February 28, 20241 yr queensboro plaza from above — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2JN3PjtxEU/?igsh=ZzlyeG5ubG9sNHA4
March 4, 20241 yr about the moving platforms in inion square — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4DqcBLgTk5/?igsh=N2NxdG4xNGk5c3pv
March 4, 20241 yr coongestion pricing news — Congestion pricing infrastructure installation nearly complete, MTA says By Ben BrachfeldPosted on February 28, 2024 https://www.amny.com/transit/congestion-pricing-infrastructure-near-completion-mta/ *** Favor and fury: Congestion pricing public hearings see hundreds of New Yorkers give MTA an earful on tolling program By Ben BrachfeldPosted on March 3, 2024 https://www.amny.com/transit/first-congestion-pricing-hearings-mta-2024/
March 10, 20241 yr a peek at the abandoned lower level tracks on 42nd st — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3jYrJCMiRC/?igsh=MXRrN3NuZGw0azJyOA==
March 12, 20241 yr fun trivia via amny & the transit museum — 👍 Q: What’s the history behind naming stations after multiple streets — like 174-175 Sts on the (B)(D) and 182-183 Sts and 47-50 St-Rockefeller Center? Ely W., Fordham Heights A: The commonality of all three of these stations is that they were built by the Independent Subway System (IND) and opened between 1933 and 1940. When the IND planned out its stations, designers wanted to “fix” what they felt earlier subway operators had gotten wrong about notifying ridership – even in subtle ways – about their orientation within the city and the subway system. IND also built on a larger scale than the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), and nearly every station had at least two entrances. This was because IND planners had the luxury of seeing the profound impact the subway already had on New York, so they tried to accommodate for future growth. The stations were typically named for the predominant or “major” street the station served, such as Fordham Road. For 174-175 Sts and 182-183 Sts, both ends of the station serve similarly important streets, so it seems the IND decided to include both names. The 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center Station was one of the busiest in the IND system (and still is today), and the name indicated the entrances from 47th Street all the way up to 50th Street. There are a few more stations naming the entrances at both ends, all also built by the IND: Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Clinton-Washington Avs stations on the G and Clinton-Washington Avs and Kingston-Throop Avs on the C. It’s part of what makes the transit system so endlessly fascinating; no matter how far we progress, there’s something in it to remind us of the moment in time it was constructed. – Jodi Shapiro, Curator, New York Transit Museum
March 17, 20241 yr all about the track geometry car. the tgc inspects the rails — 👍 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4dQeHarNDc/?igsh=MWE5YW1xZ3lqd3Zweg==
March 17, 20241 yr more $ for busses — and three fare free bus routes per boro — 👍 State lawmakers propose $90 million for more frequent buses, fare-free pilot in budget response By Ben Brachfeld Posted on March 12, 2024 more: https://www.amny.com/transit/state-lawmakers-frequent-buses-fare-pilot-budget/
March 19, 20241 yr what a problem to have, seems a gimmee for rail, but hmm ... 🙌 Trail over rail? Federal funding for QueensWay linear park could threaten long-sought QueensLink rail project By Ben Brachfeld Posted on March 18, 2024 The federal government granted New York City $117 million to design and build part of a High Line-esque “linear park” on an abandoned rail spur in Queens — but some advocates and elected officials worry the plan would forever foreclose the long-sought possibility of reactivating transit service along the corridor. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/federal-funding-queensway-park-threatens-rail-project/ The long-disused Rockaway Beach Branch rail spur. Friends of the QueensWay A rendering of the proposed QueensWay in central Queens. Friends of the QueensWay A map of the proposed QueensLink subway connection. QueensLink
March 21, 20241 yr path rolls out contactless payment — 👍 TAPP-to-pay: PATH contactless payment system launched at several train stops By Ben Brachfeld Posted on March 20, 2024 The Port Authority rolled out its new TAPP contactless payment system at several PATH train stations on both sides of the Hudson River, the agency announced Wednesday. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/tapp-path-contactless-payment-launched/ The Port Authority activated its TAPP contactless payment readers at the Oculus on March 20. Photo by Ben Brachfeld
March 22, 20241 yr On 3/21/2024 at 6:16 AM, mrnyc said: path rolls out contactless payment — 👍 TAPP-to-pay: PATH contactless payment system launched at several train stops By Ben Brachfeld Posted on March 20, 2024 The Port Authority rolled out its new TAPP contactless payment system at several PATH train stations on both sides of the Hudson River, the agency announced Wednesday. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/tapp-path-contactless-payment-launched/ The Port Authority activated its TAPP contactless payment readers at the Oculus on March 20. Photo by Ben Brachfeld Hopefully Cleveland RTA can put something like this into play. it certainly makes boarding so much easier, especially for out-of-towners unfamiliar with the systems.
March 22, 20241 yr 21 minutes ago, Cleburger said: Hopefully Cleveland RTA can put something like this into play. it certainly makes boarding so much easier, especially for out-of-towners unfamiliar with the systems. yeah the ny metro region is never going to be cutting edge with this type of thing, so i would imagine the developers have it down pat now and getting a contactless payment system up and running would be much easier than even just a few years ago. so i hope rta goes in for it at some point.
March 26, 20241 yr queensboro station aerial — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2JN3PjtxEU/?igsh=ZzlyeG5ubG9sNHA4
March 27, 20241 yr supposedly this will fund capital projects for mta, if the money isnt poached and if they don’t exempt every tom, d**k & harry — A $15 toll to drive into part of Manhattan has been approved. That’s a first for US cities BY CEDAR ATTANASIO Updated 5:45 PM EDT, March 27, 2024 Share NEW YORK (AP) — New York is on track to become the first U.S. city with congestion tolls on drivers entering its central business district after transit officials approved a $15 fee for most motorists headed to the busiest part of Manhattan. more: https://apnews.com/article/manhattan-traffic-congestion-fee-980981d0a67f14b75630eeae5e58b049
March 29, 20241 yr sure why not, i mean what could go wrong … ? 🙀 Self-driving cars get greenlight from Mayor Adams for test run on NYC streets By Ben Brachfeld Posted on March 28, 2024 Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday released new guidelines that will allow testing of self-driving cars on New York City’s streets. The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled a new set of safety guidelines and an application portal, allowing for the first time a wide swath of companies to test their self-driving car (also known as autonomous vehicles, or AVs) technology on the complex and chaotic roads of the five boroughs. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/self-driving-cars-test-mayor-adams-nyc/
April 9, 20241 yr 2024 is the 30th anniversary of the metrocard — first at whitehall and wall stations — 👍 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5V4Dd_s7Wt/?igsh=bGw3bGs2anZoaTA=
April 9, 20241 yr moving away from the paper window tickets for parking to pay by plate -- 👍 New ‘pay-by-plate’ parking meters are coming to NYC streets. Here’s what that means for drivers. By Ben Brachfeld Posted on April 8, 2024 New York City is serving up out new parking meters that will allow drivers to “pay-by-plate.” The new meters, which will first be rolled out in Upper Manhattan on May 8 before a gradual rollout to the rest of the city, will allow New Yorkers to pay for parking by entering their license plate number into the meter. That will allow the city to stop producing massive amounts of waste from paper parking receipts, which parkers place on their dashboard as proof of payment. Each year, New York City parking meters produce about 2,500 miles worth of receipts, enough to stretch all the way from New York to Los Angeles, the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) says. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/pay-by-plate-parking-meters-nyc/
April 13, 20241 yr when the conductor gets real with you door holder people — 🙀💥 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5ir8jvO7A3/?igsh=NzFvZnkzZzA3YzJu
April 15, 20241 yr a lo-v sighting in the wild — cool 😎 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5WpsHwBtof/?igsh=MWFlMGx3M2xxMmp1MQ==
April 16, 20241 yr aerials of the ibx route in eny — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5ns2L6rdwk/?igsh=MTJzY3ZjMmh5NnI0YQ==
April 17, 20241 yr vintage ride to yankee stadium — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Y209zxhWi/?igsh=MXVoMGlld2dlbmFzZA==
April 17, 20241 yr its been one year since station agents were stepoed out of the booths — https://www.amny.com/oped/op-ed-subway-booth-workers-anniversary/
April 17, 20241 yr 119yr old grand st bridge in maspeth to be replaced — https://qns.com/2024/04/sen-schumer-15-million-federal-dollars-replacement-grand-street-bridge/ The Grand Street Bridge - Photo courtesy of BridgesNYC
April 23, 20241 yr Huh, a correlation between housing/healthcare and a perception of safety on the subway. Ditto for opinions by people who don't ride it often. Who'da thought that... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 23, 20241 yr On 4/17/2024 at 2:22 PM, mrnyc said: 119yr old grand st bridge in maspeth to be replaced — https://qns.com/2024/04/sen-schumer-15-million-federal-dollars-replacement-grand-street-bridge/ The Grand Street Bridge - Photo courtesy of BridgesNYC Wow, remarkably similar to the center street swing bridge.
April 26, 20241 yr i rarely have rode them and had forgotten about this charming factoid until i saw one of the water taxi's full on yesterday -- all the city water ferry taxi's are named by second graders -- 🐟 https://www.ferry.nyc/blog/ferry-names/
April 29, 20241 yr bay ridge freight line in action — where the ibx line will go — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4OIainrWG3/?igsh=MWt0ejZseDBwYm1nZw==
May 3, 20241 yr make it so … Congestion pricing: DOT touts dozens of proposed street redesign projects to come following start of Manhattan toll program By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 2, 2024 The city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) is touting dozens of new street redesign projects it intends to undertake with the looming June 30 start date for congestion pricing. … “Congestion pricing will reduce traffic, improve air quality in our communities, and raise critical funding for our subways and buses,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We have been preparing for this moment for over a decade, and with fewer cars entering the tolled zone, we can repropose street space to make commuting by bus, bike, or on foot safer, faster, and more reliable.” more: https://www.amny.com/transit/congestion-pricing-dot-street-redesign-projects/ Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists on 8th Avenue in Midtown. NYC DOT
May 14, 20241 yr go get’em while there are still metrocards — since the metrocards are going away these might be some of the last special event cards they make: Ice Spice MetroCards available to commemorate Bronx rapper’s forthcoming debut album By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 12, 2024 more: https://www.amny.com/transit/ice-spice-metrocards-available/ The MTA is selling 50,000 MetroCards commemorating Bronx rapper Ice Spice ahead of the release of her debut album. MTA
May 17, 20241 yr Plugged in: MTA debuts new electric bus charging hub at Queens depot By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 14, 2024 The MTA unveiled on Tuesday 17 newly installed overhead electric chargers at a Queens bus depot to power up 60 all-electric buses set to service routes in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island by year’s end. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/plugged-in-mta-debuts-new-electric-bus-charging-hub-at-queens-depot/ The MTA expects to have 60 new electric buses running on routes in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island by year’s end. Photo by Ben Brachfeld
May 19, 20241 yr mta mobile wash unit — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6oibE8xaOZ/?igsh=NDJsaTA0YWt0dXJs
May 21, 20241 yr On 5/17/2024 at 7:18 PM, mrnyc said: Plugged in: MTA debuts new electric bus charging hub at Queens depot By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 14, 2024 The MTA unveiled on Tuesday 17 newly installed overhead electric chargers at a Queens bus depot to power up 60 all-electric buses set to service routes in Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island by year’s end. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/plugged-in-mta-debuts-new-electric-bus-charging-hub-at-queens-depot/ The MTA expects to have 60 new electric buses running on routes in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island by year’s end. Photo by Ben Brachfeld It would make perfect sense for the BRT lines in Cleveland - like going back to having "car barns" at the end of routes. Remember: It's the Year of the Snake
May 24, 20241 yr i don’t mind testing things, they have to, but geez mta likes to throw $$$ around — MTA will test middle-out turnstiles at 15 subway stops this year By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 22, 2024 https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-test-middle-out-turnstiles-subway/ The MTA is set to deploy middle-out turnstiles at more subway stations this year. Ray Raimundi / MTA
May 24, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, mrnyc said: i don’t mind testing things, they have to, but geez mta likes to throw $$$ around — MTA will test middle-out turnstiles at 15 subway stops this year By Ben Brachfeld Posted on May 22, 2024 https://www.amny.com/transit/mta-test-middle-out-turnstiles-subway/ The MTA is set to deploy middle-out turnstiles at more subway stations this year. Ray Raimundi / MTA what?! I still don't get how these things work. I only jumped a turnstile once (as far as I can remember, like forty years ago. But don't ask about boarding the Select Bus without paying. It was an emergency lol). There used to be an unmonitored subway entrance (don't know if it's still there) in a building on 42nd St. & Park Ave (south side) with no token booth and only a couple of turnstiles. A co-worker and I were running late getting back to work downtown and we didn't have tokens so at his behest and initiation we jumped the turnstile. I think the fare at that time was 50 cents. If I tried that today I would probably impale myself. Who knew this would become a trend practiced by millions today! http://www.mainstreetpainesville.org/
May 24, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, eastvillagedon said: what?! I still don't get how these things work. I only jumped a turnstile once (as far as I can remember, like forty years ago. But don't ask about boarding the Select Bus without paying. It was an emergency lol). There used to be an unmonitored subway entrance (don't know if it's still there) in a building on 42nd St. & Park Ave (south side) with no token booth and only a couple of turnstiles. A co-worker and I were running late getting back to work downtown and we didn't have tokens so at his behest and initiation we jumped the turnstile. I think the fare at that time was 50 cents. If I tried that today I would probably impale myself. Who knew this would become a trend practiced by millions today! literally nobody pays on the busses on sraten since covid. they are free.
May 30, 20241 yr take a brief ride on the old sixth avenue elevated 1916 — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7jNDKfxuTe/?igsh=MXQ1M2QwYTgyZHRiZw==
June 3, 20241 yr nice — Here’s your chance to own a genuine NYC street sign! By Ben Brachfeld Posted on June 3, 2024 Sign up, NYC! The New York City Department of Transportation will start selling authentic New York City street signs to lucky customers hoping to put a piece of New York City right on their wall. The first street sign up for sale on CityStore, the official gift shop of New York City’s government, is for the Stonewall Place block of Christopher Street in the West Village, the block where the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement began with the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn. Fifty of the 36×9 inch signs, manufactured at the DOT’s Sign Shop in Maspeth, Queens, are on sale this month for $75 apiece. “Our monthly sign drops will allow all who love New York City to celebrate the people, places, and special occasions that make this the greatest city in the world,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/nyc-dot-street-sign-sale-2024/
June 5, 20241 yr welp, it was a good idea while it lasted. the gov caves in at the last moments here and congestion pricing in manhattan is paused indefinitely. goodbye capital projects and hello service cuts … 😬
June 5, 20241 yr 20 minutes ago, mrnyc said: welp, it was a good idea while it lasted. the gov caves in at the last moments here and congestion pricing in manhattan is paused indefinitely. goodbye capital projects and hello service cuts … 😬 So f’ing stupid. Congestion pricing is a wonderful and important step in the right direction. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
June 6, 20241 yr i question how many outer boro and suburbanites actually drive in to downtown regularly these days anyway. traffic is so obviously way, way down on the streets post-covid and with wfh it would seem not many. i do think its not fair nyc residents would have to pay tho. we used to have a straight up commuter tax, but bloomberg screwed the locals and killed that. bring it back — it would go over somewhat easier politically. oh well, at least she made it to the brink of implimentation. cuomo would have never done anything and upset his long island apple cart. no one else either. this will cost her the next election.
June 6, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, mrnyc said: i question how many outer boro and suburbanites actually drive in to downtown regularly these days anyway. traffic is so obviously way, way down on the streets post-covid and with wfh it would seem not many. i do think its not fair nyc residents would have to pay tho. we used to have a straight up commuter tax, but bloomberg screwed the locals and killed that. bring it back — it would go over somewhat easier politically. oh well, at least she made it to the brink of implimentation. cuomo would have never done anything and upset his long island apple cart. no one else either. this will cost her the next election. How many locals take transit into NYC? This was one of the eighty-bazillion things studied as a part of this implementation, and the answer is that 90%+ already take transit to get into Manhattan. The implementation was rock solid and it is absolutely appropriate to charge people who live in NYC. Remember - NO ONE HAS to pay the fee - just take transit like a normal person. Or drive in outside of the fee hours. The good news is that it isn’t dead yet. The independent MTA board still has a say, and quite a few members have already publicly stated their support for the program since Hochul’s staggeringly stupid announcement. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
June 6, 20241 yr ^ no, i’m talking real numbers. both ridership and traffic are way down post covid. *** there it is — fifteen billy — poof — Congestion pricing: $15 BILLION in transit improvements in jeopardy after Hochul halts Manhattan toll plan By Ben Brachfeld Posted on June 6, 2024 Gov. Kathy Hochul’s eleventh-hour decision to halt New York’s congestion pricing program put a big question mark on $15 billion in mass transit capital improvements the MTA planned to undertake over the next few years, many of which the agency says are urgently needed. more: https://www.amny.com/transit/congestin-pricing-transit-improvements-in-jeopardy/
June 7, 20241 yr Fascinating political gamesmanship going on here. From a technical perspective, she doesn't have the legal authority to do this, and the MTA board could just ignore her. She of course could fire almost all of the board, and appointment new members, but that's unlikely to happen fast enough to meet the June 30th implementation date. She would need the State Assembly to change their previous law, and remove authority from the MTA to implement the program, but it's looking like that is going to be very close, with little time to whip votes, given that today is the last day for the legislative session. I assume this short deadline was intentional on her part to essentially force the legislature to do something. Wild stuff.
June 8, 20241 yr yes it still happens — https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6Z0Szvrx93/?igsh=MWR2bnB4b2pjbzl2bg==
June 16, 2024Jun 16 Congestion pricing: Feds give final approval, seem to counter Hochul’s economic reasoning for pausing Manhattan tolls By Ben BrachfeldPosted on June 16, 2024 The Federal Highway Administration’s final approval for the MTA’s now-shelved congestion pricing program gave plaudits to the tolling scheme which Gov. Kathy Hochul scuttled for the sake of easing economic costs to drivers. On the contrary, the approval decision on June 14 seemed to indicate that congestion pricing would provide significant economic benefits, including “travel-time savings and travel-time reliability improvements, as well as reduced vehicle operating costs.” more: https://www.amny.com/transit/congestion-pricing-federal-report-hochul-manhattan-tolls/
June 24, 2024Jun 24 a little something to keep ibx hope alive --- The federal government will give $15 million to the MTA to kickstart the Interborough Express light rail project between Brooklyn and Queens, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Daily News on Friday. The federal dollars come at a time of great uncertainty for the transit agency, which is in the midst of slashing its capital budget since Gov. Hochul slammed the brakes on congestion pricing, which had been expected to generate billions. “I fought hard for this $15 million for the [interborough express] because it is both transformative and a smart way to establish new transit connections between Brooklyn and Queens,” said Schumer, a New York Democrat. The project piggybacks on light-rail tracks along an existing freight rail corridor, minimizing the amount of property the MTA would need to acquire in order to provide new transit service. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. Passenger service along the 14-mile freight line would allow transfers to 17 subways and provide for rapid transit between Queens and south Brooklyn without the need to travel through Manhattan. “This funding will help Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods along the line that are growing and need more and better connections to each borough and to other subway, bus and rail lines,” Schumer said. “This means more jobs, a reduction in carbon emissions, and will save riders real time traveling between boroughs.” The $15 million in federal grant money comes out of the $1.5 billion pot of Transportation Department money earmarked for “projects with significant local or regional impact.” Notably, the funding does not require a local match to secure — unlike larger federal grants towards the Second Ave. subway and the Gateway tunnel project. But the money is a drop in the bucket compared to the light rail project’s projected $6 billion total cost. A Schumer spokesman said the funds are intended for early design and engineering work “to get this project moving.” The Interborough Express, or IBX, has been expected to be the crown jewel of the MTA’s upcoming 2025-2029 capital budget, linking historically under-served neighborhoods to multiple subway lines. Hochul has long championed the IBX and made it the centerpiece of her transit budget this year, with $52 million in state funding towards design and engineering work on the project. But her decision to indefinitely pause the implementation of congestion pricing — which was expected to generate $15 billion in bond revenue for the MTA’s current capital budget — is set to force the agency to delay some larger projects into the 2025-2029 budget. Whether that will, in turn, cause delays for IBX remains to be seen. more: https://www.reddit.com/r/nycrail/comments/1dlegfq/light_rail_linking_brooklyn_queens_to_get_15m/
June 25, 2024Jun 25 there is a new redesign for the brklyn hts triple cantilever — City proposes new redesign for BQE triple cantilever, delays construction until 2029 By Kirstyn Brendlen Posted on June 24, 2024 The city has a new proposal for the battered triple cantilever portion of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Brooklyn Heights, but no matter how the administration chooses to overhaul the roadway, construction won’t start until 2029, a year later than the most recently-announced plan. Ahead of two public workshops about “BQE Central,” the 1.5-mile city-owned stretch of the BQE between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street, the Department of Transportation released their newest idea for the triple cantilever — a “stacked” design, not dissimilar to the roadway’s current three-tiered layout. more: https://www.brooklynpaper.com/new-bqe-redesign-construction-delay-2029/ The city has proposed a new fix for the Triple Cantilever section of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. File photo by Todd Maisel
June 25, 2024Jun 25 yay — and btw that ridership count is notoriously vastly underestimated — Staten Island Railway to get new trains for first time in 50 years By Ramsey Khalifeh Published Jun 24, 2024 The new train cars will be a major modernization for the dilapidated Staten Island Railway. The current fleet of trains on the line — called R44s — first entered service in the early 1970s when John Lindsay was mayor, and are now prone to mechanical issues. Today, the line only carries about 7,000 riders per weekday, compared to nearly 4 million trips per day on the subway system. more: https://gothamist.com/news/staten-island-railway-to-get-new-trains-for-first-time-in-50-years
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