B & E Train You’re Up & Speaking Of The E……
Sorry for the lack of entries the last few days. I’ve been extremely busy with a few pieces of business. Within the last couple of days, the MTA has updated its rider report card graphic to show 2 new lines that are up for grading. The latest lines added to the graphic are the B & E trains.
Speaking of the E train, I exchanged a couple of e-mails with my sister while she was at work. She happened to bring up the E train & its lack of air conditioned cars. This is not a new complaint from her as she has brought up this issue throughout the summer. It seems she comes across at least one car without a working air conditioning unit 2-3 times a week.
The issue seems to be well known amongst E riders. As she exited the train at Forest Hills-71st Avenue to transfer to the R train, an elderly couple asked her if the car had a working air conditioning unit. I replied to her e-mail & mentioned that the E train was up for grading for its 2007 Rider Report Card. I suggested that she fill out the card online & let her feelings be known.
I am happy to report that she filled out & submitted her card online yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately for the MTA, her grades would not be considered positive. From my understanding her grades mostly consisted of C’s, D’s, & F’s. As one would assume, she gave an F for “Comfortable temperature in subway cars”. Her overall grade was a D.
Lets hope many more people will fill out the report card this time around!
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- Running Out Of Ways To Say This….
R Train Service Alert
The MTA has posted a service alert regarding the R train. The service alert states:
Due to signal problems at the 5th Avenue/59th Street Station, selected Bay Ridge-bound 
line from the 36th Street Station to the 57th Street Station.
Please expect delays in service on the 
and trains at this time.
- C & E Train Service Alert
- J Train Service Alert
- F Train Service Alert
- C Train Service Alert
- 7 Train Service Alert
Horrific Bus Crash In Cuba Kills 28 & Injures Many More!
This morning’s edition of AMNY had a horrific story about 28 people who died in Cuba. The 28 deaths were the result of a bus colliding with a train in eastern Cuba. Unfortunately the horror did not end there as along with the 28 deaths, there were 73 individuals known to be injured. 15 of those injured are listed as being in critical condition.
The accident occurred during the middle of Saturday in the small town of Veguita which is located in the province of Gramma. Gramma is located approximately 500 miles east from Havana. The accident occurred at a railroad crossing near a bridge. A train traveling from Santiago to Manzanillo collided with a bus traveling from Bayamo to Campechuela. On impact, the train dragged the bus towards the bridge where the bus eventually fell over.
On a side note, how sad is it that Cuba’s state media barely provided any details of the incident. Gramma’s local digital newspaper La Demajagua did not even carry the story. It seems what little is known about the accident came from The Communist Youth newspaper called Juventud Rebelde which carried a short story about the accident.
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Bus Accident In Midtown
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Police Officer Annmarie Marchiondo Leaves Bronx Hospital
Earlier this month, I blogged about a wild shootout in the Bronx that put Officer Ann Marchiondo in the hospital. Well there is good news to report as Officer Marchiondo was released from the hospital yesterday which ended her 28 day stay at New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases.
Officer Marchiondo was greeted by loud applauses & bagpipes as she was wheeled out of the hospital. She was surrounded by her husband & parents when she showcased a huge grin. As she was being wheeled out, she started to tear up & mouthed the words “thank you” to all the officers who were there to support her. She shared a few comments before leaving:
“I just want to thank everybody. I feel great. Thank you.”
Fellow officers who were either at the scene or worked in the same department shared in the joyous event yesterday. Officer Carlos Henriquez, commented on his fellow officer by saying he visted “on almost a daily basis. I just wanted her to feel that somebody cared.” Officer Diana Lugo who was responsible for killing the gunmen Juan Calves said; “It’s touching, the support and camaraderie. It’s a beautiful sight. She’s in good health and she’s going home.”
I am glad this story had such a happy ending! I wish Officer Marchiondo continued success on her recovery & good luck in the future!
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LIRR To Fix Billing Snafu
The Long Island Railroad is in the midst of fixing a huge billing snafu that occurred 5 days ago. On October 1st, a record of almost 30,000 tickets were sold via credit or debit cards at various ticket machines throughout New York City & Long Island. This does not come as a surprise considering it was the first day of the month (a Monday to boot) which is usually when many are buying their LIRR tickets for the week or month. Unfortunately the record use did not bring good results to those customers & the MTA.
Almost 2000 commuters were double billed for purchases they made with their credit or debit card. LIRR officials say the problem arose from a software glitch which affected all 269 automated ticket machines throughout the system. Officials say that most riders have already been reimbursed. According to spokesman Joe Calderone, commuters “should see a double charge on their statement and then a credit, without having to do anything.”
Unfortunately for the MTA, they seemed to be the last to know of the problem. They did not know about the issue until Thursday when they were flooded with complaints. As usual the MTA left customers in the dark about the issue as they did not inform everyone until Friday after being contacted by Newsday. It took almost 36 hours after learning about the problem for the MTA to alert commuters by e-mail & via a service alert on their website.
Spokesman Joe Calerdone commented on the issue by stating:
“We were trying to get a handle on the scope of the issue. We have a much better understanding of it and are making full notification now through both print and electronic media”
LIRR General Manager for Passenger Services Kevin Fehn commented about the glitch saying it was “not something we’ve ever had to deal with before.”
The glitch occurred due to the limitations in the billing software. It seems that the software has a transaction limited which was never surpassed before. When the limit was surpassed, the software billed some of the transactions on Monday which was followed up by those same transactions being billed again on Tuesday. Mr. Fehn said the LIRR had no idea that a transaction limit was in place. He said that the German company Scheidt & Bachmann are busy working on isolating & fixing the issue system wide.
One passenger came out & commented about his ordeal. 31 year old Bellmore resident Stephen Faulkner said he was billed twice for his $203 monthly pass. He contacted the LIRR immediately after noticing the billing error & was told he would be reimbursed. Since that phone call Mr. Faulkner has stated: “I just checked, and it hasn’t been refunded yet.” His statement was made as of Friday morning.
The LIRR has done business with Scheidt & Bachmann since 1986 with these machines having been in use since 2001. However this is not the first issue the LIRR has dealt with this year involving these machines. This past April, the LIRR had to issue approximately 400 refunds when these machines took the passengers money but did not issue a ticket.
I sit here in astonishment wondering how something as simple as a billable transaction could turn into such a huge mess. First off how do you not know the full technical specifications of devices you paid for? Anyone with a clue would make sure these machines are capable of not having credit card limitations. This concept seems so obvious considering Mr. Fehn acknowledged that more & more commuters are using forms of credit cards to purchase tickets. He also noted that credit card purchases are up 25% this year compared to the same period last year.
One has to laugh at the statement Mr. Fehn said regarding possible overdrafts. Mr. Fehn said the LIRR would “consider” refunding those charges. HELLO!!!!!!, you owe it to your customers to refund overdraft charges. The commuter should not bare a penny of responsibility for a glitch that was out of their control. Who in charge over there even thought that this issue would have to be discussed? This is one of those clear cut issues where only one choice exists.
Who needs comedy clubs or movies when you have the MTA playing 365 days a year!
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