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September 12, 2025

LIRR strike: Here’s what riders need to know

Nearly 300,000 Long Island Rail Road riders could face disrupted commutes as early as next Thursday, as unions threaten the agency’s first strike in nearly 30 years. Unions representing over 3,000 workers, or roughly half of the railroad’s workforce, could walk out on September 18 unless they receive higher raises than those already negotiated with the MTA, which says half of the workforce has already accepted the deal. Even a partial strike would halt all LIRR service, since striking employees include engineers, signalmen, and other essential staff.
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NYC subway delays fueled by aging cars and equipment, report says

Credit: Matthew LeJune on Unsplash

September 10, 2025

NYC subway delays fueled by aging cars and equipment, report says

By Aaron Ginsburg

Aging subway cars and equipment are causing increasing delays for New York City commuters, according to a report released Wednesday by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. Of the 2.7 million scheduled subway trips in 2024, 486,614 arrived late, with infrastructure and equipment failures responsible for 31 percent of those delays—up from 24 percent in 2023. The report also found that over a quarter of subway cars are past their 40-year lifespan, and major service disruptions linked to car issues nearly tripled, from 27 to 77 in the first six months of 2025.
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17.6 million fewer vehicles have entered Manhattan since congestion pricing launched this year

Photo by Koon Chakhatrakan on Unsplash

September 10, 2025

17.6 million fewer vehicles have entered Manhattan since congestion pricing launched this year

By Aaron Ginsburg

Congestion pricing is (still) working. According to Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA officials, 2.7 million fewer vehicles entered Manhattan below 61st Street in August, a 14 percent drop that matched June for the largest reduction recorded so far in 2025. The positive data comes about a month before a scheduled federal court hearing in October, where the Trump administration’s attempt to end the tolling system will be decided. Since the program began in January, the number of vehicles entering the zone is down 12 percent, with 87,000 fewer trips each day and 17.6 million fewer vehicles compared to last year.
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Oonee to open NYC’s first secure indoor bike parking hub in Sunset Park

Images courtesy of Oonee

September 9, 2025

Oonee to open NYC’s first secure indoor bike parking hub in Sunset Park

By Aaron Ginsburg

Cyclists in Sunset Park will soon have access to one of New York City’s first secure indoor bike storage hubs. On Monday, Ailanthus, BEB Capital, and SK Development announced a 10-year lease with Oonee, the Brooklyn-based micromobility company, for a facility with space for 95 bikes at the mixed-use building One Sunset at 201 25th Street. Located next to the 25th Street R subway station, the hub—the first of its kind on the East Coast—will also offer battery swapping, charging, and bicycle repair services.
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Flatbush Avenue redesign to begin this fall

A rendering of NYC DOT’s Flatbush Avenue bus lane proposal at Flatbush Avenue and Park Place. Credit: NYC DOT

September 5, 2025

Flatbush Avenue redesign to begin this fall

By Aaron Ginsburg

Flatbush Avenue is getting faster (and safer). Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez on Friday announced work will begin this fall on center-running bus lanes along the busy Brooklyn corridor, from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza. The overhaul aims to speed up trips for 132,000 daily riders, where buses now average less than 4 miles per hour. Slated for completion in 2026, the project also includes pedestrian islands with covered seating, shorter crossing times, and updated curb regulations to support local businesses.
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New audio artworks at NYC subway stations seek to break routine and connect commuters

Photo credit: Ally Caple

September 4, 2025

New audio artworks at NYC subway stations seek to break routine and connect commuters

By Aaron Ginsburg

New audio artworks on the New York City subway aim to add connections to the daily rhythm of commutes. Conceived by conceptual artist and New Yorker Chloë Bass, "If you hear something, free something" is a play on the familiar announcement and reconsiders the role of public address, providing riders a fleeting moment of connection. Through October 5, riders at 14 subway stations will hear 24 poetic announcements in six languages—the first time the MTA has turned over its broadcast system to an artist.
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Tracks Bar opens in Grand Central Madison

Credit: Ray Raimundi/MTA on Flickr

September 3, 2025

Tracks Bar opens in Grand Central Madison

By Aaron Ginsburg

Penn Station's popular Tracks Raw Bar & Grill has found a new home in Grand Central Terminal. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday that the eatery opened on the concourse level of Grand Central Madison, Long Island Rail Road's new east side terminal, becoming its first restaurant. Tracks will keep its current West 31st Street location and is also preparing to open a new location inside Penn Station.
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Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

Photo by Don Ramey Logan on Wikimedia

August 28, 2025

Penn Station revamp to begin in late 2027, Trump says

By Aaron Ginsburg

Construction on the long-delayed revamp of Penn Station will start in late 2027, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said proposals will be accepted starting in October for the redevelopment of the busy train hall, with a goal to start construction in two years. The news comes after the feds put Amtrak in control of the project over Gov. Kathy Hochul in April. It's unclear how much the project will now cost under the updated timeline and possibly new design, but previous estimates from the MTA listed a $7 billion price tag.
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145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach reopens after revamp

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

August 27, 2025

145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach reopens after revamp

By Aaron Ginsburg

A 145-year-old footbridge connecting Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach has reopened after a long-overdue revitalization. Last week, Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez cut the ribbon on the new Ocean Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, originally built in 1880 and last repaired in 1930. As part of the project, in-house crews replaced the deck and walking boards, vertical supports, railings, and stringers, repainted the structure, and restored its decorative lighting.
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Amtrak launches new Acela trains, with higher speeds and elevated amenities

All photos courtesy of Amtrak

August 26, 2025

Amtrak launches new Acela trains, with higher speeds and elevated amenities

By Aaron Ginsburg

The fastest train in the United States is getting faster. This week, Amtrak will roll out the "NextGen" Acela, a new fleet of sleek trains traveling between Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. at 160 miles per hour, up from the Acela's current 150 miles per hour. Not only will the trains move faster, but the NextGen Acela will also offer better onboard features, including ergonomic seating, extra legroom, large windows, high-speed WiFi, and new wayfinding screens. The first day of service for the new trains is Thursday, August 28.
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City begins $44M project to rebuild busy stretch of Grand Concourse

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has broken ground on a $44 million project to bring major street safety upgrades to a stretch of Grand Concourse, one of the Bronx’s busiest corridors. Announced on Monday by the city, phase five includes an overhaul of the roadway from East Fordham Road to East 198th Street by adding new bike lanes, wider medians, bollards, better lighting, and improved pedestrian access. The project builds upon four earlier phases and is part of a broader effort to improve safety and ease traffic along the bustling corridor.
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Tunnel boring for Hudson River tunnel project to begin next summer

Credit: Gateway Development Commission

August 25, 2025

Tunnel boring for Hudson River tunnel project to begin next summer

By Aaron Ginsburg

Tunnel boring for the Hudson Tunnel Project, which will build a new rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey and rehabilitate the existing tunnel, is set to begin next summer. The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) announced last week that two massive tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will arrive early next year to start digging the 2.4-mile connection to Penn Station. The machines are expected to take about a year to dig the first mile of tunnel from Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen, where crews have spent the past two years preparing the site, to an access shaft in Hudson County, which is currently under construction.
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Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

Retrofitting the platform at the Broadway Junction L train station. Photo courtesy of MTA/Megan Armas on Flickr

August 20, 2025

Federal Transit Administration again threatens MTA funds over safety risks

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump's administration is once again threatening to withhold funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Tuesday accused the agency of using "flawed analytical approaches" in a safety plan and said it fails to reflect actual safety risk to subway workers. The FTA required the MTA to develop a new safety plan after a subway track worker was struck and killed by a train in 2023 and another worker was seriously injured the following year. The feds are threatening to withhold up to 25 percent of the financial assistance given to the MTA if safety is not improved for workers.
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Second Avenue Subway extension moves ahead in Harlem with $2B contract

106th Street. Rendering courtesy of the MTA

August 18, 2025

Second Avenue Subway extension moves ahead in Harlem with $2B contract

By Devin Gannon

East Harlem is one major step closer to having better subway access for the first time since the 1940s. The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday approved a nearly $2 billion tunnel-boring contract for the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway, which extends the Q train from 96th Street to 125th Street. The tunneling contract marks the largest awarded in agency history.
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NYC releases greenway master plan with 40 miles of new paths

Credit: NYC DOT on Flickr

August 14, 2025

NYC releases greenway master plan with 40 miles of new paths

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has an ambitious vision to expand its greenways by 40 miles, offering a continuous walk around Manhattan and car-free cycling from Brooklyn to Far Rockaway. Released on Wednesday, the "Greater Greenways" plan is the city’s first master plan for its greenway network in more than 30 years. The plan assesses the existing 500 miles of paths and proposes new pedestrian and cycling routes to fill in existing gaps across the five boroughs, with construction on some short-term projects beginning as early as 2028.
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Central Park Conservancy endorses horse-drawn carriage ban

Photo by Fernando Gonzalez on Pexels

August 13, 2025

Central Park Conservancy endorses horse-drawn carriage ban

By Aaron Ginsburg

For the first time, the Central Park Conservancy has taken a side in the city’s horse-drawn carriage debate, backing a City Council bill that would ban the rides from the park. On Tuesday, the nonprofit publicly called for the end of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, calling them unsafe, damaging to the park's roads, and incompatible with the growing crowds. The bill, known as “Ryder’s Law,” would phase out carriage horses by 2026 and help drivers transition to other jobs, according to Gothamist. The Conservancy's endorsement comes a week after a horse collapsed and died in Hell’s Kitchen, reigniting debate over the future of horse-drawn carriages.
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New York’s first hybrid-electric ferry sails to Governors Island

Credit: Timothy Schenck

August 13, 2025

New York’s first hybrid-electric ferry sails to Governors Island

By Aaron Ginsburg

The first hybrid-electric public ferry in New York is now taking passengers to and from Governors Island. On Tuesday, the Trust for Governors Island debuted the Harbor Charger, a $33 million vessel equipped with a hybrid propulsion system that will cut carbon dioxide emissions by roughly 600 tons annually, as 6sqft previously reported. The ferry, the first of its kind in the state, can travel up to 66 percent faster than current diesel-powered vessels, offering visitors a quicker and more sustainable trip to the island.
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110th Street subway station in Harlem renamed for Malcolm X

Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Flickr

August 12, 2025

110th Street subway station in Harlem renamed for Malcolm X

By Devin Gannon

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of the Harlem Renaissance and the birth of Malcolm X. To celebrate, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed two pieces of legislation renaming the 110th Street-Central Park North subway station after the civil rights icon and designating the Harlem Renaissance Cultural District, officially recognizing the area for its significance.
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New JFK terminal to display art from iconic NYC museums

Credit: JFK Millennium Partners on Flickr

August 11, 2025

New JFK terminal to display art from iconic NYC museums

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City’s world-famous cultural institutions are set to greet global travelers arriving at the new Terminal 6 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. On Monday, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners announced a partnership with the American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art to permanently display installations from each institution in the airport’s new $4.2 billion terminal.
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Track work to disrupt 4, 5, and 6 subway service for two weekends this month

Credit: Billie Grace Ward on Flickr

August 8, 2025

Track work to disrupt 4, 5, and 6 subway service for two weekends this month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Riders on the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines are in for two weekends of major service disruptions this month. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday announced track work will shut down service south of Grand Central–42nd Street from 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday on the weekends of August 15 through 18 and August 22 through 25. Crews will be replacing the concrete beneath switches north of 14th Street.
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Clark Street station reopens after hotel awning collapse

The Hotel St. George Awning before collapse. Image via WikiCommons

August 5, 2025

Clark Street station reopens after hotel awning collapse

By Aaron Ginsburg

Subway service has been restored at the Clark Street station in Brooklyn Heights following the collapse of a concrete awning on Sunday. A video posted to social media by Council Member Lincoln Restler captured the moment the 15-by-20-foot awning on Henry Street came crashing down over the station entrance. Service was suspended at the station after the Department of Buildings (DOB) had found a similar structure above another entrance unsafe. As of Tuesday morning, the vacate order was lifted, and subway service was restored.
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NYC could lose 300,000 parking spots under new street safety bill

Credit: Nick Kelly on Unsplash

August 4, 2025

NYC could lose 300,000 parking spots under new street safety bill

By Aaron Ginsburg

Parking could become more difficult under a new City Council bill that would eliminate up to 300,000 spaces citywide in an effort to improve street safety. Intro. 1138 would ban vehicles from parking within 20 feet of crosswalks and improve visibility by adding "daylighting" structures, such as planters and bike racks, to protect sightlines for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. The bill would bring New York City in line with existing state law, which already prohibits parking within 20 feet of intersections, according to City & State.
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MTA awards $166M design contract for Interborough Express

Credit: MTA / Trent Reeves on Flickr

July 31, 2025

MTA awards $166M design contract for Interborough Express

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Interborough Express is one step closer to bridging numerous transit-deprived neighborhoods across Brooklyn and Queens, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday approved the project’s full design. At its monthly board meeting, the MTA awarded a nearly $166 million design contract to the joint engineering venture Jacobs/HDR, according to amNY. The two-year agreement will begin preliminary design development and includes a "comprehensive scope of work"—such as surveys, geotechnical and environmental investigations, and structural inspections—to move the project forward.
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NYC subway and bus fare will likely rise to $3 in 2026

Credit: Patrick J. Cashin / Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Flickr

July 31, 2025

NYC subway and bus fare will likely rise to $3 in 2026

By Aaron Ginsburg

The price to ride New York City subways and buses will likely increase to $3 in January, MTA officials said during the agency's monthly board meeting on Wednesday. Originally planned for August, the proposed fare hike was delayed to allow for a required public comment period. The increase will coincide with the end of MetroCard sales as the MTA transitions fully to its OMNY tap-and-go system. While the increase is widely expected to pass, it still requires final approval from the MTA board following public hearings this fall.
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G train signal upgrades delayed until 2029

Credit: Steve on Flickr

July 29, 2025

G train signal upgrades delayed until 2029

By Aaron Ginsburg

G train riders may have to wait an additional two years for long-promised signal upgrades that would speed up service. The $624 million project aims to replace the line’s 1930s-era signal system with communications-based train control (CBTC). Work is scheduled to be completed north of Hoyt-Schermerhorn by the end of 2027, and between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Church Avenue by 2028. However, the upgraded system won’t be activated until 2029, due to delays in installing 5G radio technology in subway cars—a requirement for CBTC to function across both trains and tracks, agency officials said during an MTA committee meeting Monday.
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