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Gov. Patterson Urges Republicans To Vote For MTA Bailout

Posted by
on April 19th, 2009 at 10:33 pm

The “doomsday scenario” being officially put into action is rapidly approaching & leaders in Albany are still unable to agree on a MTA funding package. State Democrats can’t come to an agreement due to such individuals like Sen. Carl Kruger, Sen. Pedro Espada, & Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. who rather cater to drivers than the majority of their constituents who depend on mass transit. So the prospects of a funding package being reached could end up needing Republican support. Gov. Patterson realizes this as he urged Senate Republicans to vote for a MTA bailout package. Glenn Blain & Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News has more in this report from Saturday:

Struggling to get an MTA bailout, Gov. Paterson has begun phoning Republican senators trying to wrest pivotal votes.

The Democratic governor Friday called Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Queens) and recently phoned Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Long Island) about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fiscal crisis.

The outreach comes after the failure of the Senate’s Democratic leadership to unify its own members behind a rescue to avert sky-high fare hikes and massive service cuts.

Without a Senate deal, more than 8 million subway, bus and commuter train riders will get fare hikes as high as 30% in late April and early May.

Padavan also got a call from former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch, architect of a bailout plan featuring East and Harlem River bridge tolls and an employer-paid payroll tax.

Click here for the complete report.

I am not holding out hope of Gov. Patterson being able to convince enough Republicans to vote for a MTA financial package. He clearly has been unable to get this done within his own party so why would be for the opposition? It is quite obvious that both sides rather play the political blame game versus getting the job done for millions of riders. I happen to agree 100% with Working Families Party Executive Dan Cantor when he said:

No plan is perfect, but doing nothing is just unacceptable. We’re calling on these senators to get back to the table and lead the way to a final, sensible agreement to save the MTA.

This is not the time to wait for the perfect plan as the needs of our system & the millions who depend on it should be the state’s #1 priority. If they are willing to let the system collapse with ramifications for the entire state, we the voting public will show them the error of their ways come election time. For the millions of riders who depend on mass transit, they can only hope Albany does the right thing. I am not holding out much hope….

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Queens Local Bus Routes To Be Graded

Posted by
on April 17th, 2009 at 4:48 pm

Just a short time ago, MTA New York City Transit announced that riders will have the chance to grade local Queens bus routes as part of the 2008 Rider Report Card series. Here are the complete details courtesy of the just sent out press release:

MTA New York City Transit today announced that Queens local bus customers will be given a second chance to rate their rides for the next three weeks when Rider Report Cards are once again distributed within many neighborhoods throughout the borough.

Queens comes on the heels of Brooklyn, where approximately 53,000 cards were distributed through this morning. Queens bus customers will be able to rate various aspects of service such as “Reasonable wait times between buses,” “Seat availability,” “Smooth handling of bus,” “Courtesy of bus operators and dispatchers,” and “Reliability of wheelchair lifts.”

Report Cards will be distributed at key locations in Queens during the morning rush periods: on Monday, April 20, cards will be handed out in the vicinity of Queensboro Plaza and Queensbridge; on Tuesday, April 21, cards will be handed out along Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst; on Wednesday, April 22, the distributions will continue along Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills and Kew Gardens; on Thursday, April 23, Main Street, Flushing will be surveyed; and, on Friday, April 17, surveyors will hand out cards in Jackson Heights, specifically on 74th Street, Broadway and Roosevelt Avenue.

As before, riders are being asked to mark the route they ride, and then provide a letter grade – A through F or G for “not observed” – for each of the 20 different service attributes listed, as well as a grade for the overall performance of the route. Rider Report Cards will be issued in a self-mailer format. Last year, more than 75,000 report cards were handed out in Queens, of which 6,640 were returned and 523 responses were received on-line.

Riders can also go on line, www.mta.info, to fill out report cards in English, Chinese and Spanish. Distribution of cards in Queens concludes on May 11, and the last day on-line and mail responses will be accepted is June 5.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 04-17

Posted by
on April 17th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

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. Also to my readers who might be using the Long Island Rail Road this weekend, do not forget about the weekend service changes on the Port Washington & West Hempstead lines. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

Buses & Vans Replace Early AM Port Washington Trains

Posted by
on April 16th, 2009 at 11:48 pm

The theme of Long Island Rail Road related press release entries continues. This time, the press release is to talk about how buses & vans will replace early morning trains on the Port Washington line. Here are the complete details that were sent out earlier today:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will provide bus and van service in place of early-morning trains between Great Neck and Port Washington before the morning rush on Friday, April 24th in order to use the Sperry Rail Car to conduct special rail inspections. Two eastbound and two westbound trains will be affected.

The Sperry Rail Car, a bright yellow vehicle fitted with ultrasonic and induction test equipment, is designed to detect internal rail defects not readily visible to the eye. Defects that are found will be corrected immediately by a crew of LIRR track maintenance workers. The Sperry Rail Car is used twice a year to inspect approximately 500 miles of LIRR track.

FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009

Eastbound:

The 12:55AM and 1:53 AM trains from Great Neck will be replaced with bus and van service. Customers will board a bus or a van in Great Neck at 1:05 AM and 2:03 AM for stations Manhasset through Port Washington.

Westbound:

The 1:39 AM and the 3:23 AM trains from Port Washington will originate instead at Great Neck. Customers at stations Port Washington, Plandome and Manhasset will board a bus or van bound for Great Neck. At Great Neck, customers can connect to train service for other points west.

Customers should expect between 15 to 30 minutes of additional travel time in both directions.

Customers should pick up a copy of the special track work timetable at Port Washington Branch stations or at western LIRR terminals. For additional information, customers can contact the LIRR’s Travel Information Center, 24-hours a day, in Nassau County at 516-822-LIRR, in Suffolk County at 631-231-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 website at www.mta.info.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

Buses Replace West Hempstead Trains This Weekend

Posted by
on April 16th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

I apologize for not getting to these press releases sooner. I usually aim to put them up as soon as I get them. Let me first start with news of buses replacing trains on the West Hempstead line due to switch modernization in Valley Stream. Here are the details:

Buses will replace trains on the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s West Hempstead Branch starting at 11:50 PM, Friday April 17 and concluding at 6:30 AM on Sunday, April 19 due to track work related to switch modernization in Valley Stream. The work involves maintenance of track components, including ties and rails, and replacement where necessary.

WEST HEMPSTEAD BRANCH:

West Hempstead Branch train service is replaced by buses all day Saturday April 18 and in the early-morning hours on Sunday, April 19.

Eastbound: Customers will board their regular trains at western terminals and transfer to buses at Valley Stream for stations Westwood through West Hempstead. Customers should anticipate up to 19 minutes additional travel time.

Westbound: Customers will board buses at their stations and transfer to trains at Jamaica to complete their trips. Customers should anticipate up to 29 minutes additional travel time.

Special timetables for the affected weekends are available at stations and terminals. For more information, customers can contact the LIRR’s 24-hour Travel Information Center in Suffolk County at 631-231-LIRR, in Nassau County at 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 may also consult the LIRR’s website at www.mta.info.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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