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Service Diversions 11-05

Posted by
on November 5th, 2009 at 7:05 pm

I updated the service diversions page with the latest information for the upcoming weekend & following week (beyond in some cases) on the rails. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful time this weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
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Extra LIRR Service For Yankees Parade

Posted by
on November 5th, 2009 at 6:16 pm

Earlier today, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) announced it will be providing extra trains in anticipation of the many Long Islanders who will be attending the New York Yankees Ticker Tape Parade. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release sent to me:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will provide extra trains (six morning westbound and eight afternoon eastbound) for fans attending the special parade for the World Series Champion Yankees on Friday, November 6. The parade will begin on Broadway at Battery Place at 11:00 AM and continue northbound up the Canyon of Heroes to Chambers Street. The parade will be followed by a ceremony at City Hall Plaza, at which the Mayor will present the Yankees with Keys to the City. LIRR Customers should purchase round-trip tickets in advance in order to save time and avoid lines.

The extra trains include:

WESTBOUND TO PENN STATION

Babylon Branch:

• Leave Freeport at 9:18 AM, making all stops through Lynbrook, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 9:59 AM.

• Leave Wantagh at 9:27 AM, making all stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 10:17 AM.

• Leave Wantagh at 9:49 AM, making all stops through Rockville Centre, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 10:37 AM.

Port Jefferson Branch (from Hicksville):

• Leave Hicksville at 10:32 AM, making all stops through New Hyde Park, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 11:18 AM.

Ronkonkoma Branch (from Farmingdale/Hicksville):

• Leave Hicksville at 8:56 AM, making all stops through Queens Village, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 9:44 AM.

• Leave Farmingdale at 9:50 AM, making all stops through Queens Village, Jamaica, arriving Penn Station at 10:47 AM.

EASTBOUND FROM PENN STATION

Babylon Branch:

• 2:25 PM, express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon.

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

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

Port Jefferson Branch:

• 2:09 PM, stopping at Jamaica, Carle Place, then all stops to Huntington.

• 2:22 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.

Port Washington Branch:

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

Far Rockaway Branch:

• 3:48 PM, stopping at Locust Manor, Laurelton, Rosedale, Valley Stream, then all stops to Far Rockaway.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Transit Service For Yankees Ticker Tape Parade

Posted by
on November 5th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

With the New York Yankees fresh off winning their 27th World Series, tons of fans will be flocking to the “Canyon of Heroes” for the Ticker Tape Parade tomorrow. MTA New York City Transit issued a press release to talk about service information for the event. Here are the details:

Fresh from rooting their beloved New York Yankees to World Series Champions, tens of thousands of New York Yankees fans will line Manhattan’s famed Canyon of Heroes to salute the 27-time champions on Friday, November 6, and MTA NYC Transit is prepared to get them there safely to enjoy the time-honored New York City tradition.

Lower Broadway, dubbed The Canyon of Heroes, has hosted more than three dozen ticker tape parades since 1896 and fans have relied on NYC Transit to get to the festivities for most of them. Tomorrow’s celebration will be no different. With close to a dozen subway lines serving Lower Manhattan, fans will have plenty of commuting options to ensure they get a great spot to salute the World Series Champions as they make their way up Broadway to City Hall.

Although the Lexington Avenue line serves the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, Fulton Street-Broadway/Nassau, Wall Street, and Bowling Green stations, Yankees’ fans should be aware that the 4 Train, 5 Train, & 6 Train lines are usually crowded during normal weekday rush hour along the corridor.

Instead, fans are encouraged to use the 1 Train line or the R Train/W Train lines to Rector Street, or the E Train to World Trade Center. Fans should also consider taking the 2 Train or 3 Train lines to Chambers Street or Wall Street, and the J Train to the Broad Street station.

Crowding conditions at the City Hall R Train and W Train station, Park Place 2 Train and 3 Train station and nearby 4 Train, 5 Train, & 6 Train Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station may force trains to bypass those stations during the parade and ceremony at City Hall. All lines affected will be monitored by supervision to ensure smooth operation.

Several local Manhattan bus routes (M1, M6, M9, M15, M20, M22, M103), Manhattan-bound NYC Transit express bus routes (X1, X3, X4, X8, X10, X11, X12, X13, X15, X16, X17A/C, X18, X19, X20, X27, X28, X29) and Manhattan-bound MTA Bus Company express bus routes (B51, BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, QM1A, QM11, QM24, BxM18) also serve Lower Manhattan. However, due to expected street closures in support of the parade, riders should expect that some or all of these routes will be detoured in and around the area on Friday during the morning and early afternoon hours.

I love my Yankees but I want nothing to do with the mob that will be in & around the parade. I’ll just watch it while I am working around my place.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Announces New NYC Transit President

Posted by
on November 5th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

Newly named NYC Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast
Newly named NYC Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast. Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News.

Last night, I wrote an entry about the shocking resignation of MTA New York City Transit President Howard H. Roberts effective December 1st. It did not take long for new MTA Chairman & CEO Jay H. Walder to name his successor as former Long Island Rail Road President & Senior Vice President of Subways Thomas F. Prendergast will replace Mr. Roberts. Here is more courtesy of a press release sent to me by the MTA:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and CEO Jay H. Walder today announced the appointment of Thomas F. Prendergast as President of MTA New York City Transit (NYCT). Prendergast joins NYCT from Vancouver, where he is the CEO of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority, known as TransLink. A world-renowned transit expert, Prendergast is no stranger to the MTA, previously serving as President of MTA Long Island Rail Road and Senior Vice President of Subways at NYCT. Prendergast will assume his new role on December 1. He replaces Howard H. Roberts, who resigned yesterday.

“Tom is a leader who brings an extraordinary variety of experiences from around the world to a system that he already knows extremely well,” said Walder. “Tom’s work running one of the most technologically sophisticated systems in Vancouver will be invaluable as we take the MTA to the next level in performance and customer service.”

Prendergast, 57, brings more than 30 years of transportation experience to NYCT. He began his career at the Chicago Transit Authority and worked at the Federal Transit Administration before joining NYCT in 1982. He rose through the ranks, eventually running the subway system from 1990 to 1994. He then served as President of MTA Long Island Rail Road from 1994 to 2000. He joined TransLink in July 2008 after working in the private sector for eight years. During his time in the private sector, Prendergast worked in the engineering and construction management consultation sector and was directly involved in the delivery of transportation infrastructure and construction projects.

“It is a tremendous honor to return home to lead the outstanding men and women who run one of the world’s great transit systems,” said Prendergast. “I look forward to working with Jay Walder to implement the customer service improvements that New Yorkers deserve. Running New York City Transit is one of the great challenges and honors in the profession, and I will bring all of my energy and passion to the job.”

Prendergast holds a B.S. in Socio-Technological Systems Engineering from the University of Illinois and is a graduate of the Harvard Program for State and Local Government Executives.

Well it is safe to say that the hiring of Prendergast is a blast from the past. Lets hope that the same enthusiasm he showed for taking the position leads to a turn around of the much beleaguered transit agency.

Lets face it, he & everyone else at the transit agency has a lot of work to do with an infrastructure which is crumbling apart as ridership continues to grow, catching up with current & future technologies, & improving the sentiment from an extremely skeptical & dissatisfied ridership base. Good luck Mr. Prendergast, you will definitely need it & I hope for the better of everyone, that you get the job done.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit Responds To Straphangers’ Awards

Posted by
on November 5th, 2009 at 5:35 pm

Shortly after the NYPIRG Straphangers’ Campaign announced its 2009 award winners for the slowest & poorest bus service, MTA New York City Transit responded with a statement. Here is what they said courtesy of a press release sent to me:

Buses were introduced to New York City more than 100 years ago and despite being, by far, the most efficient vehicles on rubber tires as far as the numbers of people they carry, they are still forced to vie for the same street space as a single-occupant automobile. However, with recent innovations such as Select Bus Service (SBS) and signal light prioritization, as well as plans to further improve service recently outlined by MTA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay H. Walder, it is important for the city’s 2.3 million bus customers to know that we are working to achieve improvements in bus speeds and reliability.

Future plans call for the eventual expansion of SBS routes, new methods of fare payment, stricter bus lane enforcement, the use of cameras to nab offenders and the development of a reliable system offering next bus information to waiting bus customers. Since the start-up of SBS, travel times across the Bronx route have been reduced by 20%, ridership has increased, and an overwhelming majority of customers have indicated that they are satisfied or very satisfied with the service.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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