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Buses To Replace Trains On Montauk Branch

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:05 pm

Late yesterday afternoon, the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) sent out a press release via e-mail. The press release was to announce that buses will replace some weekday trains on the Montauk Branch. This is happening due to a $9.3 million track refurbishment program & will last from March – May. Here are the complete details:

Bus service will replace MTA Long Island Rail Road trains between Speonk and Montauk on weekdays from March 2, 2009 through May 15, 2009 to allow for the installation of new track ties along the route.

The $9.3 million track refurbishment will cover 44.3 miles and involve the installation of 30,800 new track ties.

Included in this program is the process of surfacing or aligning the new ties with fresh stone ballast that is dropped over the entire work area to provide a smooth and comfortable ride for customers.

The LIRR has budgeted $53 million for track improvements systemwide in 2009, including new switches, track joint elimination, interlocking switch surfacing and installation of continuous wielded rail.

The project on the Montauk Branch will start Monday, March 2, with work beginning each weekday morning (including Good Friday, April 10) at 6:49 AM and ending at 5 PM.

The shutdown of the Montauk branch during those hours will affect four trains. Buses will be running on earlier schedules than the trains they are replacing so Montauk Branch customers are urged to pick up a copy of the latest timetable that include bus departure times.

Westbound Service:

Westbound, the 11:23 AM and the 2:51 PM trains from Montauk will be canceled and replaced by buses which will pick up customers at Montauk, Amagansett, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, Southampton, Hampton Bays and Westhampton. At Speonk, customers will board trains for points West. Westbound customers will experience between 6 and 27 minutes increased travel time depending on their home station.

Eastbound Service:

Eastbound, the 8:11 AM and the 11:30 trains from Jamaica to Montauk will terminate at Speonk where customers will board buses for stations Westhampton through Montauk. Eastbound customers will experience between 14 and 38 minutes increased travel time depending on destination.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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2

MTA NYC Transit Ridership Continues Growth In 2008

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

This past Friday, MTA New York City Transit issued a press release via e-mail to tout the continuing growth in ridership during 2008. Here are the complete details:

Fueled in part by higher prices at the pump, strong economic activity during the first half of the year, increased tourism and new residential development, NYC Transit combined bus and subway ridership in 2008 increased 3.1 percent from 2007 to 2.37 billion, the highest since 1965. The increase was led by an annual subway ridership of 1.62 billion, an increase of 3.9 percent from 2007 and the highest annual subway ridership since 1950. While the overall increase in ridership continues a growth trend that began in 2004, the ridership growth slowed considerably toward the end of the year, due to the declining economy.

“The sustained ridership growth in our subway and bus network is proof of the vital role NYC Transit has in moving the region forward in an environmentally sustainable manner,” said Elliot G. Sander, MTA Executive Director and CEO. “The improvements we have made to the infrastructure, including the purchase of new buses and subway cars, are paying dividends, and the ridership growth we’ve seen is proof positive how important a fully funded capital plan is to the continued reliability and viability of the system and to the region as a whole.”

In 2008, average weekday bus and subway ridership was 7.6 million, an increase of 2.8 percent from 2007 and the highest since 1969. For the first nine months of 2008 average weekday ridership increased 3.6% from the first nine months of 2007. In contrast, average weekday ridership for the 4th quarter of 2008 increased only 0.4% from the 4th quarter of 2007.

On the subway, average weekday ridership reached 5.2 million in 2008, an increase of 3.6 percent from 2007, and the highest since 1951. Bronx subway ridership showed the strongest rate of increase – up 6.2 percent from 2007 to 2008, nearly double the system-wide increase.

The subway line with the largest weekday growth from 2007 to 2008 was the 14 St/Canarsie Line L train with an 8.5 percent increase. Seven stations, located all along the line, had over 10 percent growth: 1st, Bedford, Wilson, Bushwick (Aberdeen St.), Atlantic, Livonia and New Lots Avenues. Weekday ridership on the L line is up 29% since 2003 and 79% since 1998.

“The L line’s growth is not surprising, given that it has been the fastest growing line in the system for years,” said Howard H. Roberts, Jr., President of NYC Transit. “The service we added in late 2007 and the additional new subway cars running on the line have provided needed relief for riders, who have noticed and appreciate the hard work Line General Manager Greg Lombardi and his team are putting in, from cleaning to minimizing delays. In 2008, riders gave the L a “C-Plus” grade for overall service, up from a “C” in 2007, and I know Greg and his team is hoping to push that grade higher in 2009,” added Roberts.

The Sea Beach N line in Brooklyn had the second largest weekday ridership growth with an 8.1 percent increase. The Sea Beach line is up 48 percent since 2003 and 111% since 1998, due in part to service improvements implemented in 2004 following the end of construction on the Manhattan Bridge.
Residential development also had an impact on subway ridership in 2008. Of the top eight stations with the largest weekday ridership growth from 2007 to 2008, four are in areas of new residential development:

Vernon Blvd.-Jackson Avenue 7 in Long Island City (up 19%)

Beach 44th Street A in the Rockaways (up 16%)

Bowery JMZ on the Lower East Side (up 16%)

York Street F in Dumbo (up 15%).

Bus ridership in 2008 also rose but not as dramatically as subway ridership. Annual bus ridership in 2008 was 747 million, a 1.2 percent increase over 2007, and the highest since 2002. Average weekday ridership in 2008 rose slightly, by 0.9 percent, to 2.4 million, the highest since 2006.

On the buses, the big story in 2008 was the Bx12 Select Bus Service (SBS), which began operation last summer. Select Bus Service uses Traffic Signal Priority (TSP) and prior to boarding proof-of-payment fare collection. Traffic signal prioritization holds or advances a green signal by several seconds to allow a bus through an intersection without stopping. From August to December, weekday ridership on the entire Bx12 corridor (including SBS and local buses) was up 9.4% from 2007 to 2008.

“The success of Select Bus Service demonstrates how the use of innovative technology combined with the cooperation of our city and state partners can yield enormous benefits for our customers and for service,” said Joseph J. Smith, Sr. Vice President of Buses at NYC Transit. “SBS is the blue print for how we’d like to improve bus service city wide,” added Smith.

Now lets take a look at the ridership highlights:

Total Ridership:

• Preliminary 2008 total ridership of 2.37 billion was the highest since 1965, and increased 3.1 percent (71.4 million trips) from 2007 with most of that growth occurring in early 2008 due to strong job growth and tourism.

• Average weekday total ridership in 2008 was 7.6 million, the highest weekday ridership since 1969, and increased 2.8 percent (208,000 trips) from 2007.

• Average weekend total ridership in 2008 (Saturday and Sunday combined) was 7.9 million, the highest weekend ridership in over thirty-five years, and increased by 2.4 percent (183,000 trips) from 2007.

Subway Ridership:

• Total subway ridership in 2008 was 1.62 million, the highest subway ridership since 1950, and increased by 3.9 percent (61.1 million trips) from 2007.

• Average weekday subway ridership in 2008 was 5.2 million, the highest weekday ridership since 1951, and increased 3.6 percent (183,000 trips) from 2007.

• Average weekend subway ridership in 2008 (Saturday and Sunday combined) was 5.3 million, the highest weekend ridership in over thirty-five years, and increased 3.1 percent (161,000 trips) from 2007.

Bus Ridership:

• Total bus ridership in 2008 was 746.9 million, an increase of 1.2 percent (8.9 million trips) from 2007.

• 2008 average weekday local bus ridership was 2.3 million, an increase of 0.9 percent (20,000 trips) from 2007.

• Average weekday Express bus ridership in 2008 was 46,000, an increase of 2.1 percent (1,000 trips) from 2007.

• Average weekend local bus ridership in 2008 was 2.6 million, an increase of 0.7 percent (18,000) from 2007.

• Average weekend Express Bus ridership in 2008 was 10,000, a decrease of 1.0 percent (100 trips) from 2007.

*excludes Paratransit ridership

All of this is great news as it is a positive sign to see so many depend on mass transit. However with saying that, these statistics also highlight the need for our elected officials to help the MTA secure legitimate sources of revenue. It is clear that people in the tri-state area are willing or need a strong mass transit system to survive.

If our officials care as much as they claim they do, they would try to find a way to provide the MTA its fair share of the money pie. There are very few things as important to our region as our mass transit infrastructure. Don’t believe me? Go ahead & ask the millions of us who use it everyday!

In the coming days, I will dig into these statistics a little bit more & post my thoughts.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Downtown Alliance Kicks Off Extended Jitney Bus Service

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:03 pm

Yesterday afternoon, I received a press release from the Downtown Alliance. The purpose of the release was to announce that they were kicking off an extended jitney bus service. The new extension will be celebrated during a ribbon cutting ceremony & guided tour of Lower Manhattan this Friday. Here are the complete details:

WHO & WHAT: The Alliance for Downtown New York will launch the expansion of its free Downtown Connection jitney bus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and guided tour of Lower Manhattan. The free service was launched in late 2003 to connect the South Street Seaport with Battery Park City.

The Downtown Connection’s expanded service now provides free transportation along a new loop that links Battery Park City to City Hall via the new shopping and dining corridors that have evolved along Murray and Warren streets. The jitney buses travel daily from South Street Seaport to Battery Park City along a defined route that primarily follows the waterfront. All Downtown Connection jitney buses heading toward Battery Park City will now loop around Murray and Warren streets before heading back to the South Street Seaport.

More than 800,000 passengers took advantage of Downtown Connection this past year, and the Downtown Alliance expects that the extended service will attract even more riders in 2009.

The Downtown Connection’s “hop-on, hop-off” service operates seven days a week, except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The jitney buses operate at 10-minute intervals from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with six buses running on weekdays and four on the weekend. The jitney buses make stops at dozens of locations and are able to accommodate more than 20 passengers each. The climate-controlled vehicles are ADA-wheelchair accessible and will run on ultra-low sulfur fuel. Each jitney bus will also be equipped with diesel particulate filters and electronically controlled fuel injected engines.

For more information on the Downtown Connection, please click here.

WHEN: Friday, February 27, 2009 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: Corner of Murray and Greenwich streets

The bus service sounds interesting. I doubt I will be able to make the ceremony. If any of my readers make it, please let me know how it went.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Names New Chief Diversity Officer

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:02 pm

This past Friday, the MTA issued a press release via e-mail. The release was to announce that they named a new Chief Diversity Officer. Here are the complete details:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the appointment of Michael J. Garner as Chief Diversity Officer, effective February 5th. In this new position, Mr. Garner is responsible for the development and expansion of Minority, Women, and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs; MWBE/DBE Contract Integrity Monitoring functions; Title VI and Equal Employment Opportunity responsibilities; and other existing activities and functions of the Office of Civil Rights. As Chief Diversity Officer, Garner will report directly to MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Sander.

“Michael has more than twenty years of experience in developing and creating business opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses to foster economic development and bring new jobs to New York,” said Elliot G. Sander, the MTA’s Executive Director and CEO. “Tapping into this vast array of new and emerging entrepreneurs is critical to strengthening our economy as we compete in a truly global marketplace.”

As Senior Director of Business Development at the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), Mr. Garner was responsible for the short and long term business development of qualified emerging Minority, Women-Owned and Locally Based Business Enterprises (MWLBEs). Under his direction, the SCA created one of the most comprehensive small business development and inclusion programs in the nation including implementation of a Graduate Mentor Program; creation of a surety bonding program, which provided surety bonds to 22 MWLBEs totaling $56 million.

Mr. Garner also oversaw the implementation of a small business loan program, that provided 44 small business loans to MWLBEs totaling $4 million and the implementation of an extensive construction and information technology training program tailored to the SCA’s Construction Means and Methods.

“I am honored to join the MTA and play a key role in helping minority and women-owned businesses tap into new markets and meet their full potential,” Mr. Garner said. “For the MTA, providing transportation as well as business development opportunities to the most diverse population in the world should go hand-in-hand.”

Prior to his 15-year career at the SCA, Garner’s work at the New York City Housing Authority included certification of firms, contract compliance, minority and women-owned business development outreach and procurement management.

Mr. Garner received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from the State University of New York, College @ Buffalo and is close to completing his studies for a Master of Business Administration from SUNY.

Congratulations to Michael J. Garner for being named the new Chief Diversity Officer. Lets hope his tenure is smooth & productive.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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4

New LIRR Timetables Due To Track Work

Posted by
on February 26th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

A few days ago the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) issued a press release via e-mail. The press release was to discuss the new timetables in effect for the month of March due to track work in the Valley Stream area. 5 branches will be directly impacted by the track work while some other branches will be indirectly. Here are the complete details:

On Four Weekends in March:

Buses Replace West Hempstead Branch Trains; Babylon Branch Service Affected; Hempstead, Long Beach and Far Rockaway Branches & Other Schedules Revised

New MTA Long Island Rail Road timetables will be in effect during the month of March to accommodate a track work program in the Valley Stream area that will take place on all four weekends during the month. Train service on five branches, West Hempstead, Hempstead, Babylon, Long Beach and Far Rockaway will be directly affected by the work and other branches will be indirectly impacted through connecting trains at Jamaica. Only two branches will not be impacted, Oyster Bay and Port Washington, although both branches will have timetables re-issued reflecting the March date.

The work in the Valley Stream area involves maintenance of track components, including ties and rails, and replacement where necessary. In addition, preparatory work will take place for installation and activation of a new signal system in the area during the fall. A later news release will detail train service impacts during this fall weekend.

Weekends of March 7-8, March 14-15, March 21-22, March 28-29

West Hempstead Branch:

Eastbound: Customers will board their regular trains at western terminals and transfer to buses at Valley Stream for their stations to 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.

Babylon Branch:

Since there will be limited track space available during the affected weekends because of the work, it is necessary to reduce the number of Babylon Branch trains operating during these four weekends. Service will be reduced to approximately one train per hour instead of the regular two trains per hour. Affected customers should pick up a copy of the special Branch timetables for these weekends for further details.

Far Rockaway, Hempstead, & Long Beach Branches:

Train departure and arrival times will be revised during the affected weekends. Customers should pick up a copy of the special Branch timetable for these weekends for further details.

Other Branches:

Customers on the Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, and City Terminal Zone branches should pickup copies of the March timetables at their stations and at all terminals because of time changes in Jamaica for connecting trains due to the track work. Oyster Bay and Port Washington customers will also have new March timetables, although they will not reflect any time changes.

New timetables will be issued effective March 30, after the Valley Stream track work is completed.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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