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Poor Hells Kitchen Never Stood A Chance

Posted by
on September 20th, 2008 at 7:55 am

Flushing-Main Street bound 7 train @ Queensboro Plaza
Flushing-Main Street bound 7 train @ Queensboro Plaza; resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit

A transit project that has come up many times in this blog is the 7 Line Extension. As my readers know, I have not been a big fan of this project in terms of overall importance. The only positive aspect I saw in this project in terms of stops was the creation of one for Hells Kitchen residents. The stop which was supposed to be located at 10th Avenue & 41st Street would have been a benefit to the many straphangers who reside in the area.

One of the fears I blogged about a few times was the possibility of the station being put on the back burner & not functional when the project launches. The other side of that fear was the possibility of the stop being eliminated from the project altogether. Unfortunately the latter nightmare scenario has officially taken place & I can safely say the MTA officially blew it with this extension. Lets first look at the report from NY1 News:

Transit officials dropped plans to build an additional 7 subway line station in Midtown Manhattan Thursday.

Officials eliminated the plan to build a station at 10th Avenue and 41st Street when they were unable to obtain the $450 million to complete the project.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, which previously offered to fund half of the costs, said Thursday that a station is not necessary since the neighborhood is already developed.

Advocates for the station do not think that is an excuse to stop construction.

“Is that the only reason we build subway stations now, to spur development? How about to serve the people that are already in a neighborhood? I just don’t buy that logic at all,” said Andrew Albert of the NYC Transit Riders Council.

Click here for the compete report in text & video.

Now lets take a look at another report on the news courtesy of William Neuman of the New York Times City Room Blog:

The westward extension of the No. 7 subway line will be built without a new station at 10th Avenue. That became even clearer this week after the city and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority let a deadline pass on a contract option for preliminary construction of the 10th Avenue station.

The bottom line: in a time of budget cuts neither the city nor the authority wanted to pay for the extra station.

The city is financing the rest of the work, which will bring the No. 7 line west of Times Square to Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, with a new station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue. It is an important part of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s plan to spur development on the Far West Side of Midtown.

Early plans called for the project to also include a station at 10th Avenue and 41st Street. But as cost estimates rose, the station became expendable in the eyes of the city — and it became increasingly clear, by last fall, that financing for the new station was unlikely.

Click here for the complete report.

The idiocy behind this decision amazes me & that is saying something. First off, what is with the ridiculous notion that a mass transit project “has to” spur growth in designated areas? What happened to the simple concept of such project additions/extensions being built to help people already in the designated areas? If the creation or extension of mass transit infrastructure simply relies on this flawed logic, we as a nation are in deep trouble.

Now lets focus on the financial idiocy behind this decision. What business sense does it make to spend millions of dollars to extend a subway line by 1 stop, especially because it is not a necessity? The answer is obvious, it makes no sense at all. The city & MTA are crying poverty which has caused delays or even temporary cancellations to important projects. Yet somehow we are supposed to believe that a better idea would be to spend money on a project where the best aspect of it has been shelved.

This kind of backwards decision only benefits the fat cat real estate developers involved in the deal. It is a shame that once again the pockets of the rich are more important than the people the city & MTA serve. Thanks!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYCT & MTA Buses To Be Affected By The U.N. General Assembly

Posted by
on September 20th, 2008 at 6:32 am

Continuing with the press releases that were sent to me, the MTA announces that some New York City Transit & MTA Bus routes will experience reroutes or severe delays due to the United Nations General Assembly. Here are the complete details:

Due to the United Nations General Assembly meeting scheduled from September 22 through October 3, 2008, many streets around the United Nations HQ in Manhattan will be closed to traffic by the New York City Police Department and the Secret Service.

As a result, the following bus routes will be either rerouted and/or experience significant delays in service:

M1, M2, M3, M4, M9, M15, M20, M27, M42, M50, M66, M72, M101, M102, M103 M104

Customers are advised to avoid Manhattan’s east side during the general assembly and to use the subway, where possible. Customers may call our Travel Information Center at 718-330-1234 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, or log onto the MTA’s website to use Trip Planner to plan their trips. Customers with web enabled phones or PDA’s can use our Trip Planner On-the-Go! by clicking here; in addition to planning their trips, Blackberry users can download the free icon for one touch access to the service.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR To Provide Extra Trains For The Eve Of Rosh Hashanah

Posted by
on September 20th, 2008 at 6:27 am

I’m behind in posting the latest press releases that the MTA sent me. The first was to announce that the Long Island Rail Road will be providing extra trains for the eve of Rosh Hashanah. Here are the complete details:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road is offering eight additional eastbound trains from Penn Station, Monday, September 29, between 2:09 PM and 3:48 PM for customers traveling early in observance of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah).

Extra Train Service from Penn Station, Monday, September 29:

Babylon Branch:

• 2:23 PM express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon

• 3:00 PM stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

• 3:31 PM express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon

Port Jefferson Branch:

• 2:09 PM stopping at Jamaica, Carle Place, then all stops to Huntington

• 2:26 PM stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington

• 3:24 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville

Port Washington Branch to Great Neck:

• 3:40 PM stopping at Woodside, Flushing-Main St., then all stops to Great Neck

Far Rockaway Branch:

• 3:48 PM stopping at Jamaica, then all stops to Far Rockaway

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 09-19

Posted by
on September 20th, 2008 at 6:21 am

Let me first apologize for the tardiness with regards to posting the latest service diversions. I went out to the San Gennaro Feast with my best friend & others. The latest diversions were not ready before my departure. With that out of the way, I can now say….

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

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MTA Reports Improved Storm Performance

Posted by
on September 19th, 2008 at 1:34 pm

Yesterday the MTA sent out a press release to announce a press conference to unveil new sidewalk furniture along with other steps to help prevent subway & railroad flooding. Unfortunately I was tied up with a lot of work yesterday so I did not get the chance to post the release for the conference that was scheduled for this morning. However the MTA just sent a new press release to recap the press conference so here it is before it hits their website & other media outlets:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Elliot G. Sander today reported the significant storm performance progress made by the MTA since an August 8, 2007 storm flooded key parts of the transit system. Sander unveiled new flood-mitigating subway furniture on Hillside Avenue in Queens, one highlight of the agency’s work in the 365 days since the release of an inter-agency task force report on necessary improvements to handle future storms.

“In just one year’s time we have made enormous progress in tackling flooding issues that have plagued the MTA’s transit network for a generation,” said Elliot G. Sander, MTA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “While there’s still work to be done, I’m proud of the MTA’s performance during the heavy storms that hit the area earlier this month. The street furniture we’re debuting today on Hillside Avenue proves that we can fight flood waters with good design that adds to the community.”

The prototype street furniture was designed by Rogers Marvel with di Domenico and Partners. In the coming weeks, the MTA will also release different designs for similar structures, designed by Grimshaw Billings Jackson with Systra, on West Broadway in Lower Manhattan and on the Upper West Side, for public comment.

The September 20, 2007 report was produced by an inter-agency task force that included: the presidents of all of the MTA’s operating agencies; MTA Inspector General Barry Kluger; NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd; NYC Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan; and NYS Dept. of Transportation Commissioner Astrid Glynn. The report provided recommendations in operations, engineering and communications. Sander reported significant progress in all three areas.

Operations:

• Early warning and response capability: The MTA established a common weather forecasting system, installed Doppler radar screens in all agency operations centers and has begun to pre-deploy operating personnel in flood-prone areas.

• Emergency Response Center: The MTA completed an internal ERC in October 2007 with communications, weather monitoring, Doppler radar and video conferencing capabilities.

• Agency Storm Protocols: The MTA revised its agency-wide storm protocols and established a common structure for emergency response teams.

Engineering:

• NYC Transit: Vent grating prototypes have been designed and are being constructed for placement at the top 6 flood locations, with the next four priority locations underway. Also substantially completed IG recommendations from prior report.

• LIRR: Bayside Station sewer line improvements by NYC DEP and LIRR; portable pumps have been staged at Mineola with installation of drainage rings planned for 2009.

• Metro-North: Short-term engineering solutions complete at Mott Haven; additional catch basin installed by NYC DEP on Webster Ave.

• Bridges & Tunnels: Construction due to complete in early ’09 will remedy situation at Marine Parkway Bridge and Cross Bay Bridge.

Communications:

• Increase website capacity and clarity: Firewalls were replace in Sept. 2007, home page redesign is underway, universal PDA access to website was completed in September 2007, and rss alert feeds have been provided since February.

• Develop capacity for real-time text and email alerts: A contract for agency-wide email and text messaging alerts was issued and service is set to begin in October.

• Improve communication between operation centers and field personnel: All agencies improved communications, including: establishment of a Communications Coordinator at NYCT’s Rail Control Center; virtually all LIRR train personnel are now equipped with cell phones; key Metro-North railroad managers have received Blackberry devices; and B &T has established redundant methods of communication including two-way radios and Blackberry.

• Establish clear emergency communication protocols: All agency public affairs staffs have reviewed and/or revised communications protocol to ensure accurate and timely customer communication.

• Advance public address and video screen technologies: Video screens installed at Penn and Jamaica in late 2007 for LIRR; system testing continues at White Plains station for Metro-North’s Model Station Communication Network; and NYCT is testing video screens.

While it is promising to see efforts made to avoid subway flooding, it is sad that it took a major storm & system shutdown to get progress made on flood prevention.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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