Transit

MTA approves more than $200M in cosmetic improvements for eight subway stations

Two stations at 34th Street will be renovated; photo via dog97209 on Flickr

February 23, 2018

MTA approves more than $200M in cosmetic improvements for eight subway stations

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved on Thursday a $213 million plan to rehabilitate eight subway stations, despite objections from the authority's city representatives. Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $1 billion Enhanced Station Initiative, the stations--six in Manhattan and two in the Bronx-- will get outfitted with USB ports, LED lighting, digital countdown clocks and artwork (h/t New York Times). The board first delayed the vote on the construction contracts in January after board members, appointed by Mayor de Blasio, questioned the necessity of these cosmetic improvements when the system's infrastructure remains in desperate need of repair.
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3 trains down for the count, W trains picking up some slack in wacky weekend subway service

Photo by Hannah Frishberg

February 23, 2018

3 trains down for the count, W trains picking up some slack in wacky weekend subway service

By Hannah Frishberg

The subways are a mess this weekend, with track replacement, electrical and structural improvements, and track maintenance wreaking havoc on service citywide – not that straphangers would expect anything better. Particularly detrimental this weekend is that the 3 is once again not running and 7 train service will be severely limited. The W train will be coming out of its usual weekend hibernation for some "special service" operating between Whitehall St and Ditmars Blvd.
Trains are masquerading as each other right and left

Transit

With permit to dig, Elon Musk’s plan for a 29-minute ride between NYC and D.C. inches forward

The tunnel-digging machine; photo via The Boring Company

February 20, 2018

With permit to dig, Elon Musk’s plan for a 29-minute ride between NYC and D.C. inches forward

By Devin Gannon

The Boring Company, led by Elon Musk, received a building permit this week from the Washington, D.C. government, potentially jumpstarting the tech entrepreneur's plan to bring a high-speed tube system between New York City and D.C. Although Musk said last summer he received "verbal" approval from officials, the new, written permit allows preparatory and excavation work to begin on a parking lot on New York Avenue in D.C., the Washington Post reported. The Hyperloop One would be able to take passengers from NYC to D.C., with stops in Philadelphia and Baltimore, in just 29 minutes via a tube moved by electric propulsion.
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Subway stations on the Upper West Side and Astoria to temporarily close this spring

N train at 30th Ave Station via Wikimedia

February 20, 2018

Subway stations on the Upper West Side and Astoria to temporarily close this spring

By Devin Gannon

Thousands of straphangers on the Upper West Side and Astoria will have to rethink their daily commutes come spring, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans on closing some stations for up to six months for repairs and upgrades. The station makeovers fall under the MTA's Enhanced Station Initiative, a plan to improve the reliability and customer experience inside the subway system. Planned enhancements include installing digital countdown clocks at subway entrances, glass barriers, LED lighting and adorning station walls with artwork.
Find out more

Transit

February 20, 2018

Could an East River pontoon bridge be a viable L train alternative?

By Michelle Cohen

Real estate investor, sailing champion and former Calvin Klein underwear model Parker Shinn has entered the impending void of the dreaded L train shutdown scheduled for April of 2019 with a new alternative. The concept, which joins a growing list that includes a gondola, an inflatable tunnel, car-free bus lanes, bike lanes and a lot of MTA re-routing, is called L-ternative Bridge, and consists of a temporary pontoon bridge between Brooklyn and Manhattan that would be capable of supporting two lanes of bus traffic and two walking/bike paths.
So what's a pontoon bridge?

Transit

MTA serves up debilitating service change schedule this long weekend

Photo by Hannah Frishberg

February 16, 2018

MTA serves up debilitating service change schedule this long weekend

By Hannah Frishberg

Monday is a Federal Holiday, President's Day, and the MTA has both a trick and a treat planned for the long weekend. The treat is that the Q70 LaGuardia Link bus will be free through Tuesday. The trick is that both subways and buses will be operating on a Saturday schedule come Monday, meaning there will be no express service on the 6 or 7 trains and the B, J and W trains will not be running, in addition to a number of other service changes. The MTA is offering no rest for weary straphangers in terms of planned work line rerouting: 3 trains won't be running at all, and the Rockaways will be serviced largely by shuttle bus.
Good luck, straphangers

Transit

A 10-minute walk to the subway could save you 10 percent on rent

Photo via Jeffrey Zeldman’s Flickr

February 15, 2018

A 10-minute walk to the subway could save you 10 percent on rent

By Devin Gannon

While amenities like on-site laundry and air conditioning are big selling points in New York City rentals, the building's proximity to the subway remains one of the most important factors when looking for new digs. And like other amenities, there is an added cost to live near the subway. New data from RentHop breaks down how much renters can save by living further from the subway in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. According to their report, as Curbed NY reported, apartments closest to the subway cost 6 to 8 percent more than the borough median, with the furthest costing 8 to 10 percent less.
Details here

New York City’s subway system has a water problem- a 13 million gallon one

Workers pumping seawater out of the L-train tunnel after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, photo courtesy of the MTA on Flickr

February 13, 2018

New York City’s subway system has a water problem- a 13 million gallon one

By Devin Gannon

The subway's crippling, century-old infrastructure is not the only reason behind the system's constant delays and disruptions. The other problem involves about 13 million gallons of water, or more depending on the rainfall, that gets pumped out from underground on a nearly daily basis. A perpetual hazard, water can drip onto electrified equipment, cause a short and create chaos, as the New York Times reported. After ineffectively using only sandbags and plywood to fight flooding in the past, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has turned to more high-tech solutions, like flood-proof doors and inflatable gaskets, which will be a part of its $800 million emergency action plan to fix the subway.
Find out more

Transit

Interactive map identifies the New York City neighborhoods most underserved by transit

Map via AllTransit

February 12, 2018

Interactive map identifies the New York City neighborhoods most underserved by transit

By Devin Gannon

Nearly 29 percent of New York City households are underserved by transit, according to data from the Center for Neighborhood Technology and TransitCenter. In a joint project, called AllTransit, the team put together a collection of transit data that includes 15,000 routes and 800 agencies in the United States. A tool called Gap Finder identifies gaps in U.S. cities where underserved communities would benefit from improved service.
Explore it here

Transit

Trump’s long-awaited infrastructure plan won’t fund Gateway project

Photo via The Gateway Program Development Corporation

February 12, 2018

Trump’s long-awaited infrastructure plan won’t fund Gateway project

By Devin Gannon

President Donald Trump on Monday released his $200 billion infrastructure plan and it does not look good for New York and New Jersey. Because the plan shifts the financial burden from the federal government onto states and localities, relying on incentives to spur private investment, major projects will struggle to find funding. This includes the Gateway Tunnel project, a proposal to construct a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River and repair the existing one. As the only intercity passenger rail crossing into NYC from NJ, the tunnel is a critical link for nearly 200,000 daily passengers. While the Obama administration considered Gateway a priority and committed half of the project's cost in 2015, the Trump administration has scoffed at the idea.
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The L is virtually the only train without planned track work this weekend

By Hannah Frishberg

Planned work will be impacting just about everyone this weekend, with the L line and shuttles the only lines to not have service changes. The 2 and the 5 lines are masquerading as one another for considerable hunks of track, and the A, C, E, are an absolute mess. To boot, MetroCard vending machines will only be accepting cash from 12:01am to 6am Saturday morning, so make sure to not be out of swipes if you go out Friday night.
Get ready, it's a lot

Transit

As New York struggles with basic maintenance, global cities build cheaper, better infrastructure

Construction workers giving a tour of the Second Avenue subway; photo via the MTA on Flickr

February 6, 2018

As New York struggles with basic maintenance, global cities build cheaper, better infrastructure

By Devin Gannon

The exorbitant construction costs of building transit projects, coupled with project delays, could make the New York region lose jobs and businesses to other global cities that are completing transit projects in a more timely, and economical, fashion. A report released on Tuesday from the Regional Plan Association (RPA) says high-costs and delays are ingrained in every part of the public-project delivery, including too-long environmental reviews, inaccurate project budgets and timelines and a lack of communication with labor unions. In their report, the RPA analyzed three projects and their costs and delivery issues: the Second Avenue Subway, East Side Access and the extension of the 7-train.
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State risks $14M in road and highway funding for keeping flashy ‘I Love NY’ signs

Big blue signs, similar to this one, decorate the sides of New York’s highways; photo via Wikimedia

February 2, 2018

State risks $14M in road and highway funding for keeping flashy ‘I Love NY’ signs

By Devin Gannon

Despite demands from the federal government for over two years to remove the "I Love NY" highway signs, Gov. Andrew Cuomo refused to comply. Now, the state of New York could lose up to $14 million in federal funding for not taking down the more than 500 big blue signs found along the state's highways, considered to be distracting to drivers. According to the New York Times, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) first raised concerns in 2011 when the signs were still an abstract idea. The state installed them anyway.
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6, A, C, and E trains skipping much of lower Manhattan this weekend, and other subway service changes

Photo by Billie Grace Ward / Flickr

February 2, 2018

6, A, C, and E trains skipping much of lower Manhattan this weekend, and other subway service changes

By Hannah Frishberg

The 2 and 3 trains not running between Brooklyn and Manhattan on weekends has become as socially accepted and internalized as the B and Z trains not running on weekends at all. Hopefully, New Yorkers will be able to somehow adjust as easily when the L train shuts down, although it’s not likely. This weekend's service changes hit especially hard in lower Manhattan, where the A, C, E, and 6 trains will all be skipping a number of express stops. Perhaps make weekend plans off a stop which will be serviced, so as to avoid certain misery and commuting woes.
A, C, and E to spring past Spring St

Transit

The scrapped plan to build a 77th Street bridge over the East River to Queens

Courtesy of the NYPL

January 31, 2018

The scrapped plan to build a 77th Street bridge over the East River to Queens

By Emily Nonko

At one point in New York history, it looked very likely that the city would get a brand new bridge across the East River between Manhattan and Queens by way of Blackwell’s (now Roosevelt) Island. This was back in the 1870s, as the Brooklyn Bridge began rising to the south. According to Ephemeral New York, this would have been the second bridge to link Manhattan to Long Island, and plans were just getting off the ground. Though an 1877 newspaper article got the location of the bridge wrong--as it wasn't going to Brooklyn--it explained that the proposal process was moving right along: "The projectors of this proposed bridge over the East River, between New York and Brooklyn at 77th Street, by way of Blackwell’s Island, have, in response to the invitation sent out, received ten separate designs and estimates from as many engineers," it said. "Ground will be broken as soon as a plan shall be decided on."
Here's why it never happened

Proposed congestion pricing in Manhattan would have little impact on commuters, study says

Photo via joiseyshowaa on Flickr

January 30, 2018

Proposed congestion pricing in Manhattan would have little impact on commuters, study says

By Devin Gannon

When Gov. Andrew Cuomo's task force, Fix NYC, released its congestion pricing plan last week, critics were quick to say the fees would most burden commuters who live outside the city and drive into Manhattan for work. However, a new report from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign found that less than 4 percent of residents in most districts commute by car into proposed congestion zones. In their report, the transportation research group analyzed the community patterns by looking at state Senate and Assembly districts; they found that a majority of commuters rely on mass transit, rather than cars, to commute.
More here

To fund MTA projects, Cuomo calls for a tax increase on properties near the subway

Second Avenue Subway station, courtesy of Governor Cuomo’s Flickr

January 29, 2018

To fund MTA projects, Cuomo calls for a tax increase on properties near the subway

By Devin Gannon

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed FY 2019 budget, released earlier this month, calls on New York City to increase its funding to the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority, forcing the city to pay half of the authority's $836 million emergency action plan. Another provision in the governor's proposal allows the MTA to create special "transit improvement" districts and impose higher taxes on property owners in these areas in order to raise money for subway repairs and projects. According to the New York Times, the governor's plan, known as "value capture," would apply to future projects that would cost over $100 million. Like most issues involving both state and city cooperation, this proposal has continued the rift over MTA funding between the governor and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has already expressed disapproval of the plan.
Find out more

MTA plans wonky routes for D and 4 trains, and more weekend service updates

Photo by Giuseppe Milo / Flickr

January 26, 2018

MTA plans wonky routes for D and 4 trains, and more weekend service updates

By Hannah Frishberg

Photo by Giuseppe Milo / Flickr This weekend, 1, G, Q, and L riders are in luck: trains will operate as usual (so, expect issues, but no scheduled ones). All other straphangers, especially those on the D and 4 trains: brace for service changes. Prepare both mind and schedules by debriefing with the below:
Subway foresight makes for a better weekend

Transit

Thanks to a new start-up, your Uber might be stocked with Skittles and Korean face masks

Photo via Cargo

January 25, 2018

Thanks to a new start-up, your Uber might be stocked with Skittles and Korean face masks

By Devin Gannon

A new start-up wants to convert your Uber or Lyft car into a 7-Eleven on wheels while benefitting drivers in the process. The company, called Cargo, sends drivers a box packed with snacks and amenities, like Pringles, earbuds and Advil to sell to riders. While some goodies are free, others like an iPhone charging cord will cost a few bucks, but passengers can easily pay on their phones, according to Forbes. Each time a passenger uses Cargo, even if it's just for the free samples, drivers can earn money. According to the company, drivers can earn up to $300 per month, with most earning about $100 every month.
Snack on this

January 25, 2018

MTA funding dispute postpones $200M of Cuomo’s subway stations renovations

By Devin Gannon

The board of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday delayed a vote on construction contracts to renovate two stations in the Bronx and six in Manhattan after MTA members, appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, objected. The contracts fall under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $1 billion plan to outfit 33 subway stations with countdown clocks, LED lighting, USB ports and other amenities. The board's city representatives questioned why so much money was being put towards unnecessary, cosmetic improvements at stations that are in decent condition already, instead of funding signal and track repairs. As the New York Times reported, the decision to postpone the vote has ramped up the public dispute between de Blasio and Cuomo over MTA funding.
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De Blasio joins group of mayors in Washington to talk infrastructure with Trump

Photo via Wikimedia

January 24, 2018

De Blasio joins group of mayors in Washington to talk infrastructure with Trump

By Devin Gannon

Editor's Note: Although City Hall previously said the mayor would meet with Trump, on Wednesday he tweeted: "I will NOT be attending today’s meeting at the White House after @realDonaldTrump’s Department of Justice decided to renew their racist assault on our immigrant communities. It doesn’t make us safer and it violates America’s core values." Mayor Bill de Blasio will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, the first meeting between the two since the president's inauguration. De Blasio, along with the rest of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, will discuss infrastructure funding with Trump, who is expected to release his long-awaited plan this month. During his campaign, the president pledged to introduce a $1 trillion proposal in his first 100 days in office, later changing the deadline to the third quarter. The White House claimed a detailed infrastructure plan would be released in early January (h/t Daily News).
Find out more

January 23, 2018

This map tells you how far you can walk, bike, drive or ride public transit in a set amount of time

By Emily Nonko

Here's a handy map that will allow you to find areas you can reach by walking, cycling, driving or using public transport, anywhere in New York, in a set amount of time. Called TimeTravel, it's a pretty straightforward tool: you plug in an address, a time frame, and mode of transportation. The map then comes up with a layout where you can go from that point in a given amount of time on a certain mode of transit. Above, you're looking at how far a New Yorker could travel in 15 minutes, from Union Square East, on public transit. The map even allows you to specify what date and time you're leaving, to give you the most accurate estimate possible.
You can also search for nearby amenities

Transit

January 22, 2018

MTA will spend $4 billion to buy 1,600+ new subway cars

By Emily Nonko

Following a very rough year for the city's subway system, the MTA announced it'll spend close to $4 billion to buy over a thousand new train cars to modernize the aging fleet. The New York Times calls it "a major investment meant to help remedy the delays and breakdowns that plague the system." The MTA has set up a three-phase contract with the Japanese company Kawasaki in which the first new cars should be delivered July 2020. Known as the R211, the cars will have brighter lighting, 58-inch-wide doors, rather than the current 50 inches, and eight digital screens displaying information and advertisements. An initial batch of 20 trains will feature the open-gangway cars, pictured above and on display to New Yorkers late last year.
The cars will also perform

Transit

January 19, 2018

L trains running every 30 minutes, and more weekend subway service changes

By Hannah Frishberg

The MTA can’t even get its service change updates right: As of 4:50pm, The Weekender is showing duplicates for many track maintenance notifications, as if to repeatedly subject straphangers to service changes in writing. Easily the cherry on the cake of weekend transit hell, however, is that tomorrow, from 7am to 7pm, the L train will be running “approximately every 24 minutes between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Pkwy.” Oof, allow for some serious extra time. Many trains will also be running local.
The rest of it

Transit

Under proposed congestion plan, driving a car into Manhattan will cost $11.52

Photo courtesy of Davide Gabino’s Flickr

January 19, 2018

Under proposed congestion plan, driving a car into Manhattan will cost $11.52

By Devin Gannon

Drivers entering the busiest areas of Manhattan might soon be required to pay $11.52 per trip under a congestion pricing plan expected to be released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday. According to the New York Times, the proposal comes from an advisory panel "Fix NYC," a group assembled by the governor to explore ways to reduce congestion and also fund the city's strapped-for-cash transit system. Under the proposal, trucks would pay $25.34 and taxis would see a surcharge of $2 to $5 per ride if entering the "pricing zone," which would run south of 60th Street. Cuomo first introduced the idea of a congestion pricing plan to fund the MTA's transit repairs in August, after declaring the subway in a state of emergency earlier that summer.
Find out more

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