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Weekend Service Diversions Alert

Posted by
on January 22nd, 2016 at 3:04 pm

As was expected, due to the upcoming storm all weekend work has been canceled. Only long term projects/closures will be in effect. Here is that info:

3 Train:

At all times until winter 2016, trains skip Rockaway Av and Van Siclen Av in both directions. Use free shuttle buses instead.
• For service to/from Rockaway Av, use shuttle buses to/from the Saratoga Av station. B60 customers can transfer to/from shuttle buses at Rockaway Av.

• For service to/from Van Siclen Av, use shuttle buses to/from the Pennsylvania Av station.

• Free transfer is available with MetroCard.

4 Train:

At all times until winter 2016, trains skip Rockaway Av and Van Siclen Av in both directions.

A Train:

At all times until spring 2016, Brooklyn-bound trains skip 111 St and 80 St.

• For service to 111 St, take the train to 104 St and transfer to a Lefferts Blvd-bound train or take the Q112 bus days and evenings. For service from this station, take the train to Lefferts Blvd and transfer to a Brooklyn-bound train.

• For service to 80 St, take the train to Grant Av and transfer to an Ozone Park/Far Rockaway-bound train. For service from this station, take the train to 88 St and transfer to a Brooklyn-bound train.

L Train:

At all times until February 2016, trains skip Atlantic Av in both directions. For service to/from this station, use free shuttle buses to/from the Broadway Junction station.

N Train

At all times until spring 2017, Astoria-Ditmars Blvd bound trains skip 86 St, Avenue U, Kings Hwy, 20 Av, 18 Av, New Utrecht Av, and Fort Hamilton Pkwy. Trains stop at Bay Pkwy and 8 Av.

• To 86 St, Avenue U, and Kings Hwy, take an Astoria-bound train to Bay Pkwy and transfer to a Coney Island-bound train.

• To 20 Av, 18 Av, New Utrecht Av, and Fort Hamilton Pkwy, take an Astoria-bound train to 8 Av and transfer to a Coney Island-bound train.

• From these stations, take a Coney Island-bound train to Bay Pkwy or Stillwell Av and transfer to an Astoria-bound train.

• For New Utrecht Av-62 St, take the D. Transfer to an Astoria-bound N train at 36 St.

I will post updated diversions for next week either later today or by tomorrow the latest.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions
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Renewal Work To Continue At F Station

Posted by
on January 22nd, 2016 at 2:56 pm

Station renewal work at the Ditmas Av F Train station will pick up again as of this Monday. Here are the complete details via the official press release:

Beginning 5 a.m., Monday, January 25, the southbound platform of the Ditmas Av F station on the Culver Line in Brooklyn will be closed at all hours as work continues on a station renewal project at the station. All southbound trains will bypass the station during this time.

The Ditmas Av station renewal project is part of a nine-station renewal/repair project on the Culver Line totaling $80.7 million. The work at Ditmas Av consists of critical repairs to the steel station structure and improvements to architectural treatments, including street and platform stairs, walls and floors; platform panel replacements; tactile warning strip installation; new artwork and windscreens; bird deterrent system installation; and new light fixtures. The station originally opened for service in 1919.

To accommodate customers who use the Ditmas Av station, the northbound platform will remain open during construction. Southbound customers traveling to the station can stay on the train to 18 Av and transfer to a northbound train to Ditmas Av.

Southbound service at Ditmas Av is expected to be restored in May 2016.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Bus Adds Additional Service To Q70

Posted by
on January 22nd, 2016 at 2:52 pm

Earlier this morning, the MTA announced it will be adding additional service to the popular Q70 bus route that services LaGuardia Airport. Here is more via the official press release:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bus Company is adding service to meet rising customer demand for the Q70 Limited bus that links LaGuardia Airport with regional transit hubs in Woodside and Jackson Heights. Starting in Spring 2016, the Q70 Limited will operate every 10 minutes around the clock, carrying travelers and airport workers between LaGuardia, the Long Island Rail Road and the EFMR and 7 subway trains.

“We always want to better serve our customers by strengthening service whenever we have sustainable resources to do so,” said Darryl Irick, Senior Vice President, MTA NYCT Department of Buses and President of MTA Bus Company. “This added service on a growing route will further enhance the fast and reliable bus connection between LaGuardia Airport and all parts of the City via the transit hubs in Queens.”

The Q70 Limited was designed to link the airport with regional transit lines 40% faster than earlier local bus routes. Travel times between Midtown Manhattan and LaGuardia Airport connecting at Woodside or Jackson Heights can be as fast as 35 minutes. This convenient option to and from the airport has seen ridership more than double, from 2,173 average weekday customers in September 2013 to 4,372 average weekday customers today.

MTA Bus Company is also actively working to bring Select Bus Service (SBS) to the Q70, which will allow faster boarding and more convenient service. SBS routes use off-board fare collection technology, which allows customers to enter and exit through any bus door once they have pre-paid their fare, eliminating the need for customers to pay at a single farebox. The MTA anticipates converting the route to SBS during 2016. SBS is already operating on the M60 bus connecting LaGuardia with 125th St. in Harlem, reducing travel times and improving service.

Initially, the Q70 Limited ran on a 12-minute frequency during most of the day, with 15-minute and 20-minute headways during early morning and late evening periods; and 30 minute headways during overnight periods. It currently runs every 12 minutes at all hours, but because of increasing ridership, buses will run every 8 minutes during midday and weekday p.m. peak hours. On weekends, buses will run every 10 minutes middays and p.m. hours.

The Q70 Limited serves the Woodside-61st Street LIRR and 7 subway station and the EFMR and 7 subway station at the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av hub, then travels non-stop to and from LaGuardia Airport via the limited-access Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Grand Central Parkway. At the airport, the Q70 Limited serves all central airport terminals with the exception of the lightly-used Marine Air Terminal (Terminal A); customers can access this terminal to and from Jackson Heights via the Q47.

Direct connections with the LIRR at Woodside have provided access to the airport from the eight LIRR branches that previously have no access, making travel to the airport more convenient for LIRR customers as well as subway customers.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Prepares For First Winter Storm

Posted by
on January 21st, 2016 at 1:06 pm

The MTA is in full preparation mode for the first winter storm of the 2015-2016 season. Here is more on their prep work:

With a wintry blast that may dump as much as 12 inches of snow in parts of the metropolitan region, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hard at work to ensure safe, reliable service this weekend. MTA New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and MTA Bridges and Tunnels are once again preparing. Personnel will be ready to drop salt and clear platforms and stairs of snow but customers are urged to use extreme caution while navigating the system, especially on outdoor platforms and stairs.

The MTA follows well-established plans to keep the region’s transit services up and running during harsh winter weather conditions. MTA personnel will continue to monitor the U.S. National Weather Service and have direct access to a customized weather prediction service that provides regularly updated weather forecasts. From forecast to clean-up, North America’s largest mass transit provider will respond accordingly with an army of dedicated workers and a fleet of heavy equipment built for snow-fighting duty.

“We will make every effort to keep our services up and running so that our customers can get to where they need to be,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “We have a tremendous investment in equipment, manpower and experience. However, we will only provide service as long as it’s safe to do so. There may come a point throughout the winter months when it is no longer prudent to roll out buses or send trains onto some outdoor sections of the lines.”

NYCT Subways:

The Incident Command Center will be activated Friday night at 8 p.m. Personnel will be stationed to communicate with outlying local storm fighting centers, coordinating the overall snow-fighting effort. NYCT has refined procedures at the Incident Command Center upgrading a tool for tracking field reports on snow removal and station conditions, as well as a database of essential resources such as salt, sand, and generators to enable better collaboration and response time.

To prevent subway trains from being blocked in yards, they will be moved and stored underground in anticipation of heavy snow or ice. This will impact service on lines with express service. In addition, all scheduled weekend work has been canceled. However, if the storm tracks south and snow accumulation is minimal, NYCT may proceed with some work.

The Department of Subways has a yellow-hued fleet of snow and ice-busting equipment designed to keep outdoor tracks, switches and third rails clear of snow and ice. Super-powered snow throwers, jet-powered snow-blowers, and de-icing cars – retired subway cars modified with tanks and other specialized equipment to spray de-icing fluid on the third rail — are ready for immediate deployment. Based on the current forecast, workers will be held after their regular shifts and additional personnel will be brought in prior to the beginning of the storm. Approximately 1,000 track workers will be deployed during the storm in addition to 800 station workers to keep stairs and platforms clear of snow. Personnel will have access to 262,500 pounds of calcium chloride and 200,000 pounds of sand to melt snow and ice.

While the underground portions of the system remain unaffected during snowstorms, there are nearly 220 miles of outdoor track throughout the boroughs. The Rockaway AS, Sea Beach N, Flushing 7, Brighton BQ and Dyre Av 5 Lines are particularly vulnerable to snow and freezing precipitation. NYCT resources strategically deployed for the storm include:

• 10 snow-throwers
• 7 de-icers
• 4 jet blowers
• 8 R156 diesel locomotives
• 22 heated/insulated work cars
• 79 trains placed into service with scraper shoes, which help reduce icing on the third rail

NYCT has also added more third rail heaters and snow melting equipment at critical points throughout the system. There are currently 1,084 remote-controlled, and 494 manual third-rail heaters as well as snow melting devices at 500 switch and 700 signal locations to keep trains moving.

NYCT and MTA Bus:

The Department of Buses has expanded the testing and evaluation of all-season tires on the bus fleet. Currently 60% of standard buses and the entire articulated fleet have been fitted with these tires that are designed to provide additional grip in snowy weather. However, out of an abundance of caution due to predicted high levels of snow accumulation, buses will also be fitted with tire chains. Articulated buses will be replaced by shorter buses starting Friday night.
This year’s weather plan has been updated to include new snow-fighting equipment, bringing the total number of snow fighters to 37 in our fleet. Predetermined routes have been mapped for this snow-fighting equipment to quickly reach highly trafficked locations for buses such as terminals, lay-over locations, facilities and known hotspots. The Department of Buses also coordinates closely and shares information with the Department of Sanitation to keep routes passable.

Bus managers now have new technology that tracks service when it falls below minimum expected levels on any route, allowing them to make decisions more quickly. Bus service will be adjusted based on road conditions around the city and service curtailments on a route-by-route basis are possible.

Metro-North Railroad & Long Island Rail Road:

Snow-fighting equipment is winterized, tested and positioned strategically throughout both railroads to start operation as soon as snow accumulations begin. Protective heat circuits are verified to be operational, air brake lines are purged of any moisture to prevent them from freezing, and electric trains are fitted with special third rail shoes to prevent snow from accumulating. Metro-North Railroad covers exposed couplers to keep snow out, treats exposed shoes with de-icer, and sprays door panels with an anti-freeze agent.

Long Island Rail Road has the following snow-fighting equipment located at various yards around the system ready for deployment:

• 1 Spreader/Ditcher
• 3 Cold Air Blowers to clear main track, yards and third rail
• 2 Stabilizer/Brooms used to clear excessive snow from rails
• 7 Rail-bound Jets and 2 hi-rail jets (total 9 jet snow blowers)
• 2 Pickup Truck Plow/Spreaders
• 151 Snowblowers

Metro-North Railroad has the following snow-fighting equipment ready to go, located at various yards around the system:

• 1 Front-end Loader with thrower
• 5 Backhoes
• 6 Cold Air Blowers
• 3 Rail-bound Jets
• 2 Tractor Blower/Spreaders
• 70 Pickup Truck Plows
• 216 Snowblowers

Along the right-of-way, switches – the interlocking tracks that allow rail traffic controllers to route trains from one track to another – are treated with an anti-freeze agent and lubricated. Long Island Rail Road has switch heaters with natural gas burners at Jamaica Station and electrical heating elements at switches around the system. Metro-North Railroad uses propane switch heaters and activates heating rods. Switches are continually moved by rail traffic controllers to keep them from freezing shut.

Extra personnel at both railroads are positioned at numerous locations to pre-salt platforms and stairways before the storm begins and to clear them of snow during and after the storm.
Both railroads must consider various service options due to the vast coverage of service areas and severity of the storm.

Long Island Rail Road may modify or suspend service if snowfall is heavy, 10-13 inches or more. In ice storms, blizzards, or sustained winds over 39 mph, train service may be severely curtailed or suspended, especially if there are frozen switches or there is a loss of third rail power. Long Island Rail Road has four modified schedules for storm recovery.

Metro-North Railroad impact to service is not just determined by the amount of snow that falls, but also by the age of equipment and the condition of infrastructure, especially evident on the New Haven Line where there is 100-year-old catenary and moveable bridges. Service options include reductions of service and temporary suspensions of service.

Pertinent information regarding service on both railroads is available via customer email alerts, website updates, station announcements, platform display message boards, as well as message boards at key terminals.

Paratransit:

Paratransit customers may experience additional travel and wait times. Depending on conditions, customers may want to reconsider travel, unless medically necessary. For Access-A-Ride paratransit service, a dashboard storm monitoring system is in place to track immobilized vehicles and customers.

NYC Transit has also coordinated a procedure with New York City first-responders and the Office of Emergency Management for rescuing customers on immobilized vehicles or those who develop medical needs during storms. Also in place is a paratransit-specific Storm Action Plan that includes processes for curtailing all non-medically essential service.

Customers should check mta.info for updates and modified emergency schedules.

Bridges and Tunnels:

Extra managerial staff will be activated and the Command Center will be operating their weather desks throughout the snow event. These include:

• Operations Section Post: Desk will be staffed by a uniformed supervisor to handle weather related operational issues and to keep a detailed record of all storm activities;
• Logistics Section Post: Desk will be staffed by a member of the Maintenance Division to track snow removal equipment, assist with storm tracking and to analyze and redeploy resources as conditions necessitate.

Bridges and Tunnels has 9,180 tons of roadway deicer on hand and 100 pieces of snow-fighting equipment in service and available for storm fighting operations. Staffing will be kept at a maximum level to assist with mitigation of snow and ice build-up as well as to sustain the normal operation of the 7 bridges and both tunnels.

Bridges also are equipped with embedded roadway sensors for temperature and above-ground atmospheric sensors that deliver real-time information on wind velocity, wind direction, humidity and precipitation via wireless communication. These sensors record data used to determine if speed restrictions are necessary.

To enhance our communications with customers, the MTA has taken steps to insure its communications systems function well during any type of emergency. The current website design allows for the quick posting of service information and includes a special weather page that becomes the mta.info homepage during weather-related events affecting operations.

Customers can view the Winter Weather Guide available at http://web.mta.info/coldWeather/
The Winter Weather Guide is a handy guide to keep customers informed during periods of inclement weather that may require service changes. The poster provides information about service on each of the MTA’s agencies with a description of the weather condition and how that weather may affect operations.

Customers are urged to monitor mta.info regularly as well as television and radio for service updates. Customers can also sign up for customer alerts by visiting www.mtamyalerts.com

Stay tuned to the site & my Twitter feed as I will be posting updates as I receive them from the agency. Make sure to follow @TransitBlogger by clicking here.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Boy Hits Bus Driver With Glass Bottle

Posted by
on January 20th, 2016 at 6:04 pm

Unfortunately the safety of bus drivers has come into the spotlight again after a young thug threw a glass bottle at the driver of a Bx17 bus. Samantha Tata of Pix11 has more:

A boy was caught on camera throwing a glass bottle through the door of an MTA bus, hitting the driver in his eye, police said Wednesday asking for the public’s help to find the child.

It happened shortly before 9 p.m. Oct. 20 at the bus stop on the southwest corner of Home Street and Prospect Avenue in the Bronx, police said.

The assailant, thought to be no older than 13, approached bus No. 267 and hurled a glass bottle through its open door. A rider was paying his fare when the bottle when flying and another rider was waiting in line to get on to the bus, video shows.

The driver suffered a minor injury to his left eye, was taken to a hospital, treated and released, police said.

Police described the wanted individual as a black male about 10 to 13 years old with short curly hair who stands about 5 feet 4 inches tall. He was last seenw earing black sneakers, a black polo shirt and black jeans.

Anyone with information in the case is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Click here to see the video of the incident.

This incident brings back the memories of the same exact thing happening to my father when he drove for the MTA. What makes the memory even more vivid is that he happened to be driving on the Bx17 when it happened.

The safety of bus drivers is something the MTA has taken steps to address albeit not in the timeliest way. It might be time for the agency to look into further ways to completely prevent such incidents.

As far as the video is concerned, I am extremely curious as to why the person standing in the bus stop appeared to do nothing in terms of trying to stop the kid who ran off. While we can’t verify if he said something, his body language sure appears to show he took no action to stop the culprit.

Hopefully this worthless thug is caught & punished to the full extent of the law as a way to show that regardless of how old you are, these despicable acts against transit workers will never be tolerated.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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