0

C & D Trains Switch Routes Due To Construction

Posted by
on February 16th, 2010 at 1:14 am

I apologize for not posting this sooner but I have not been feeling well. If you have been following the “Service Diversions“, one of the biggest projects affecting multiple routes is the “Chambers Street Signal Modernization”. Once again this project will be a big part of the diversions as MTA NYC Transit announced yesterday afternoon, that the C Train & D Train trains will switch routes in Manhattan.

This change is effective as of 5 AM this morning & will last until February 20th. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release they sent out yesterday afternoon:

MTA NYC Transit announces that beginning Tuesday, February 16th at 5:00 am, Uptown service on the C and D trains will switch routes due to the replacement of signals which control a track switch in Lower Manhattan. Normal weekday service will be disrupted for the remainder of this week, through 12:00 a.m. Saturday, February 20th. This work, originally scheduled to begin February 8th was postponed due to last week’s snow storm and the implementation of NYC Transit’s Subway Cold Weather Plan. The project was rescheduled over this weekend in an attempt to make up lost time and control costs. We apologize for the late announcement.

The replacement work impacting service is part of a larger signal and track improvement project near the Chambers Street (A, C, E) station. This particular work involves a track switch outside of Canal Street which allows C trains making their way from Brooklyn to switch to the local tracks. The switch is currently being ‘straight railed’; forcing C trains to remain on the express tracks between Lower and Upper Manhattan.

To make up for the loss of local service along the Central Park West corridor, D trains will operate on the local tracks. Specifically, customers are advised of the following impacts to service:

• Uptown C runs express between Canal St, and 145th St.

• Uptown D runs local between 59th St. and 145th St.

• For Uptown service to Spring St., 23rd St. & 50th St. use E

• For Uptown service to 72nd St. thru 116th St. and 135th St. use B or D

• At 34th St., uptown C stops at A platform

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this late change in normal service will have, but the work underway is vital to continued safe and reliable train operation.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Construction, Manhattan, Service Diversions, Subway
0

MTA Says B67 Not Too Crowded

Posted by
on February 15th, 2010 at 1:19 am

The B67 is a very popular Brooklyn bus route that serves many different areas as it travels between “Dumbo” & “Kensington”. One of those areas in between is Park Slope & according to the neighborhood’s civic council, the route is overcrowded. However according to MTA New York City Transit, it is not. Gary Buiso of the New York Post has more in this report:

f it walks like and talks like a duck, it’s not always a duck, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority official said last week.

That’s the case at least along the B67, a bus line that some feel is overcrowded — just not the MTA.

“All the [numbers] are within our guidelines,” Andrew Inglesby, assistant director of MTA Government and Community Relations told the Park Slope Civic Council last week.

The civic group asked the MTA to examine the route and gauge conditions on it, which the group determined to be “seriously overcrowded,” and requiring the addition of at least one extra bus, particularly during school days.

Inglesby said that from 7-7:30 a.m., an average of 35.5 passengers ride the bus; from 7:30-8 a.m., that number jumps to 49.7; from 8-8:30, the average is even higher, at 51.5 passengers; and then from 8:30-9 a.m., the number dips to 48.

James Anyansi, a spokesperson for New York City Transit, the agency that operates the city’s buses and subways under the MTA’s oversight, said that for buses to be considered crowded, they must have an average of 54 passengers during peak hours, and 36 during off peak hours. If they are found to be technically crowded, more buses are added to a line, he said. “We do regular passenger counts, and if more buses are needed, we adjust accordingly,” he added.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not familiar with this route as it is one that I have never ridden. If the MTA’s numbers are accurate, I would tend to agree with them that the bus is not overcrowded. I am curious to see more data & see if any differences in numbers exist between MTA statistics & those from local riders. Hopefully more about this will be posted in the coming weeks.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Brooklyn, Buses, System Conditions
0

Service Diversions 02-11-10

Posted by
on February 11th, 2010 at 11:37 pm

I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest planned information for the upcoming weekend, next week, & beyond in some cases. I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions or use your mobile device to access it while outside. Have a great weekend!

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Service Diversions
0

LIRR: Holiday Schedule On President’s Day

Posted by
on February 11th, 2010 at 3:13 pm

As expected, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will be running on a holiday schedule this upcoming Monday, President’s Day. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me a short time ago:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will operate on a holiday schedule on Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 15. In addition, three extra trains, one westbound and two eastbound, will operate on the Ronkonkoma Branch and cars will be added to selected trains. Off-peak fares will also be in effect all day.

The additional Ronkonkoma Branch trains are as follows:

Westbound:
Departs Ronkonkoma at 7:21 AM, making stops all stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, Woodside and arriving Penn Station at 8:47 AM.

—-

Eastbound:
Departs Penn Station at 4:37 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, Bethpage, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

Departs Penn Station at 6:04 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, Merillon Avenue, Mineola, Carle Place, Hicksville, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
LIRR, Service Alerts
0

Repeat Offender Still Owes MTA $18M

Posted by
on February 10th, 2010 at 11:48 pm

In May of 2009, I wrote an entry about an advertising company owing the MTA $7.5M. Flash forward to 2010 where a report in the New York Daily News exposes how the same company, Titan Outdoor Holdings (albeit under the name Titan Worldwide in 2009) now owes the cash strapped transit agency $18M. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report:

The MTA says it would need to find $18 million to avoid subway service cuts. Maybe it should look at its own ad company.

Titan Outdoor Holdings has stiffed the MTA out of about $18 million, coming in short with its monthly payments for nearly a year and engaging in some questionable accounting, an internal Metropolitan Transportation Authority audit revealed.

The MTA could recoup the money by cashing a multimillion-dollar letter of credit Titan posted. But officials fear the move would bankrupt the company – meaning even less ad revenue for the authority, according to the audit.

“We’re exploring all of our options,” MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin said.

Titan sells and manages ad space in buses and commuter trains. To win the decade-long contract, Titan promised the MTA 72% of gross revenues – the highest in the industry – or $5.4million a month, whichever is greater.

Click here for the complete report.

As you can read in the report, the New York Daily News is quick to harp on how the amount owed would cover the projected subway service cuts that are planned for later this year. While on paper, it seems the easy solution would be to collect on the money & erase the planned cuts, they should be fair & explain that the situation is not that cut & dry.

While I feel this company should be punished for its failure to pay, the MTA has to balance the costs of potentially bankrupting this company along with its potential to score a more friendlier advertising deal. As far as cuts go, even if they received the $18M tomorrow, eliminating the service cuts due to this happening would be a band-aid solution. These are not the kind of solutions they need now & the New York Daily News & its readers need to understand that.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
MTA Finances