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Staten Island Railway July 4th Getaway Service

Posted by
on July 1st, 2009 at 11:48 pm

When July 4th comes around, some things are a given. Some include BBQ’s, fireworks, parties, & early getaway service on the Staten Island Railway. Here are the complete details for the SIR’s early getaway service courtesy of a press release sent to me earlier today:

Staten Island customers looking to get a head start on their Independence Day holiday weekend celebration will be able to catch earlier afternoon express train service on Thursday, July 2nd with Staten Island Railway’s Early Departure “Get-a-Way” schedule. The “Get-a-Way” schedule means extra SIR trains will be added earlier in the afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal.

On Friday, July 3rd, SIR will run a Saturday schedule with extended 30-minute service from St. George until midnight. On Saturday, July 4th, SIR will operate a Sunday schedule. For baseball fans, there will be a special train providing service to the Ballpark Station for Staten Island Yankees home games. Games begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 4th with additional games scheduled on Sunday, July 5th at 4 p.m. and Monday, July 6th at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, July 4th, Staten Island Ferry service will be suspended from approximately 8 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. because of the harbor closure for the Macy’s Fireworks display. Staten Island Railway is prepared to add additional service both before and after the fireworks, as needed. The last boat from both terminals will leave at 7:30 p.m. The next boat from both terminals will be at approximately 10:00 p.m. SIR riders that require service to/from Manhattan during the harbor closure are advised to transfer at Grasmere Station for the S53 bus to/from Brooklyn and transfer to the R train.

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Some MTA Executives Receive Better Health Care

Posted by
on July 1st, 2009 at 11:39 pm

Earlier today, Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News broke the story of how some MTA Executives receive better health care than some of their peers & blue collar workers. Here is a sample of his report:

Nice perk if you can get it.

Three MTA divisions will pay up to $600,000 over five years for an executive medical program providing head-to-toe physicals and sophisticated tests – free of charge.

In addition to basic medical plans, suits at NYC Transit, MTA Bus and MTA Bridges and Tunnels get more comprehensive health care for which other staffers have to pay deductibles or co-payments.

“I’m all for preventative care but you shouldn’t offer something to managers that the workers can’t get,” Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said.

Executives at other MTA divisions, like the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA headquarters aren’t as pampered. “The other agencies elected not to participate . . . since they do not offer comprehensive executive physicals to their managerial or senior executives,” a staff summary of a contract approved by the MTA board last week states.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not the least bit surprised that white collar employees at the MTA have access to better & less costly health care compared to the blue collar workers who keep the MTA running. However I am surprised that some of the white collar employees did not have the same access as their peers. Usually perks like these are spread evenly amongst those who fit the profile.

As far as fairness goes, I don’t feel it is fair for any of these executives to have better coverage. The workers who truly deserve to receive the perks some of these people did, are the bus drivers, conductors, motormen, repairmen, etc…. who keep millions moving daily. Without them, the MTA would be absolutely nothing but a easy to remember acronym.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR To Run Extra Service For July 4th Holiday

Posted by
on June 29th, 2009 at 8:39 pm

As is to be expected, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will be running extra trains for the July 4th holiday. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release they sent me this afternoon:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will provide additional early afternoon service from Penn Station for customers planning to leave work early on Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3 for the start of the Independence Day holiday. The three additional Hamptons/Montauk summer service trains that normally run on Fridays only will also operate on Thursday, July 2.

The LIRR will be operating on a regular Saturday schedule on July 4th.

Eight extra trains will depart Penn Station between 2:02 PM and 3:48 PM on July 2 & 3. The extra service will include: three trains on the Port Jefferson Branch; three on the Babylon Branch; one on the Port Washington Branch to Great Neck; one on the Far Rockaway Branch as detailed below:

Extra Train Service from Penn Station, Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3

Port Jefferson Branch to Hicksville and Huntington:

• 2:02 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.

Babylon Branch:

• 2:25 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 Washington Branch to Great Neck:

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

Far Rockaway Branch:

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

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Extra Train Service to Hamptons/Montauk on Thursday, July 2 (These trains will also operate on Friday, July 3):

• 1:56 PM from Hunterspoint Avenue arriving Montauk at 4:45 PM. (A 1:53 PM train departs Penn Station to connect with this train at Jamaica.)

• 4:06 PM from Hunterspoint Avenue “The Cannonball” arriving Montauk at 6:48 PM. Hamptons Reserve Service will be offered on Thursday, July 2, and not on Friday, July 3. (A 3:58 PM train departs Penn Station to connect with this train at Jamaica.)

• 5:09 PM from Penn Station arriving Montauk at 8:29 PM. (A 5:12 PM train departs Hunterspoint Avenue to connect with this train at Jamaica.)

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North Fork train extended on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 3:

• The 5:21 PM train from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank will be extended to operate to Greenport (arriving 6:45 PM) on July 2 & 3.

Cars will also be added to some regularly scheduled eastbound trains.

Saturday, July 4th:

On July 4th, the LIRR will operate on a regular Saturday schedule.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Bus Company Receives Federal Transit Award

Posted by
on June 26th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

Just a short time ago, I received a press release to talk about how the MTA Bus Company received an award from the Federal Transit Administration. Here are the complete details:

Earlier this spring, the Federal Transit Administration singled out the MTA Bus Company for its dramatically increased ridership from 2006 to 2007. Since that time, the MTA Bus Company has seen additional ridership gains. Deputy FTA Regional Administrator Anthony Carr was on hand to present MTA Bus Company President Joe Smith with an award at this week’s MTA Board meeting.

The MTA Bus Company was created in September 2004, consolidating the operations of seven bus companies that operated under independent franchises granted by the New York City Department of Transportation. The merging of the private companies into the MTA Bus Company began in January 2005 and was completed in February 2006, creating the tenth-largest bus company in the country.

MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger said: “While the award highlights gains during its first two years of service, it’s important to note that MTA Bus provided 20 million more rides in 2008 than its predecessors provided in 2004. It goes to show that improved service and new equipment can go a long way toward increasing customer demand.”

MTA Interim Executive Director and CEO Helena E. Williams said: “Ridership gains of nearly 20 percent in less than four years are a true testament to the successful and seamless integration of seven bus companies into an efficient and much-improved operation.”

Joseph J. Smith, Senior Vice President of the New York City Transit Department of Buses and President of the MTA Bus Company and Long Island Bus said: “I’m delighted to receive this award on behalf of all of the hard-working employees of the MTA Bus Company, who strive to provide safe and efficient service to our customers every day. Their dedication and commitment to improving service were instrumental to the ridership gains we achieved.”

MTA Bus committed to aggressively upgrading the overall service delivery of its bus operations by purchasing new buses to replace an aging fleet and adjusting schedules and routes to better match travel demand. MTA Bus now operates 45 local bus routes in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and 35 express bus routes between Manhattan and the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. It has a fleet of 1,323 buses serving approximately 400,000 riders daily.

Lets hope they keep up the good work!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 06-26

Posted by
on June 26th, 2009 at 7:16 am

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for the weekend & upcoming week (and beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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