question would have had a 10 car train feature 4 cars with their seats locked up. The objective was to increase the amount of passengers able to fit on a train during the rush hour.
However with the massive service cuts that have already occurred & the fare hike to match around the corner, the much maligned transit agency has decided to scrap the pilot before it even began. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more:
The cattle-car train has been canceled.
NYC Transit won’t try to cram even more subway riders aboard trains by deploying cars without seats, the Daily News has learned.
A one-train pilot program, conceived more than a year ago, was expected to begin sometime this year so managers could evaluate a low-cost way of carrying more rush-hour passengers.
But with riders getting slammed with fare hikes and service cuts, the new NYC Transit administration saw trouble down the line.
“People are already feeling they’re paying more for less,” a transit official said.
“I don’t know that a train like that, even though the idea was to increase capacity, was something that the public would have embraced.
“We’re not going down that road.”
Good thinking, according to Andrew Albert, the riders’ representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board.
“I think there would have been civil disobedience,” Albert said.
“I think people would have brought bolt cutters and unlocked the seats. I hated that idea. I still do.”
While it can be tough snagging seats during rush hour, “We shouldn’t be locking them away from riders,” Albert said.
Click here for the complete report.
I am glad to hear this pilot is being scrapped. While I understand the agency’s desire to increase the amount of riders per car, especially in areas where more trains can’t be added, this was not a way that would have been satisfactory to riders.
While the picture Mr. Albert painted seemed to be on the extreme side, it is safe to assume he was not far off in terms of how riders would have felt & reacted to such a sudden change. They have already gone through a lot of shock in terms of service cuts, & are only a few months away from feeling it in their pockets. This would have just taken it too far especially for an agency that wants to win their sentiment.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR To Operate Weekend Montauk Service
I apologize for not posting this sooner. The summer months see a big spike in ridership on the Montauk line due to riders going out to Hamptons for the weekend. With so much service being affected due to the fire at a major switching tower near Jamaica Station on Monday, it is safe to assume riders wondered if their Montauk service would be affected.
Yesterday afternoon, the LIRR put those fears to rest as they announced that service would be running albeit with some connection modifications. Here are the details courtesy of the press release I received:
Long Island Rail Road Montauk Branch customers traveling to the East End this Thursday and Friday will be able to take their regular trains as repairs continue on the key switch tower just east of Jamaica damaged by fire earlier this week. Customers should be aware that there may be track changes in Jamaica due to the continuing repair work. Customers are urged to listen for station announcements for information.
Following is the scheduled Montauk Branch East End service:
Thursday (August 26) & Friday (August 27):
• Friday Only – Depart Hunterspoint Avenue at 1:57 PM, arrive Montauk at 4:45 PM..
• Depart Hunterspoint Avenue at 4:06 PM, arrive Montauk at 6:48 PM.
• Depart Hunterspoint Avenue at 4:30 PM, arrive Montauk at 7:35 PM.
• Friday Only – Depart NY at 5:09 PM arrive Montauk at 8:29 PM.
• Depart Jamaica at 6:17 PM, arrive Montauk at 9:07 PM.
• Friday Only – Depart Jamaica at 7:38 PM, arrive Montauk at 10:10 PM.
• Depart Jamaica at 8:53 PM, arrive Montauk at 11:57 PM.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR Friday AM & PM Rush Hour Service Info
Signal men checking control wires within a switch machine. Photo courtesy of the MTA Long Island Rail Road.
Yesterday evening, the MTA Long Island Rail Road sent out a press release with the latest planned service information stemming from the Jamaica Tower fire. There will continue to be major service interruptions in the form of overcrowding, delayed rides, & canceled trains. Here are the complete details:
MTA Long Island Rail Road continues to advise customers to expect significant schedule changes and delays during Friday’s morning and evening rush hours (August 27) as repair work and testing continues as a result of damage to a major switching tower at Jamaica Station caused by a cable fire on Monday morning.
LIRR crews are continuing the time-consuming process of thoroughly assessing the extent of the damage to the tower’s switching board and wiring. Since Monday, crews have been working continuously, round-the-clock on repairs. By late Wednesday evening, the great majority of the repair phase of the work to the tower’s switching machine and wiring was completed.
In the repair process, over hundreds of wires needed to be checked for damage and replacements made. However, as the LIRR is now in the testing phase, some additional damage is yet being discovered – requiring further equipment replacements. It is likely that the testing and additional replacements will take several days to complete.
Intricate and thorough testing must be performed on the 77 switching points and 53 signals that Hall Tower controls. It is anticipated that off-peak service adjustments may be required during this testing phase.
From the preliminary LIRR investigation into the incident, it appears that the cause of the cable fire was weather-related, but the investigation is ongoing.
Hall Tower is a key signal tower through which trains are switched to appropriate tracks into and out of Jamaica Station. With its electrical signal system disabled, trains can only proceed through Hall using a manual system employed to ensure maximum safety during an emergency such as this.
Friday AM Service Plan – Aug. 27 – Eastbound & Westbound
While the Friday AM Rush service plan includes cancellation of 33 westbound AM rush hour trains, the LIRR will, again, be running 75 percent of the 144 trains that normally operate. However, there will be residual delays from added station stops.
Customers will be able to exit or board trains at Jamaica Station, however trains stopping at Jamaica will not be held for scheduled connections to/from Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, Hunterspoint Avenue, and Long Island City. LIRR station personnel will be available at Jamaica to assist customers with service information.
Westbound AM Service Plan
LIRR service on the Port Washington Branch will operate normally.
There is no train service between West Hempstead and Valley Stream – bus service will be provided for train service at Valley Stream.
There will be no westbound train service from St. Albans – bus service will be provided between St. Albans and Jamaica
The modified plan also includes service changes for the eastbound (reverse) AM Rush.
—-
Westbound AM Peak Train Cancellations – Friday, Aug. 27:
The following westbound AM Rush trains will be canceled in the modified service plan:
Port Jefferson Branch:
The 5:59 AM Port Jefferson train due in Hunterspoint Ave at 7:41 AM
The 6:45 AM Port Jefferson train due in Hunterspoint Ave at 8:30 AM
—-
Huntington:
The 6:38 AM Huntington train due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:36 AM
The 7:12 AM Huntington train due in Penn Station at 8:10 AM
The 7:28 AM Cold Spring Harbor train due in Penn Station at 8:25 AM
—-
Hicksville:
The 6:25 AM Hicksville train due in Penn Station at 7:11 AM
—-
Ronkonkoma Branch:
The 6:57 AM Farmingdale train due in Penn Station at 7:48 AM
The 7:04 AM Ronkonkoma train due in Penn Station at 8:19 AM
The 7:19 AM Ronkonkoma train due in Penn Station at 8:28 AM
—-
Babylon Branch:
The 5:18 AM Wantagh train due in Penn Station at 6:08 AM
The 6:15 AM Babylon train due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:27 AM
The 6:57 AM Freeport train due in Penn Station at 7:40 AM
The 7:29 AM Freeport train due in Penn Station at 8:13 AM
The 8:10 AM Freeport train due in Penn Station at 8:50 AM
The 8:16 AM Babylon train due in Penn Station at 9:31 AM
The 8:25 AM Freeport train due in Penn Station at 9:08 AM
The 8:35 AM Babylon train due in Penn Station at 9:37 AM
—-
Long Beach Branch:
The 6:54 AM Long Beach train due in Atlantic Terminal 7:49 AM
The 8:03 AM Long Beach train due in Penn Station at 8:54 AM
—-
Hempstead Branch:
The 6:21 AM Hempstead train due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:08 AM
The 6:58 AM Hempstead train due in Penn Station at 7:52 AM
The 8:45 AM Hempstead train due in Atlantic Terminal at 9:34 AM
—-
Far Rockaway Branch:
The 7:18 AM Far Rockaway train due in Atlantic Terminal at 8:11 AM
The 8:03 AM Valley Stream train due in Penn Station at 8:42 AM
The 8:10 AM Far Rockaway train due in Penn Station at 9:05 AM
—-
Montauk Branch:
The 7:12 AM Speonk train due in Hunterspoint Ave at 9:11 AM
—-
Oyster Bay Branch:
The 6:29 AM train from Oyster Bay due in Jamaica at 7:24 AM
The 7:41 AM train from Oyster Bay due in Hunterspoint Avenue at 8:55 AM
—-
West Hempstead Branch:
The 5:37 AM train from West Hempstead due in Valley Stream at 5:52 AM
The 6:53 AM train from West Hempstead due in Atlantic Terminal at 7:41 AM
The 7:16 AM train from West Hempstead due in Atlantic Terminal at 8:03 AM
The 7:36 AM train from West Hempstead due in Penn Station at 8:29 AM
The 8:28 AM train from West Hempstead due in Atlantic Terminal at 9:16 AM
Eastbound AM (Reverse Peak) Service Plan:
LIRR eastbound, reverse peak service from Atlantic Terminal and Penn Station is expected to operate at regularly scheduled times; however customers should anticipate delays en-route.
There is no eastbound train service from Jamaica to Locust Manor, Laurelton and Rosedale –bus service will be provided.
___________________________
Friday PM Service Plan – Aug. 27 – Eastbound & Westbound
The LIRR’s modified PM Service Plan for Friday provides about 68% of the LIRR’s regular 127 trains during the evening rush hour (between 4 PM and 8 PM). Customers are advised to expect canceled trains, and delays.
Customers will be able to exit or board trains at Jamaica Station, however trains making scheduled stops at Jamaica will not be held for scheduled connections from Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, Hunterspoint Avenue, and Long Island City. LIRR station personnel will be available at Jamaica to assist customers with service information.
To avoid overcrowding at Penn Station and Jamaica, MTA Police will carefully monitor and regulate, if necessary, the number of people entering the LIRR section of Penn Station and/or Jamaica Station, allowing customers access as trains become available.
Eastbound PM Service Plan
Regular service will be offered to Port Washington, so customers may want to consider taking that branch if they can make alternate arrangements for the remainder of their trip home.
Aside from the regular Port Washington service, the evening rush hour service from Penn Station will consist of dedicated trains making local stops to Huntington/Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma/Greenport, Long Beach, Babylon and Montauk. Customers are advised to board trains that do not require a change at Jamaica.
Hamptons/Montauk:
The normal Friday eastbound service to the Hamptons and Montauk will operate. Customers should be aware that there may be track changes in Jamaica or connections may be moved to other locations due to the continuing repair work. Customers may want to board Hamptons/Montauk trains originating at Hunterspoint Avenue. Customers are urged to listen for station announcements for information.
The following is the scheduled Montauk Branch East End service for Friday, August 27:
• Depart Hunterspoint Ave. at 1:57 PM, Jamaica at 2:16 PM, arrive Montauk at 4:45 PM.
• Depart Hunterspoint Ave. at 4:06 PM, Jamaica at 4:25 PM, arrive Montauk at 6:48 PM.
• Depart Hunterspoint Ave. at 4:30 PM, Jamaica at 4:49 PM, arrive Montauk at 7:35 PM.
• Depart NY at 5:09 PM, Jamaica at 5:32 PM, arrive Montauk at 8:29 PM.
• Depart Jamaica at 6:17 PM, arrive Montauk at 9:07 PM.
• Depart Jamaica at 7:38 PM, arrive Montauk at 10:10 PM.
• Depart Jamaica at 8:53 PM, arrive Montauk at 11:57 PM
LIRR is offering Hempstead and Far Rockaway-bound trains only from Atlantic Terminal in downtown Brooklyn, which can be reached by subway. There will be no Hempstead and Far Rockaway service from Penn Station.
LIRR customers are also advised of service changes if heading for the following destinations as detailed below:
• Oyster Bay: Travel to Mineola for connections to all Oyster Bay branch stops.
• West Hempstead: Travel to Valley Stream where buses will be available to take them onto to their home stations.
• Patchogue, Speonk and Montauk: Customers can connect to those trains at Babylon.
There is no train service between Valley Stream and West Hempstead – bus service will be provided for train service at Valley Stream.
There will be no eastbound train service from St. Albans – bus service will be provided between St. Albans and Jamaica.
—-
Eastbound PM Peak Train Cancellations for Friday, Aug. 27:
The following eastbound PM Rush trains will be canceled Friday, August 27 in the modified service plan:
Long Beach Branch:
The 4:15 PM from NY due in Long Beach 5:08 PM
The 5:00 PM from NY due in Long Beach 5:55 PM
The 5:55 PM from NY due in Long Beach 6:51 PM
—-
Hempstead Branch:
The 4:32 PM from NY due in Hempstead 5:23 PM
The 5:04 PM from NY due in Hempstead 5:57 PM
The 5:38 PM from NY due in Hempstead 6:36 PM
The 5:51 PM from NY due in Hempstead 6:46 PM
The 6:39 PM from NY due in Hempstead 7:33 PM
The 7:05 PM from NY due in Hempstead 7:56 PM
—-
Far Rockaway Branch:
The 4:42 PM from NY due in Far Rockaway 5:40 PM
The 5:32 PM from NY due in Far Rockaway 6:24 PM
The 6:02 PM from NY due in Far Rockaway 6:58 PM
—-
Oyster Bay Branch:
The 4:18 PM from Hunterspoint Avenue due in Oyster Bay 5:30 PM
The 6:00 PM from Jamaica due in Oyster Bay 6:58 PM
—-
Babylon Branch:
The 3:34 PM from NY due in Wantagh 4:29 PM
The 4:04 PM from NY due in Babylon at 5:05 PM
The 4:16 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in Babylon at 5:28 PM
The 4:34 PM from NY due in Babylon at 5:39 PM
The 4:52 PM from NY due in Babylon at 5:55 PM
The 5:19 PM from NY due in Wantagh at 6:06 PM
The 5:40 PM from NY due in Seaford at 6:30 PM
The 6:05 PM from NY due in Wantagh at 6:51 PM
The 6:33 PM from NY due in Babylon at 7:35 PM
The 7:41 PM from NY due in Babylon at 8:55 PM
—-
Ronkonkoma Branch:
The 4:34 PM from Atlantic Terminal due Ronkonkoma 5:57 PM
The 7:11 PM from NY due Ronkonkoma 8:33 PM
—-
Port Jefferson Branch:
The 5:47 PM from Hunterspoint Ave. due in Port Jefferson at 7:30 PM
The 6:08 PM from Hunterspoint Ave. due in Port Jefferson at 8:00 PM
—-
Huntington:
The 2:54 PM from NY due in Huntington at 3:59 PM
The 4:01 PM from NY due in Huntington at 5:07 PM
The 5:06 PM from NY due in Huntington at 6:07PM
The 5:29 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in Huntington at 6:28 PM
The 6:56 PM from NY due in Huntington at 8:04 PM
—-
Hicksville:
The 5:33 PM from NY due Hicksville 6:29 PM
The 6:01 PM from NY due Hicksville 6:45 PM
The 6:35 PM from NY due Hicksville 7:22 PM
—-
West Hempstead Branch:
The 4:20 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in West Hempstead 5:06 PM
The 5:06 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in West Hempstead 5:53 PM
The 5:35 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in West Hempstead 6:22 PM
The 6:18 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in West Hempstead 7:07 PM
The 7:23 PM from Atlantic Terminal due in West Hempstead 8:10 PM
—-
Hunterspoint Avenue (Note: the following canceled trains from Hunterspoint Avenue are included in the branch listings above):
The 4:18 PM from Hunters Point Avenue due in Oyster Bay 5:30 PM
The 5:47 PM from Hunterspoint Ave. due in Port Jefferson at 7:30 PM
The 6:08 PM from Hunterspoint Ave. due in Port Jefferson at 8:00 PM
Westbound PM Service Plan
Westbound (Reverse Peak) Service:
LIRR westbound, reverse peak service to Atlantic Terminal and Penn Station is expected to operate at regularly scheduled times; however customers should anticipate delays en-route.
There is no train service between Valley Stream and West Hempstead – bus service will be provided for train service at Valley Stream.
There is no westbound train service from Locust Manor, Laurelton and Rosedale to Jamaica, bus service will be provided.
Westbound (Reverse Peak) Train Cancellations for Friday, Aug. 27:
West Hempstead Branch Westbound cancellations:
The 4:02 PM from West Hempstead due in Atlantic Terminal 4:47 PM
The 5:48 PM from Jamaica due in Atlantic Terminal 6:06 PM
The 6:30 PM from West Hempstead due in Jamaica 6:56 PM
—-
Hempstead Branch Westbound cancellations:
The 5:41 PM from Hempstead due Penn Station at 6:33 PM
The 8:01 PM from Hempstead due Atlantic Terminal at 8:55 PM
I will continue to stay on top of this & post the latest info as I receive it from the LIRR.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Various Transit Hubs Vulnerable To LIRR Repeat
Without question, the biggest transit story over the last few days as been the chaos being felt by riders of the Long Island Rail Road. The fire at a tower near the LIRR’s Jamaica Station was extremely detrimental to the system due to 11 of the 12 lines it operates running through there.
Due to this unfortunate event taking place at a major bottleneck, the agency has had to cancel numerous AM & PM rush hour trains.
The nightmare of this scenario has made some recall the major fire a few years ago near the Chambers Street station on the A & C. The fire, which was caused by a homeless person trying to stay warm, caused damaged that affected service for days.
The type of disruption this fire has caused has shined a light on how outdated a lot of the region’s transit infrastructure is & how other important transit hubs are vulnerable to LIRR type delays & cancellations. Chris Glorioso of Pix11 takes a look at this angle:
A small electrical fire, like the one that crippled the Long Island Rail Road, could easily hobble Metro North or even the NYC Subway system if flames damaged the right station. Bloggers who focus on public transportation issues have been imagining scenarios in which seemingly minor fires could strand riders for days.
The common theme in each scenario is that the flames would have to target a train station that serves as a hub or bottleneck for large numbers of service lines.
The electrical fire that brought the LIRR to its knees charred the Hall signal tower, a control center that directs trains into and out of the Jamaica Station. Because the Jamaica Station is a bottleneck that 10 of 11 LIRR lines run through, the fire was particularly devastating.
Click here for the complete report.
The chaos caused by this fire should resonate with our elected officials across the region. Our region’s transit infrastructure is old & is nowhere close to matching the 21st century standards one would expect from a system of such importance.
I understand that these are trying economic times for everyone. However it is clear that mass transit is an important cog of our region’s economy. One could make the case it is the most important & it should be treated as such when it comes to dedicated revenue streams for it.
Will our elected officials heed this warning & do what needs to be done to help the MTA with dedicated funding streams? Or will it be more of the same fleecing as our system falls apart while when it does, they will be the first to pass out the blame? One can only hope it will not take more commuting nightmares to get their eye on the prize.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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