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600 Subway Cars Will Soon Be Sleeping With The Fishes

Posted by
on September 28th, 2007 at 12:22 am

The MTA has reached an agreement to send 600 more subway cars to go sleeping with the fishes. The plan has the MTA send these cars which are used as underwater reefs for sea animals & divers. The MTA Board approved the $6.3 million dollar contract which will send cars mainly from the C & E lines to New Jersey, Delaware, & other oceanside states. Some of the cars that will be sent include the first cars to have air conditioning & stainless steel.

This is not the first time the MTA has chosen to dispose of cars in this manner. They first started doing this in 2001 when they sent 250 “Redbirds” from the 7 line down the coast. However this practice did not come without some controversy. For a time the state of New Jersey refused to take anymore cars as they were concerned about asbestos inside the cars & whether they could be durable as reefs. The state decided to do a study on the affect these cars had on aquatic life & have recently released their findings.

The findings were released last week & it turned out to be good news as the cars were deemed as being durable for their purpose & having little impact on the environment. The debate is still not over as many environmentalists continue to question their safety.

Lets not get lost on why the MTA is involved with this project. They are not doing it because they have a heart! As usual it is all about the money but in a good way. The MTA saves millions of dollars by dumping the cars at sea compared to scrapping them. Most of the money being saved relates to not having to remove asbestos during the scrapping process.  The cost of removing asbestos in the cars would have been approximately $27 million dollars.

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D Train You’re Up

Posted by
on September 28th, 2007 at 12:01 am

I forgot to post this the other day when I noticed the graphic change on the MTA’s website. The graphic was changed a few days ago to show what lines are up for grading now. The D train was added as the third of three trains to be graded now. The D now joins the 5 & M in the grading department. So straphangers this is your chance to be heard!

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Speaking Of Metrocard Machines, The MTA Wants New Ones…

Posted by
on September 27th, 2007 at 12:52 am

The MTA must really being eating its oats lately as they are going full speed ahead in so many different directions. This latest direction is their idea of looking for the next generation technology for their Metrocard machines. They are looking to award a study contract by the end of this year. The study contract would last one year & enable the winning bidder to study options from transit systems all over the globe. The current machines which amount to over 1600 machines have been in operation since 1998.

Now here is where I must ask a legitimate question. What is the point to this study? Last I checked the MTA was really into the possibility of making the system smart card enabled. Wouldn’t the possible investment into new Metrocard Machines or MVM’s for short be a waste of money in the long run? Maybe they can’t make up their mind which would be nothing new from this bumbling agency.

I feel sorry for Elliot Sander sometimes as he has a really long road ahead of him to change the perception of the MTA throughout the state.

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MTA To Help Low Income Riders?

Posted by
on September 26th, 2007 at 11:51 pm

According to MTA CEO Elliot Sander this is the case. Earlier today he said that the city & MTA have held preliminary discussions on an “innovative card” that is meant to help low income riders who do not own a bank account. This breaking news was mentioned about Mr. Sander was asked how low income riders without bank accounts could afford a fare increase.

Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs had this to say about the “innovative card”:

“Whether it’s public transportation or bank accounts, the Mayor’s Center for Economic Opportunity is always exploring new ways to ensure the same access to critical services that people with higher incomes take for granted, recognizing that every extra cent counts.”

She also went on to say “”We have had very preliminary discussions with the MTA on strategies to help the working poor better access discounts the MTA affords frequent travelers.”

Mr. Sander claims the MTA thought about low income riders when they came up with their two fare hike proposals.

Call me crazy but doesn’t the MTA have more legitimate concerns to deal with? This might sound harsh but I must state how I feel. While I do not have actual data in front of me, I am 100% positive that a majority of “low income riders” are illegal citizens in this country. So tell me why does the MTA & government as a whole continue to cater to people who are here illegally? This really pisses me off when I see attention & energy being wasted on illegal immigrants when actual citizens have their own needs that get overlooked.

Great job MTA & NYC, continue to hand out assistance to those who do not deserve it!

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Metrocard Machines Partially To Blame?

Posted by
on September 26th, 2007 at 11:36 pm

Well this is the case according to an MTA spokesman. According to this spokesman, the Metrocard Vending Machine’s change limitations are partially to blame for the proposed hike being a quarter. The Metrocard machines are only capable of giving change in quarters & dollar coins. Since this is the case, the minimum fare hike would have to be at least a quarter.

According to MTA chief Elliot Sander, the limitations of the MVM’s were not the primary factor in the proposed hike being a quarter. He said “We’re not saying that it wasn’t a factor, What I’m saying is that it was not the primary factor.” According to him the machines could have been fixed if the hike was not a quarter. MTA Chief Financial Officer Gary Dellaverson said “it was an aspect of the consideration, but $2.10 was considered.”

The MTA says that the proposed quarter fare hike would only be matching inflation since 2003 which is when the base fares were last raised. Supposedly if they increased the base fare by anything less than a quarter, they would be forced to increase the cost of unlimited weekly & monthly Metrocards. According to the MTA, only 14% of riders pay the full $2 per ride & that percentage is expected to decrease under both fare hike proposals.

I do wonder what kind of fare increases we will see when they phase out Metrocards. The MTA is already looking into new technology to do just that. They are mainly focusing on smart cards which enable riders to tap or wave the card near a sensor. Last summer Citibank sponsored a smart card pilot program which enabled Citibank Mastercard holders to use their credit card or a key fob in place of a MetroCard at approximately 30 stations.

Leave it to the MTA to even partially use a machine as a scapegoat for their fare hike. How about taking some responsibility for poorly handling your finances & letting yourselves be screwed out of funding from the local to the federal governments!

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