0

Site Update 02/28

Posted by
on February 28th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

I will be moving this site to a different server I own this weekend. So you will not be able to access it for a brief period. Hopefully the DNS will not take long to propagate & things will be up & running smoothly by Monday.

There should be a difference in how fast you can access the site as the main network used in the datacenter is one of the best in the world.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Site News
0

Service Diversions 02-27

Posted by
on February 27th, 2009 at 6:02 pm

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for this weekend & next 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

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Site News
2

The F Sings The C- Blues

Posted by
on February 27th, 2009 at 4:19 am

F TrainJamaica/179th St. bound F train approaching the Ditmas Ave. station. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit.

It is after 4 a.m & here I am doing a Rider Report Card entry. If you guessed that whatever line I was going to write about earned the same overall grade from 2007, take your bow as you are 100% correct. The line that towed the company grade line was the F. It once again earned a C- from the 8.158 people who responded. If you guessed that the number of responders dropped, you get to take a second bow for being correct. This time the decrease was close to 5000. Anyhow lets get to the breakdown:

F Train Riders Top 10 Priorities; 2007 priority rank in ( ):

01. Reasonable wait times for trains ( 1 )

02. Minimal delays during trips ( 3 )

03. Adequate room on board at rush hour ( 2 )

04. Station announcements that are easy to hear ( 4 )

05. Train announcements that are easy to hear ( 5 )

06. Cleanliness of subway cars ( 7 )

07. Cleanliness of stations ( 6 )

08. Sense of security in stations ( 8 )

09. Sense of security on trains ( 10 )

10. Working elevators and escalators in stations ( 11 )

—-

Complete F train riders priorities 2007 priority rank in ( ):

01. Reasonable wait times for trains ( 1 )

02. Minimal delays during trips ( 3 )

03. Adequate room on board at rush hour ( 2 )

04. Station announcements that are easy to hear ( 4 )

05. Train announcements that are easy to hear ( 5 )

06. Cleanliness of subway cars ( 7 )

07. Cleanliness of stations ( 6 )

08. Sense of security in stations ( 8 )

09. Sense of security on trains ( 10 )

10. Working elevators and escalators in stations ( 11 )

11. Station announcements that are informative ( 9 )

12. Comfortable temperature in subway cars ( 12 )

13. Train announcements that are informative ( 13 )

14. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel ( 14 )

15. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars ( 15 )

16. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way ( 18 )

17. Signs in stations that help riders find their way ( 17 )

18. Ease of use of subway turnstiles ( 16 )

19. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines ( 19 )

20. Lack of graffiti in stations ( 21 )

21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars ( 20 )

Click here for the breakdown of votes in this section.

—-

Now here is the graded breakdown for all 21 categories; 2007 grade in ( ):

01. Minimal delays during trips C- (C-)

02. Reasonable wait times for trains C- (C-)

03. Adequate room on board at rush hour D (D)

04. Sense of security in stations C (C)

05. Sense of security on trains C (C)

06. Working elevators and escalators in stations C- (C-)

07. Signs in stations that help riders find their way C+ (C)

08. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C (C)

09. Cleanliness of stations D+ (D+)

10. Cleanliness of subway cars D+ (C-)

11. Station announcements that are easy to hear D (D)

12. Station announcements that are informative D (D)

13. Train announcements that are easy to hear D+ (D)

14. Train announcements that are informative D+ (D+)

15. Lack of graffiti in stations C+ (C+)

16. Lack of graffiti in subway cars C+ (C+)

17. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars C- (C-)

18. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C (C)

19. Comfortable temperature in subway cars C (C)

20. Ease of use of subway turnstiles B- (B-)

21. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines B- (B-)

Click here for the breakdown of votes in this section.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Well a year has come & gone and it is safe to say not much as changed on the F. 2007’s top priority continues to be the main issue. The 2nd & 3rd reasons switched spots but are still causes for concern according to riders. The rest of the top 10 looks similar to 2007 minus the new entry of “Working elevators and escalators in stations” which rose a spot to 10th.

As far as the grades are concerned, I feel they are extremely accurate. If I had to nitpick, I would say that riders should have given at least a D to the top 2 priorities. A C- is being generous in my honest opinion. Most of what I said for 2007’s results still apply so you can check that out by clicking here. In the end, I feel things will only get worse for the riders of the F before it gets better.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
Rider Report Cards
1

East New York Track Work To Affect Weekend LIRR Service

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:12 pm

Earlier this afternoon the Long Island Rail Road issued a press release via e-mail. The release was to announce that weekend service on 3 branches will be affected due to track work at the East New York interlocking. Here are the complete details:

As part of its track rehabilitation and renewal project, the MTA Long Island Rail Road will be upgrading the switches at the East New York Interlocking, affecting service on the Far Rockaway, Hempstead and Long Beach Branches, along with connections to other branches on February 28, marking the final of three consecutive Saturdays of track work in February.

On Saturday, February 28, 2009 starting at 12:01 AM and concluding at 11:30 PM, one of two main tracks will be out of service at East New York for switch work to be performed, resulting in the following changes:

Far Rockaway Branch Trains Eastbound: All Eastbound trains from Flatbush Avenue to Far Rockaway, starting with the 12:16 AM train and concluding with the 11:13 PM train will depart 10 to 13 minutes earlier from Flatbush to Jamaica, then dwell in Jamaica Station until their regular departure times.

Far Rockaway Branch Trains Westbound: All trains will operate on regular schedule.

Hempstead Branch Trains Eastbound: All trains will operate on regular schedule.

Hempstead Trains Westbound: All westbound trains from Hempstead will operate on their regular schedules and terminate at Jamaica with the exception of the 1:19 AM Hempstead train and the 4:31 AM Hempstead train, which will operate on regular schedules to Jamaica, then dwell at Jamaica Station for 11 to 14 minutes before continuing to Flatbush Avenue. Passengers on trains that terminate at Jamaica will have to wait for the next Far Rockaway train to complete their trips to Brooklyn. This will add approximately 30 minutes of travel time.

Long Beach Branch Trains: The 1:10 AM train from Flatbush Avenue to Long Beach will depart 9 minutes earlier from Flatbush Avenue to Jamaica, then dwell in Jamaica Station until its regular departure time.

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
LIRR
1

Silver Comes Up With His Own Toll Proposal

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

The Ravitch Commission recommendations came out a few months ago & ever since then, the talk has been about what will or will not get approved in Albany. The proposal that has received the most press is the tolling of the East River Bridges. Throughout history if you even hinted at the thought of doing that, you were met with stiff opposition ready to destroy you. So it is quite the site to see any sort of serious consideration towards a plan to add them. Glenn Blain & Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News have more in this report:

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Wednesday night proposed putting tolls on the East River bridges equal to the price of a subway ride, currently $2.

Silver pitched the proposal to his Assembly colleagues gathered to discuss the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s fiscal crisis.

A bailout plan drafted by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch recommends East River tolls matching those at MTA crossings like the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. Drivers with E-ZPass pay $4.15 to cross that span.

Proponents dispute that argument, saying any successful bailout would include higher contributions from many others, like bus and subway riders in the form of modest fare hikes.

Faced with a $1.2 billion operating budget deficit and no money for its next capital construction program, the MTA in December adopted a “draconian” budget.

It includes hikes raising fare and toll revenues by 23% – potentially resulting in a $103 price tag for a monthly MetroCard now costing $81.

Click here for the complete report.

Now lets take a look at the report filed by Jeremy W. Peters & William Neuman of the New York Times:

With time running out for the State Legislature to act on a plan to bail out the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, proposed a compromise on Wednesday that endorses putting tolls on the bridges over the East River and the Harlem River.

Any plan that Mr. Silver puts forward carries considerable weight with Democrats in Albany, who control both the Assembly and the Senate.

But by proposing new tolls — albeit more modest ones than what a state commission proposed in December — Mr. Silver has put himself at odds with many legislators in Albany, particularly those from boroughs outside Manhattan and the suburbs who represent people who drive into the city regularly.

Mr. Silver also called for adopting the tax on business payrolls that was proposed by Richard Ravitch, the former transportation authority chairman who led a state commission to address the authority’s budget crisis.

Because Mr. Silver’s plan would raise less revenue than the plan Mr. Ravitch proposed, the possibility of service cuts or delayed capital projects still looms.

Legislators said on Wednesday night that they were running out of options. “No one wants to have to do any of this,” said Micah Z. Kellner, a Democratic assemblyman who represents the Upper East Side.

“But we’re going to have to pay for the M.T.A. one way or the other.”

Click here for the complete report.

I will say this, I do not support Sheldon’s plan as it does more harm than good in my opinion. I am a big believer of either coming up with a full solution to a problem or nothing at all. His plan is clearly one that falls in the middle & would do more harm than good. What is the point of implementing a lower toll if it will still lead to substantial fare hikes & service cuts due to lower revenue? The answer is clear, there would be no point at all. This is not the time to play around. Millions of people depend on the system daily & the time to get something done the right way is now. So step up or get out!

xoxo Transit Blogger

You might enjoy reading these related entries:
MTA Finances