MTA

MTA says Uber use is the cause of NYC subway and bus ridership drop

Image: Todd Shaffer via Flickr.

July 24, 2018

MTA says Uber use is the cause of NYC subway and bus ridership drop

According to the Wall Street Journal, the MTA has presented data showing that lower New York City mass transit use numbers matched up with an uptick in taxi and ride-hailing trips. Even as the city's population grows, subway and bus ridership has been declining. New York City Transit Executive Vice President Tim Mulligan explained in a presentation Monday how dips in weekday subway ridership between 2016 and 2017 coincided with increased use of taxi and for-hire vehicles.
An international phenomenon

July 24, 2018

MTA to launch 14th Street Select Bus Service to help move 50K more daily riders during L train shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

Via Wikimedia The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) have announced that Select Bus Service will be available to riders on 14th Street in Manhattan as of January 6, 2019 ahead of the planned April 2019 L train tunnel closure for repairs to due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. The M14 is expected to become the busiest bus route in the nation during the shutdown, with more than 50,000 additional daily riders expected to move above ground along 14th Street. According to NYC Transit President Andy Byford: "Launching Select Bus Service on 14th Street is a critical part of a multi-faceted service plan to keep thousands of customers moving safely and efficiently as they commute crosstown."
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Transit

July 23, 2018

One year and $300M in repairs later, on-time subway rates are still awful

By Devin Gannon

Photo via rhythmicdiaspora on Flickr Despite spending over $300 million on system repairs over the last year, the New York City subway is showing little improvement, with its on-time rate just around 65 percent during the weekday, the New York Times reported. Last summer, after a train derailed at 125th street and left 30 people injured, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. And while the MTA and its chair, Joseph Lhota, unveiled an $800 million action plan to fix the subway, and new NYC Transit Chief Andy Byford later laid out an aggressive plan to modernize the system, the subway's "summer of hell" seems far from over.
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62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

Via City Comptroller’s office

July 18, 2018

62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

By Devin Gannon

More than half of the 122 neighborhoods served by New York City's subway system do not have a single accessible station, a new report by City Comptroller Scott Stringer found. And out of the 62 neighborhoods dubbed "ADA transit deserts," 55 are in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. In his report, "Service Denied," Stringer details the gaps in accessibility for seniors and mobility-impaired New Yorkers and calls on the state legislature to create a new funding source dedicated to upgrades compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
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28th Street 4, 6 station to close through December, and more weekend subway madness

Photo via Wikipedia

July 13, 2018

28th Street 4, 6 station to close through December, and more weekend subway madness

By Hannah Frishberg

Next week will start with the closure of yet another station for "enhancements." This time, the 28th Street 4, 6 station will be the one to close, through December, while it is "enhanced". Additional bad news this week is that even alternate shuttle buses now have service changes, apparently, with crane operations requiring eastbound 4 shuttle buses to reroute and run via Riverdale Avenue instead of from Livonia Avenue to Thomas S. Boyland Avenue. Also, for those who missed the initial news: the A isn't running to Far Rockaway-Mott Av, and the Rockaway Park Shuttle isn't servicing Broad Channel through September.
The full slate of service changes this way

Transit

July 9, 2018

After years of complaints, MTA removes NYC’s hottest subway car from the 1 line

By Devin Gannon

Photo via Wikimedia Following years of commuter complaints, a subway car without functioning air conditioning on the 1 line is being taken out of service, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Friday. Car #1872 has repeatedly been a source of sweaty problems for straphangers, as well as the subject of many angry tweets sent to the MTA. As the New York Post reported, the authority will remove the car and overhaul its systems, including fixing its air conditioner. Heat-related complaints made via social media have increased, with 714 made between April and June, compared to 380 during the same period last year.
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Transit

Three Harlem and Bronx subway stations to get upgrades for the first time in 114 years

Image via Wiki Commons

July 5, 2018

Three Harlem and Bronx subway stations to get upgrades for the first time in 114 years

By Michelle Cohen

The MTA Board has approved an $88 million contract to Citnalta/Forte with Urbahn/HAKS for work at three of the city's subway stations in Harlem and the Bronx after nearly a century of wear and tear. The 145 Street, 167 Street and 174-175 Street stations will be getting modernizing, structural and functional repairs beginning in July. MTA New York City Transit will be addressing needed upgrades for the nearly 20,000 subway customers on the Concourse B,D and Lenox 3 lines.
Find out when the stations will be closed for repairs

Transit

Get your NYC subways, buses and ferries sorted for the Fourth of July

Photo via Anthony Quintano/Flickr

July 3, 2018

Get your NYC subways, buses and ferries sorted for the Fourth of July

By Michelle Cohen

It happens on every holiday, but a midweek July 4th promises to add an extra layer of confusion to the tourists, crowds and screwy schedules that will inevitably hit the city's public transit system. We hope we can help you get your itinerary dialed in by giving you the low-down on changes to NYC subway, bus and ferry service on the 4th, so you can get to and from that optimal spot to watch the fireworks. The good news: The MTA will be offering extra rail service on Tuesday, July 3 and Wednesday, July 4. The possibly good/bad/mixed news: The MTA’s railroads, subways and buses will operate on weekend schedules...and then some.
More holiday transit schedules, decoded

MTA launches streamlined app that provides service updates in real time

Via MTA on Flickr

July 2, 2018

MTA launches streamlined app that provides service updates in real time

By Devin Gannon

After a six-month development process, which included working with over 2,000 commuters, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched on Monday a smartphone app that offers real-time updates for the subway, buses and trains, as well as trip planning options and service updates. Because the app, called MyMTA, is a beta version, the MTA is asking for feedback from straphangers about the app's functions and what needs to be added or improved. The authority also gave their website a much-needed upgrade, with a more sleeker web interface.
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The A train won’t run between Broad Channel and Rockaway this summer

Photo via MTA/Flickr

June 29, 2018

The A train won’t run between Broad Channel and Rockaway this summer

By Hannah Frishberg

The 2 and 3 are finally running between Brooklyn and Manhattan on weekends again, but now two stations are closing (as two others reopen) in Astoria, and the 1 train has a slew of disruptive service changes planned at least for this weekend. Everything pales with the hell set for Rockaway residents this summer, as the A and Rockaway Park Shuttle won't be connecting the beach to the mainland again until September.
Quite the unfortunate timing

Transit

14th Street to become an all-day ‘busway,’ get new bike lanes during L train shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

6sqft previously reported on the city's plans to provide alternatives to the L train during the 2019 shutdown for repairs in the Canarsie Tunnel under the East River and the reaction of community groups affected by the planned changes. A coalition of West Side neighborhood groups fearing disruptions from buses, bike lanes and other changes sued the agencies tasked with implementing the L train alternatives. Now the New York Daily News reports that according to court documents, 14th street will become a "busway" for 17 hours each day–among other strategies–to limit car traffic during the shutdown.
Find out more details

Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit via Flickr

June 25, 2018

Next week, two Astoria subway stations will reopen and two will shutter

By Hannah Frishberg

On the heels of the 2 and 3 resuming weekend service between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the MTA has more good news: The 30th and 36th Avenue stations in Astoria will be reopening on Monday, July 2 after being shuttered for repairs the past eight months. But with this also comes some bad news--the closure of the Broadway and 39th Avenue stations on the same N, W line, which are projected to remain shuttered for seven months.
July 2 will be quite a day for Astoria straphangers

Transit

The slow death of the MetroCard begins next spring

Photo via Phil Hollenback/Flickr

June 14, 2018

The slow death of the MetroCard begins next spring

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

It’s the end of an era but one that might not be too sentimental. As of May 2019, the MTA is launching its new fare payment method for the 4, 5, and 6 lines and all bus routes on Staten Island, reports amNY. No more steel bars karate chopping your abdomen when you realize your MetroCard is out of credit. Starting next spring, riders can use credit cards, mobile phones, smart watches, and mobile wallets to travel... but you'll still be able to swipe your old MetroCard until 2023.
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Cynthia Nixon calls for congestion pricing and millionaires’ tax to fund subway repairs

Photo via Wikimedia

June 4, 2018

Cynthia Nixon calls for congestion pricing and millionaires’ tax to fund subway repairs

By Devin Gannon

Actress and candidate for governor Cynthia Nixon released last week her plan to fix New York City's transit system and many of the ideas look pretty familiar. To pay for much-needed subway repairs, Nixon's plan calls for congestion pricing, a concept supported by her opponent Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and a millionaires' tax, an idea backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio (h/t NY Post). Her campaign also details imposing a polluter fee on fossil fuel companies to "generate billions of dollars to be used to fund New York’s transition to green energy." And while disparaging the MTA remains one of the focal points of her campaign, Nixon's plan to upgrade the subways is nearly identical to the Fast Forward plan released by NYC Transit Authority President Andy Byford last month. Jon Weinstein, a spokesperson for the MTA, said in a statement: "After three months of slamming the MTA in the press, Ms. Nixon released a plan to fix the subways and it was the MTA’s plan. Thanks."
More details here

MTA releases aggressive plan to modernize New York City’s subway within a decade

Photo via Dan Phiffer on Flickr

May 23, 2018

MTA releases aggressive plan to modernize New York City’s subway within a decade

By Devin Gannon

Within 10 years, the subway system will feature a state-of-the-art signal system, become more accessible, have a new fare payment system and boast thousands of new subway cars and buses. These ambitious improvements are all part of a plan released Wednesday by New York City Transit Chief Andy Byford and the MTA, called "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit." And the plan does intend to move very quickly. Byford expects work previously estimated to take nearly 50 years to be completed within the next decade. The top-to-bottom modernization of the system will no doubt inconvenience commuters, with possible changes to bus stop locations, as well as station closures and service disruptions. "Fast Forward" breaks down into two five-year plans, with the first half estimated to cost $19 billion and the next five years to cost $18 billion according to the New York Times. However, a cost estimate of the plan has not yet been officially released by the MTA.
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May 17, 2018

MTA documents reveal that 4,000 L train riders will be displaced during shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

The latest fear to raise its ugly head in what will admittedly be a major inconvenience–that is, the 15-month shutdown of the L line starting in April of 2019–is the very limited number of trains that will be able to pick up the slack heading across the Williamsburg bridge. The topic surfaced at last night's Town Hall meeting, when, according to the Village Voice, a concerned citizen by the name of Sunny Ng voiced his concerns about how many more trains could fit on the bridge.
Can of worms: Open!

May 16, 2018

The new voice of the MTA sounds like a New Yorker, but enunciates well

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Photo via Richard Yeh / WNYC Queens native and Metropolitan Transportation Authority Rail Control Center announcer Velina Mitchell is the new official voice of the transit authority. The 25-year MTA “insider” was chosen when Sarah Meyer, the NYC Transit chief customer officer, first heard Mitchell read a public service announcement. Little did Mitchell know she was auditioning for a much bigger role. Meyer told the Daily News: "She sounded like a New Yorker, but she was also warm and she enunciated very well." The MTA is making an effort to improve communications with their riders by playing Mitchell’s announcements in stations as well as in four new train cars.
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Master planning for huge Sunnyside Yard project to begin this summer

Photo via NYCEDC

May 3, 2018

Master planning for huge Sunnyside Yard project to begin this summer

By Devin Gannon

The master planning process for the Sunnyside Yard project, a mammoth plan to build a new, fully planned neighborhood to Queens, will begin this summer, the city announced Thursday. Along with Amtrak, the city's economic development corporation said it will form a steering committee made up of local leaders and planning experts who will organize meetings and workshops to gain feedback from local residents. The Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU) has officially been tapped to lead the planning process. A 2017 feasibility study found 70 acres of the 180-acre development would be viable for development. According to the city, the project could bring between roughly 11,000 and 15,000 new housing units and 15 to 20 acres of open space, new schools and retail amenities. About 3,300 to 4,500 new permanently affordable units could also be created. As of last year, the plan has an estimated price tag of $10 billion.
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Plan to upgrade signals on 7-line delayed again, more service outages possible

Photo via Tim Adams on Flickr

May 2, 2018

Plan to upgrade signals on 7-line delayed again, more service outages possible

By Devin Gannon

Another day, another missed deadline for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The plan to modernize the 7-line's ancient signals has been delayed yet again, according to the Wall Street Journal. The MTA said the new system would be implemented by June 30, but the contractor installing the signals, Thales Transport and Security, told officials they won't be able to finish until November. Andy Byford, the new chief of NYC Transit, said he refuses to accept the rescheduled deadline and has hinted at more outages on the 7, as a way to accelerate installation of the system. "I think customers would prefer to rip the band aid off and get on with it rather than have this slow creeping limp to the finish line," Byford said on Wednesday.
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Transit

Agencies announce May town hall meetings to discuss impending L train shutdown

Photo of the L-train via Wiki Commons

May 1, 2018

Agencies announce May town hall meetings to discuss impending L train shutdown

By Michelle Cohen

If you've got some choice words to say about the impending L train shutdown, you'll soon get a chance to make them public. The MTA and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) have announced two town hall meetings that will be held this month to discuss the Canarsie Tunnel Reconstruction project–aka the L train shutdown–with members of the community who will be affected by the April 2019 service interruption that will knock the line out of commission for 15 months. The meetings, which will be held in Manhattan and Brooklyn, are the latest in a series of public meetings and workshops intended to quell public trepidation about the impending shutdown.
When, where, what to expect

April 26, 2018

Cost of East Side Access project jumps again, now over $11B

By Devin Gannon

Workers at East Side Access project in 2016 via MTA's Flickr The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved on Wednesday an amendment to its capital plan that allows for more than $400 million to be invested in the East Side Access, a project that began more than a decade ago. In addition to exceptional construction delays, the project's price tag has jumped dramatically, from early estimates of roughly $2.2 billion to now over $11 billion (h/t NY Times). As a way to reduce crowds at Penn Station, East Side Access will connect the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal.
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April 25, 2018

De Blasio pens letter to MTA seeking transparency in spending of $836M subway action plan

By Devin Gannon

Photo via Wikimedia Mayor Bill de Blasio agreed earlier this month to fund half of the MTA's $836 million emergency rescue plan for the subway, leading many to believe the feud between the mayor and Gov. Andrew Cuomo about the funding had simmered. But on Wednesday, de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson penned a joint letter to MTA chair, Joe Lhota, laying out terms of the funding agreement, with plenty of subtle insults to the MTA included. While the city's commitment of $418 million came with a "lock box" arrangement, to ensure the money goes to repairs and nothing else, the mayor and speaker are calling on Lhota and the MTA for even further transparency, better measurements of progress and frequent briefings about the plan.
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April 23, 2018

Cortlandt Street subway station, destroyed on 9/11, will reopen this fall

By Devin Gannon

Also damaged in 9/11, the R-line at Cortlandt reopened in 2011; photo via Wikimedia Nearly 17 years after it was severely damaged in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, and then temporarily shuttered, the Cortlandt Street station is set to open this October. Running on the 1-line, the new station, expected to serve thousands of workers and tourists visiting the site, will boast Ann Hamilton's artwork, featuring words from the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Independence (h/t Daily News). Cortlandt Street station was meant to open in 2014, but funding disputes between the Port Authority and the MTA delayed its completion until this year.
More this way

Transit

MTA will use ‘magnetic wands’ to clean pounds of steel dust from NYC subway tracks

Gov. Andrew Cuomo oversees an MTA worker testing a magnetic wand at the 9th Ave subway station in Sunset Park; photo via the governor’s Flickr

April 13, 2018

MTA will use ‘magnetic wands’ to clean pounds of steel dust from NYC subway tracks

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transporation Authority will deploy 700 additional "magnetic wands" to clean hundreds of pounds of steel dust from insulated joints on tracks, which accumulates when the brakes are applied. When dust builds up on joints, it can trip the circuit on the joint and cause red signals, sending a ripple of delays throughout the system. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday tested out the wands at a Sunset Park subway station and announced a plan to buy additional wands to clean all 11,000 insulated joints deemed a priority, using funds from the recently funded-in-full emergency subway action plan.
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MTA sued over L train shutdown plan to transform 14th Street into an all-bus corridor

Photo via Dan Phiffer’s Flickr

April 4, 2018

MTA sued over L train shutdown plan to transform 14th Street into an all-bus corridor

By Devin Gannon

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority released late last year its mitigation plan for the 15-month shutdown of the L train, set to begin in April of next year, calling for an all-bus, no-car corridor on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues. The city says the MTA will have to run 70 buses every hour across the Williamsburg Bridge in order to accommodate the projected 84,000 daily bus riders. According to the New York Times, this would make 14th Street the busiest bus route in the country. In response, a coalition of Lower Manhattan neighborhood groups on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against the MTA and the city's Department of Transportation in attempt to stop repairs of the L train, claiming the agencies failed to conduct an environmental review before releasing its plan.
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MTA

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