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Boy Falls Into Gap At Peekskill Station

Posted by
on November 30th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

This past Friday, a young boy fell into the gap at the Metro-North’s Peeksill station. Here is more from the Associated Press:

A Metro-North Railroad spokesman says a boy has fallen into a gap between a train and platform in Westchester County, but the child was quickly pulled out unhurt.

Railroad spokesman Dan Brucker says the boy’s parent or parents lifted him out after he stepped into the gap shortly after noon Friday in Peekskill. With no one injured, the family then left on the New York City-bound train.

The boy’s name and age were not available.

It was nice to know that the boy was not injured. Hopefully one day we will never have to hear about any gap accidents.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Accidents
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Metro-North May Cut 4 Trains

Posted by
on November 30th, 2008 at 10:01 pm

On Friday, word came out that the Metro-North may cut 4 trains. To be more specific, the Connecticut Department Of Transportation is considering the elimination of 4 off peak trains on the New Haven Line. The line is owned by the DOT which must approve any service changes or fare increases. Martin B. Cassidy of The Stamford Advocate has more in this report:

The state Department of Transportation is considering cutting four Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line trains and making other reductions because the Metropolitan Transit Authority faces a $1.2 billion budget gap next year, railroad officials said.

The railroad is working with the DOT to choose four off-peak trains that could be eliminated with the least disruption to commuters, said Marjorie Anders, a Metro-North spokeswoman.

Other belt-tightening proposals include cutting 88 jobs on the New Haven, Harlem and Hudson lines; decreasing the number of cars on some trains to reduce power costs; and cleaning trains less frequently, Anders said.

The railroad might eliminate its toll-free schedule information line at (800) METRO-INFO to save $200,000, Anders said.

“These are desperate times,” she said. “We’re looking for as many ways to eliminate costs throughout the system in ways that add up.”

The DOT owns the New Haven Line and must approve service changes or price increases, agency spokesman Kevin Nursick said.

The department will work with Metro-North and the MTA to limit service cuts, Nursick said.

“The budget process within the State of New York is ongoing and we will work hard with our regional partners to advocate equitable impacts for, and minimize hardships on, Connecticut commuters,” he said.

The MTA’s 2009 budget proposed last week included recommendations for cutting costs to reduce the deficit, which jumped from $900 million to $1.2 billion since September, officials said.

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said cutting service or shortening trains would undermine efforts to promote use of mass transit.

“This is really the wrong time to do that when we are seeing increased ridership,” Duff said. “We need the MTA to look a little deeper on how they can finance this rather than taking away seats from commuters who use them every day.”

The New Haven Line is 65 percent funded by the DOT, and the MTA provides the balance, Anders said.

Metro-North plans to cut five other trains on its Harlem and Hudson lines, with a goal of cutting 4.7 percent, or $35 million, from the overall budget, Anders said.

Click here for the complete report.

I rarely ride the Metro-North so I can’t really dive into how big a deal this might be. Riders never like to hear about service cuts. However in this day & age where financial situations are not strong for many, saving money where possible is a necessity.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Connecticut, Metro-North
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Service Diversions 11/29

Posted by
on November 29th, 2008 at 10:12 pm

I apologize for not getting these up sooner. I have been extremely tied up with the holiday weekend.

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!

P.S. Stay warm!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Posted by
on November 27th, 2008 at 12:00 am

I would like to take this time to wish all of my readers a Happy Thanksgiving! May you have a safe, wonderful, & tasty day!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

Sneak Peek At The Ravitch Commission Proposals

Posted by
on November 26th, 2008 at 11:22 pm

As we all know by now the MTA is in a deep financial crisis. The budget deficit continues to grow with each passing day & some wonder when we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many people are pinning their hopes on proposals from the 12 deep Ravitch Commission. The commission headed by former MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch was created to recommend strategies to fund MTA capital projects and operating needs over the next ten years.

Earlier this evening New York Times reporter William Neuman along with contributions from Charles V. Bagli and Sam Roberts brought us a sneak peek at some of the proposals that will be presented next month:

A state commission appointed by Gov. David A. Paterson is expected next week to propose a rescue package for the financially imperiled Metropolitan Transportation Authority that includes a new tax on corporate payrolls and tolls on the East River and Harlem River bridges, several people informed of the plan said on Wednesday.

The commission, led by Richard Ravitch, a former chairman of the authority, will also recommend an increase next year in fares on subways, buses and commuter railroads, as well as in tolls on the bridges and tunnels it currently controls. But those increases would be much smaller than the ones the authority recently outlined in its proposed budget for next year.

The commission is also expected to call for minimal cuts, if any, in transit service. The plan, which is due to be released by Dec. 5, will contain recommendations to the governor, subject to passage by the Legislature.

The people familiar with the rescue plan cautioned that it is still being refined and may change as Mr. Ravitch tries to win the support of elected officials like Mr. Paterson and state legislative leaders. Mr. Ravitch is expected to meet with the governor in the coming days to present a final version of the plan.

Opposition to some of the plan’s central elements is sure to be strong. Despite the growing problems at the authority, most elected officials have remained publicly uncommitted about how to help it, saying only that they were awaiting the commission’s report.

So far the strongest show of support has come from Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, who said last week that he was open to raising taxes or creating a new tax to support the authority.

It was not clear, however, whether Mr. Silver or other legislators would support instituting tolls for the bridges. Bridge tolls are seen by many as similar to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan to charge drivers for entering Manhattan on its busiest streets; that plan died in the Legislature this year, largely because of opposition from Assembly Democrats.

Click here for the complete report.

I really want to wait until the full proposals come out before I comment point by point. However at first glance, I can tell you one part of the proposal that is a bad idea. The part I am referring to is the tax increase on corporate payrolls. I can’t even begin to say how bad of an idea this is. As I said I will wait until the full plan is announced before going “all-in” with my thoughts.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Finances, Transportation Funding