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Beginning on Monday, the MTA is planning a series of overnight and weekend interruptions of L train service that will give commuters a glimpse at what's to come when Governor Cuomo's new one-track plan to fix the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel kicks in at the end of April. From January 28 and through March 18, L trains will not run between Broadway Junction and 8 Avenue weeknights from 10:45 p.m. to 5 a.m. In addition to the weeknight closures, there will be no L-train service on seven weekends in February and March: Feb. 1-4, Feb. 8–11, Feb. 15–19, Feb. 22–25, March 1–4, March 8–11, and March 15–18.
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Photo courtesy of Blue Point Brewing Company

January 25, 2019

Blue Point wants to help frustrated New Yorkers with ‘What the L?’ beer

The L train shutdown may be canceled, but don't let Cuomo's Superman tactics trick you into thinking you'll get off unscathed. Even without a full 15-month shutdown, there will be a slew of headaches and, like beer company Blue Point Brewing Company says, "who knows what will happen next?!" And when in doubt, an adult beverage can help soften the blow, which is why Blue Point developed its new "What the L?" brew, complete with a very Williamsburg-esque label created by local graphic designer and subway artist Winston Tseng.
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Smooth sailing for G, L, and Q trains this weekend, others not so much

Image via Flickr

January 25, 2019

Smooth sailing for G, L, and Q trains this weekend, others not so much

Most of the planned work for this weekend looks a lot like last week's slate: still no B train, no J or M between Brooklyn and Manhattan, no 7 between Queensboro Plaza and 34 Street-Hudson Yards, and longer than usual wait times on some lines. G, L, and Q riders can rejoice for now, you get to enjoy another weekend without planned subway service disruptions.
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Cuomo’s new L train plan will still bring headaches for commuters, as leaked memo shows

Image via Governor Cuomo’s Flickr

January 24, 2019

Cuomo’s new L train plan will still bring headaches for commuters, as leaked memo shows

With Governor Cuomo's plan to avoid a total L train shutdown for 15 months in favor of a "nights and weekends" approach confirmed earlier this month, questions still remain about just what the alternate plan will entail and how riders will be affected. According to an exclusive MTA memo draft obtained by Streetsblog and the New York Post this week, it looks like the new Canarsie Tunnel repair plan will bring its own set of headaches for straphangers, including 20-minute waits between trains on weekends and an exit-only system at First and Third Avenues on weekends.
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First look at Amtrak’s new amenity space in revamped Moynihan Train Hall

Rendering of Metropolitan Lounge via FXCollaborative

January 24, 2019

First look at Amtrak’s new amenity space in revamped Moynihan Train Hall

New renderings, as well as additional details, were released this week of Amtrak's new amenity space in Moynihan Train Hall. ClubAcela is getting rebranded as the Metropolitan Lounge and moving across the street from Penn Station to the new train hall, which is set to open in early 2021. Designed by FXCollaborative, the sleek new space offers more room, private restrooms, free WiFi, and better food and drink options.
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MTA board delays vote on proposed fare hike

Via Flickr

January 24, 2019

MTA board delays vote on proposed fare hike

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted on Thursday to table making a decision on a proposed fare hike until February. The board was set to vote on two proposals to raise NYC subway and bus, Long Island Rail Road, and Metro-North fares. But board member Peter Ward said he was worried about increasing fares without looking at alternative revenue options. "I'm concerned we're making a decision today when we need to be a little bit slower, a little more thoughtful, and consider a few more options," Ward, who was appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said during the board meeting.
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The Bronx is getting four new Metro-North stations

Aerial view of Co-op City via Wiki Commons

January 22, 2019

The Bronx is getting four new Metro-North stations

According to Governor Cuomo, the MTA, Empire State Development, and Amtrak have reached an agreement to build four new Metro-North Railroad stations along an underutilized rail line in the east Bronx, giving this very much underserved area access to Penn Station. The "transit desert," as the press release calls it, will receive stations at Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-op City. And considering the Bronx had the most approved residential units last year, the news couldn't come at a better time. The buried news here is that this will also be the first time Metro-North will come into Penn Station.
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Transit

Bronx icons radiate light in Rico Gatson’s murals at reopened 167th Street station

Beacons (2018) © Rico Gaston, NYCT 167th Street Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Audre Lorde portrait derived from a photo by Jack Mitchell

January 22, 2019

Bronx icons radiate light in Rico Gatson’s murals at reopened 167th Street station

A series of bright mosaic murals created by artist Rico Gatson was revealed last week at the 167th Street B, D station in the Bronx, which recently reopened after months of repair work. The artwork, "Beacons," features eight portraits of figures who have contributed to culture and society and who also have a special connection to the broader New York City community. Figures honored include Gil Scott-Heron, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou, Reggie Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor.
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L train shutdown is really cancelled this time, MTA says

Via Wikimedia

January 18, 2019

L train shutdown is really cancelled this time, MTA says

"The total shutdown of both tunnels and all service scheduled for April 27 will not be necessary," reads a statement from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority released Thursday. The announcement comes just a few days after the MTA held an "emergency" meeting to present the agency's board with information about the new L train plan ahead of a vote on the project. But it appears the MTA will argue that the new plan, which would not require a total shutdown of subway service, does not need board approval to move forward after all.
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Here’s how the subways will be running this MLK Day weekend

Riders of the G, L, Q, and R trains are in luck: no scheduled disturbances will get in the way of your long weekend plans. The B train, on the other hand, will not be running this weekend. And like last week, there is no J or M service between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Most lines are expecting significant delays, with 5 trains running only every 20 minutes. And on Monday, MTA services will operate on special schedules in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Subways will be running on a regular weekend schedule, Metro-North will be on an enhanced Saturday schedule, and the LIRR is offering off-peak fares throughout the day to celebrate the holiday.
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Five years ago, transit officials rejected L train plan similar to Cuomo’s over safety concerns

Via Flickr

January 15, 2019

Five years ago, transit officials rejected L train plan similar to Cuomo’s over safety concerns

Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo shocked New Yorkers when he called off the 15-month shutdown of L-train service, part of the plan to fix the Canarsie Tunnel which had been in the works for years. Instead, the governor, along with an expert panel of engineers, presented a new, never-been-done-before plan that would require less construction in the century-old tunnel. But the New York Times reported on Tuesday that a similar plan was rejected by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority nearly five years ago over safety and feasibility concerns.
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Emergency MTA meeting on Cuomo’s L train plan set for Tuesday

Via Gov. Cuomo’s Flickr

January 14, 2019

Emergency MTA meeting on Cuomo’s L train plan set for Tuesday

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday will hold an emergency public meeting for its board to review Gov. Andrew Cuomo's L train reconstruction proposal. Earlier this month, the governor unexpectedly presented a new plan to fix the Carnasie Tunnel that would not require it to close for 15 months and halt L train service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, but instead be repaired on nights and weekends. The MTA board is expected to question the agency on the feasibility of the new plan, which was announced by Cuomo just three months before the shutdown was set to begin in April.
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No J or M between Brooklyn and Manhattan and other weekend subway updates

Via Flickr

January 11, 2019

No J or M between Brooklyn and Manhattan and other weekend subway updates

Let's start things off with some good news: The L and G trains will be running smoothly with no anticipated changes this weekend. The worse news is that many lines will experience station closures and delays. Riders of the 5 will be hit especially hard, with trains running only every 20 minutes. Traveling between boroughs won't be easy either. 7 service between Queensboro Plaza and 34 Street-Hudson Yards continues to be out and there will be no J or M service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Those free shuttle buses are sure to be packed.
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Via NYC Ferry

January 10, 2019

Staten Island, Coney Island to be added to NYC Ferry system

The city will launch two new ferry routes by 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday during his State of the City address. Staten Island and Coney Island will be added to the NYC Ferry system, providing a much faster commute to Manhattan for outer-borough New Yorkers. "It shouldn't be this hard to get around in the greatest city in the world," de Blasio said. "And so we’re giving people more and better options." With the addition of the Staten Island route, all five boroughs will be a part of the NYC Ferry system by next year.
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Via Wikimedia

January 10, 2019

$60M contract will finally bring East Side Access to Grand Central

By Michelle Cohen

It was announced today that a $60.2 million contract to build the project that will bring the Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal was awarded to construction and development company Skanska. The award represents the final heavy civil contract in the MTA's largest largest capital project and one that marks the first expansion of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in over 100 years.
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De Blasio promises to increase NYC bus speeds and number of designated lanes

Via Flickr

January 10, 2019

De Blasio promises to increase NYC bus speeds and number of designated lanes

Significant improvements will be made over the next two years to the New York City's outdated bus system, Mayor Bill de Blasio is expected to announce during his State of the City address on Thursday. A report released by City Comptroller Scott Stringer in 2017 found the city's buses run at the slowest pace in the nation among large cities, traveling at just 7.4 miles per hour on average. The mayor aims to increase the bus speeds by 25 percent to just over 9 miles per hour by the end of 2020, as amNY first reported.
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Council Speaker Corey Johnson kicks off five-day, five-borough tour of NYC subway stations

Via City Council Speaker Corey Johnson

January 7, 2019

Council Speaker Corey Johnson kicks off five-day, five-borough tour of NYC subway stations

On Monday, Corey Johnson, the speaker of the New York City Council and Acting Public Advocate, kicked off a five-day tour of the city's subway system. Johnson, who will hold both posts until the public advocate special election on Feb.26, plans on traveling to stations in all five boroughs to get feedback from real New Yorkers all over the city. "New York City deserves a world-class transportation system, but unfortunately, due to years of neglect and mismanagement, we don't have one," Johnson wrote on the City Council's website.
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Amtrak engineers eye Cuomo’s L train fix for their own East River tunnel repairs

Via Flickr

January 7, 2019

Amtrak engineers eye Cuomo’s L train fix for their own East River tunnel repairs

By Michelle Cohen

Amtrak is taking a close look at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s possibly-disaster-averting new L train repair strategy as a "common sense solution" for their own damaged tunnels between Manhattan and Queens, the Daily News reports. The agency would, of course, subject the tunnel fix to more scrutiny before making a decision. Amtrak chairman Anthony Coscia said “It is important for us to do a thorough vetting so that we can determine now at this stage whether it’s a methodology that we could use. Because if it is, it will make the process far less painful to our travelers,” much like the new subway solution would allegedly be.
Could this make the Gateway Project obsolete?

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Government shutdown could cost MTA $150M per month in federal funds

Via Flickr

January 7, 2019

Government shutdown could cost MTA $150M per month in federal funds

With each passing month of the partial government shutdown--currently in its third week--the Metropolitan Transportation Authority stands to lose $150 million per month in federal funds, Sen. Chuck Schumer said Sunday. Without funds from Washington, which are allocated for track repair work and construction projects, the MTA may have to cut back service or borrow money, if the shutdown continues. "They can last another four weeks, but after that, [the MTA has] got real trouble," Schumer said during a news conference, as the New York Post reported. "They may have to borrow which would increase their costs. They may have to cut back, which would be a very bad thing."
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Four days late, de Blasio launches Fair Fares program with some caveats

Image via Flickr cc

January 4, 2019

Four days late, de Blasio launches Fair Fares program with some caveats

After facing sharp criticism this week from almost all New York media outlets for missing the January 1st start date of Fair Fares, Mayor de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson held a press conference this afternoon to officially launch the program. As of now, the joint initiative will provide half-priced MetroCards to approximately 30,000 low-income New Yorkers who are receiving cash assistance benefits from the Department of Social Services. In April, an estimated additional 130,000 New Yorkers receiving SNAP benefits will be able to apply. But as the Daily News' City Hall bureau chief Jill Jorgensen mentioned on Twitter, limiting the program to these two groups means that no undocumented residents are eligible to apply.
More details here

Cuomo says MTA board must sign off on L train plan, one day after it was presented as a done deal

Via Wikipedia

January 4, 2019

Cuomo says MTA board must sign off on L train plan, one day after it was presented as a done deal

The dreaded 15-month L train shutdown, planned and studied for three years, is canceled. Or is it? Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday presented a proposal for a new L train plan that would no longer require a 15-month closure of the Carnasie Tunnel, the link between Manhattan and Brooklyn and which was damaged by saltwater floods during Hurricane Sandy. During the news conference, Cuomo, along with a panel of experts, engineers, and the acting chair of the MTA, Fernando Ferrer, touted the project as being the shortest and best way to fix the tunnel. But in a conference call with reporters on Friday, the governor called on the MTA board to hold an emergency meeting to vote yay or nay on his new plan, of which most had heard about on the same day it was announced.
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First weekend of 2019 starts major headaches for 7 train riders and Washington Heights station

Via Flickr

January 4, 2019

First weekend of 2019 starts major headaches for 7 train riders and Washington Heights station

New year, same subway challenges. This weekend will be the start of significant service disruptions along the 7 line—making travel between Manhattan and Queens more complicated—and of long-term construction at several stations in Washington Heights, beginning on January 5 with the closure of the 1 train's 168 Street station (some good news: A and C trains will still be servicing the station). Riders can expect to encounter skipped stops across many lines and long wait times. Read on for a detailed list of the planned service changes.
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January 3, 2019

Cuomo calls for last-minute halt of L train shutdown in favor of a new tunnel design

Knight in shining armor or kink in the chain? In an unexpected, last-minute announcement on Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he is halting the 15-month L train shutdown in April, calling for a new tunnel design instead that would coincide with night and weekend work for 15 to 20 months. The news comes just a few weeks after the governor toured the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel with engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia Universities. Though he said at the time he was "confident it cannot be done any other way and it cannot be done faster than the MTA is doing it," Cuomo today threw a curveball saying he and the MTA have agreed on a new design that has never before been used in the U.S. and will mean that it "will not be necessary to close the L Train tunnel at all."
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With no details from de Blasio, Fair Fares pilot program misses Jan. 1 start date

Via Flickr

January 3, 2019

With no details from de Blasio, Fair Fares pilot program misses Jan. 1 start date