0

LIRR Service For Subway Series II

Posted by
on June 26th, 2009 at 7:14 am

Yesterday afternoon, I received a press release from the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to discuss their LIRR service plans for this weekend’s Subway Series II between the New York Mets & New York Yankees. Here are the complete details:

The Mets are looking to show their cross-town rivals, the Yankees, a thing or three this weekend and the MTA Long Island Rail Road is the best way to see how they do at Citifield. There will be frequent LIRR service to the Mets-Willets Point Station for the Friday evening game on June 26, the Saturday evening game on June 27 and the Sunday night contest on June 28.

Train service to Mets-Willets Point is available on eastbound Port Washington Branch trains from Penn Station and westbound trains from Great Neck and Port Washington. The train ride is just 18 minutes from Penn Station to Mets-Willets Point. For those traveling on the LIRR from Long Island, the new ballpark is just six minutes from Woodside, 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington. From Long Island, customers may go directly to the stadium from Port Washington Branch stations. Customers from other branches should transfer at Woodside.

Fans traveling from branches other than Port Washington can reach Mets-Willets Point by taking a regularly scheduled train to Woodside Station, then changing to an eastbound Port Washington Branch train. Since Mets-Willets Point is located in Zone 1, tickets to that zone from outlying stations are valid to Mets-Willets Point. However, passengers must retain their ticket stubs and inform ticket collectors of their intention to travel to Mets-Willets Point Stadium. Customers must hold onto their tickets, which will be collected at Mets-Willets Point after they disembark.

Friday, June 26 (7:10 PM Game Time)

Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 3:49 PM, 4:25 PM, 4:46 PM, 5:14 PM, 5:29 PM, 5:50 PM, 5:56 PM, 6:14 PM, 6:29 PM, 6:42 PM, 7:14 PM, 7:49 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:18 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:18 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:18 PM, 11:48 PM and
12:19 AM.

Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:06 PM, 4:36 PM, 5:00 PM, 5:23 PM, 6:24 PM, 7:09 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:09 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:09 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:09 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:39 PM and 12:40 AM.

Trains depart Great Neck at 5:44 PM, 6:04 PM, 6:20 PM, and 6:44 PM.

====

Saturday, June 27 (7:10 PM Game Time)

Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 4:19 PM, 4:48 PM, 5:19 PM, 5:48 PM, 5:59 PM, 6:19 PM, 6:35 PM, 6:48 PM, 7:19 PM, 7:48 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:19 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:19 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:19 PM and 12:19 AM.

Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:10 PM, 4:39 PM, 5:10 PM, 5:39 PM, 6:10 PM, 6:39 PM, 7:10 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:10 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:40 PM and 12:40 AM.

Trains depart Great Neck at 5:59 PM and 6:35 PM.

====

Sunday, June 28 (8:00 PM Game Time)

Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 4:48 PM, 5:19 PM and 5:48 PM, 6:19 PM, 6:35 PM, 6:48 PM, 6:59 PM, 7:19 PM, 7:48 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:19 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:19 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:19 PM, 12:19 AM, 1:18 AM.

Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:39 PM, 5:10 PM and 5:39 PM, 6:10 PM, 6:39 PM, 7:10 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:10 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:40 PM, 12:40 AM and 1:39 AM.

Trains depart Great Neck at 6:35 PM and 6:59 PM.

The LIRR’s Mets-Willets Point Station is not handicapped accessible. LIRR customers with mobility impairments who are traveling to see the Mets should travel to Woodside Station. At Woodside Station, which is ADA accessible, customers should transfer to a Flushing-bound #7 subway train to the Mets-Willets Point subway stop, and then use the ramp to reach Roosevelt Avenue, across from the ballpark.

To return to Woodside after the game, customers with mobility impairments should board the #7 subway and travel one stop east to its end point, the Flushing-Main Street Station. There, after a brief wait on the train, the subway will head west to Woodside. This is necessary due to the location of the ramp, which will only permit access to the eastbound platform.

Mets-Willets Point timetables for the Mets-Yankees Series, June 26, 27 and a special blue supplemental timetable card for Sunday, June, 28 are available at LIRR ticket offices and terminals. Fans can also contact the LIRR’s 24-hour Travel Information Center. The numbers are, in Suffolk County 631-231-LIRR, in Nassau County 516-822-LIRR or in New York City at 718-217-LIRR. The Travel Information Center’s TDD telephone number for the hearing impaired is 718-558-3022. Customers can also consult the LIRR’s web site www.mta.info.

Lets go Yankees!

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
LIRR
0

MTA Has Filed Countersuit Against Lockheed Martin

Posted by
on June 24th, 2009 at 11:52 pm

At the end of April, I blogged about Lockheed Martin suing the MTA over the agency’s alleged interference in following through on a $300M contract to install a network of digital security cameras. The MTA has officially punched back as earlier today, they filed countersuit against the company. Tom Namako of the New York Post has more in this report:

The MTA fired back at a major defense contractor today, saying Lockheed Martin bungled an anti-terror program to link 2,000 subway security cameras capable of “intelligent video” to huge surveillance command centers.

Only 1,400 of 1,750 cameras have been installed, and few are actually working, MTA attorney Ronnie Hakim told a City Council committee.

Also, 15 of 40 construction jobs needed to finish the massive security overhaul are delayed — with 8 of them more than a year behind schedule, Hakim said.

The MTA also fired a cutting response to Lockheed’s blockbuster April lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court by filing their own counter-suit against the firm.

The counterclaim blasts Lockheed on several fronts, saying that the firm’s system failed repeatedly during tests at a center located at Mitchell Field on Long Island, that Lockheed falsely claimed that the work was progressing, that an MTA inspector was injured by poorly-maintined scaffolding , and that Lockheed’s subcontractors botched installation of arial wires across a bridge.

The agency also defaulted the firm and trash-talked Lockheed’s track record as a defense contractor for the federal government.

“Lockheed has had problems in different kinds of programs. You may have read about problems they had with some of their defense contracts,” Hakim said.

The developments are a major setback for subway security — and the MTA will likely face serious legal fees in the near future, said Councilman John Liu, chair of the committee.

Click here for the complete report.

This is clearly headed for a long drawn out battle which is a complete shame. The 8th anniversary of the September 11th attacks is not far off & next to no progress has been made on the creation of a digital security system within the subway. I & many others find this to be completely unacceptable. Regardless of who is to blame, the fact is something needs to be done about creating a legitimate & worthwhile security system. Anything less will just serve as a further disservice to the millions who ride the rails.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Security
0

NYCT To Increase Some Weekend Subway Service Intervals

Posted by
on June 24th, 2009 at 11:41 pm

For those readers who ride the B-division during the weekend, this news will frustrate you. MTA NYC Transit has announced that starting this Sunday & continuing through August, trains will run at 10 minute intervals up from the originally scheduled 8. Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more:

NYC transit’s cutting scheduled subway service on weekends – but most riders won’t notice, officials say, because those timetables usually aren’t met anyway.

Starting Sunday and lasting through August, the regular weekend timetables will call for a train every 10 minutes, up from every eight minutes on most lettered lines, a 25% increase, the Daily News has learned.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not surprised that people are upset about this as I ran it by a bunch of friends & acquaintences. I am also not surprised that Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign was not pleased with the announcement. I will say to him, what I did to those I spoke with.

The best time to do construction/maintenance is during the overnight & weekend periods where ridership is clearly lower. These projects whether it be in construction or maintenance are what is needed to upkeep & grow our system. You can’t demand a better system if you are not willing to make sacrifices for it. Oh & by the way, service on the B-division was usually running at 10+ minute intervals anyhow for awhile now. So seriously, stop looking to complain at every turn.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Subway
0

CVS Reimburses The MTA

Posted by
on June 24th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

Late Monday afternoon, the New York Daily News broke the story of CVS reimbursing the MTA almost $1M due to the company overcharging the transit agency for prescription drugs provided to current workers & retirees. Pete Donohue has more:

Drugstore giant CVS overcharged the MTA for prescription drugs provided to transit workers and retirees – and has reimbursed the agency nearly one million dollars, transit officials said Monday.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials say that figure could rise as the MTA auditor general continues to pore over records pertaining to CVS Caremark and its contract with NYC Transit, the bus and subway division.

MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger’s office has launched a “second and independent” probe, according to a letter from Kluger to a confederation of seven labor unions

The auditor general discovered discrepancies in 2007 and issued an internal report about possible over billing, Soffin said.

As a result, the MTA hired an outside auditing and consulting firm to scrutinize the books for a two-year period ending in March of last year, the first two years of the contract with CVS Caremark.

The company paid the MTA $710,000 last year and reimbursed the agency for another 231,000 earlier this month, he said.

The contract between CVS and the MTA expires in August abd the agency Monday approved replacing CVS and two other drug plan providers with new contractor.

Click here for the complete report.

I am glad to see the transit agency is more active in watching over their finances. Regardless of the financial times, it is their responsibility to make sure they are on the right side for all of their financial transactions. It is unfortunate that those who never can see positive when it comes to the MTA, are not applauding any money that is saved or properly returned.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
MTA Finances
2

MTA Issues Statement On D.C. Metro Accident

Posted by
on June 24th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

As you know by now, a horrific tragedy occurred on Monday evening in Washingon D.C. 9 people died & 76 where injured when one Metro train struck a stopped train in front of it near the Fort Totten station on the city’s red line. Early Tuesday afternoon, the MTA issued a statement on the deadliest accident in Metro history:

The heartfelt thoughts and prayers of all MTA employees go out to our colleagues in the DC Metro system and to the customers involved in yesterday’s tragic accident. We express our condolences to families touched by this tragedy. We are closely monitoring the investigation currently underway by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and will look to incorporate any safety recommendations that are applicable to our system. The safety of our employees and the riding public is the MTA’s top priority, and we are proud of our safety record.

I would like to take this time to offer my heart felt condolences for the friends & loved ones of those who died or were injured in the accident. Lets hope this is the last time such a tragedy will occur on any system in the world.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Transit News