July 4th Subway Service Plans
With the July 4th holiday right around the corner, MTA New York City Transit has released information on their service plans for the holiday. Here are the complete details courtesy of the press release I received:
MTA New York City Transit subways will operate on a Saturday schedule on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4, with additional trains in Manhattan serving customers as they leave the Annual Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular.
Spectators for the fireworks may gather at seven locations along the Hudson River. The six fireworks barges will be located between 24th Street and 50th Street. There will be no fireworks display in the harbor or on the East River this year.
NYC Transit encourages people to use mass transit to travel to and from the fireworks show, and to avoid lines by purchasing MetroCards in advance. There will be more frequent subway service on the 1, C, L and the S (42nd Street Shuttle) from approximately 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The New York City Police Department and Transit personnel will be on hand at high traffic stations to direct customers after the displays end. Customers are reminded to use all subway cars and not hold doors open to prevent unnecessary congestion and delays.
Staten Island Ferry service will be suspended from approximately 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. due to harbor closure. The last boat from both terminals will leave at 7:30 p.m. The next boat will be at 10:30 p.m. from South Ferry-Whitehall and 11:30 p.m. from St. George. Staten Island Railway service is prepared to provide extra service both before and after the fireworks as needed.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Staten Island Railway July 4th Getaway Service
When July 4th comes around, some things are a given. Some include BBQ’s, fireworks, parties, & early getaway service on the Staten Island Railway. Here are the complete details for the SIR’s early getaway service courtesy of a press release sent to me earlier today:
Staten Island customers looking to get a head start on their Independence Day holiday weekend celebration will be able to catch earlier afternoon express train service on Thursday, July 2nd with Staten Island Railway’s Early Departure “Get-a-Way” schedule. The “Get-a-Way” schedule means extra SIR trains will be added earlier in the afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. from the St. George Ferry Terminal.
On Friday, July 3rd, SIR will run a Saturday schedule with extended 30-minute service from St. George until midnight. On Saturday, July 4th, SIR will operate a Sunday schedule. For baseball fans, there will be a special train providing service to the Ballpark Station for Staten Island Yankees home games. Games begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 4th with additional games scheduled on Sunday, July 5th at 4 p.m. and Monday, July 6th at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, July 4th, Staten Island Ferry service will be suspended from approximately 8 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. because of the harbor closure for the Macy’s Fireworks display. Staten Island Railway is prepared to add additional service both before and after the fireworks, as needed. The last boat from both terminals will leave at 7:30 p.m. The next boat from both terminals will be at approximately 10:00 p.m. SIR riders that require service to/from Manhattan during the harbor closure are advised to transfer at Grasmere Station for the S53 bus to/from Brooklyn and transfer to the R train.
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- July 4th Schedules
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Some MTA Executives Receive Better Health Care
Earlier today, Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News broke the story of how some MTA Executives receive better health care than some of their peers & blue collar workers. Here is a sample of his report:
Nice perk if you can get it.
Three MTA divisions will pay up to $600,000 over five years for an executive medical program providing head-to-toe physicals and sophisticated tests – free of charge.
In addition to basic medical plans, suits at NYC Transit, MTA Bus and MTA Bridges and Tunnels get more comprehensive health care for which other staffers have to pay deductibles or co-payments.
“I’m all for preventative care but you shouldn’t offer something to managers that the workers can’t get,” Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said.
Executives at other MTA divisions, like the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA headquarters aren’t as pampered. “The other agencies elected not to participate . . . since they do not offer comprehensive executive physicals to their managerial or senior executives,” a staff summary of a contract approved by the MTA board last week states.
Click here for the complete report.
I am not the least bit surprised that white collar employees at the MTA have access to better & less costly health care compared to the blue collar workers who keep the MTA running. However I am surprised that some of the white collar employees did not have the same access as their peers. Usually perks like these are spread evenly amongst those who fit the profile.
As far as fairness goes, I don’t feel it is fair for any of these executives to have better coverage. The workers who truly deserve to receive the perks some of these people did, are the bus drivers, conductors, motormen, repairmen, etc…. who keep millions moving daily. Without them, the MTA would be absolutely nothing but a easy to remember acronym.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR To Run Extra Service For July 4th Holiday
As is to be expected, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will be running extra trains for the July 4th holiday. Here are the complete details courtesy of a press release they sent me this afternoon:
The MTA Long Island Rail Road will provide additional early afternoon service from Penn Station for customers planning to leave work early on Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3 for the start of the Independence Day holiday. The three additional Hamptons/Montauk summer service trains that normally run on Fridays only will also operate on Thursday, July 2.
The LIRR will be operating on a regular Saturday schedule on July 4th.
Eight extra trains will depart Penn Station between 2:02 PM and 3:48 PM on July 2 & 3. The extra service will include: three trains on the Port Jefferson Branch; three on the Babylon Branch; one on the Port Washington Branch to Great Neck; one on the Far Rockaway Branch as detailed below:
Extra Train Service from Penn Station, Thursday, July 2 and Friday, July 3
Port Jefferson Branch to Hicksville and Huntington:
• 2:02 PM stopping at Jamaica, Carle Place, then all stops to Huntington.
• 2:22 PM stopping at Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington.
• 3:24 PM stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville.
Babylon Branch:
• 2:25 PM express to Lynbrook, then all stops to Babylon.
• 3:00 PM stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.
• 3:31 PM express to Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon.
Port Washington Branch to Great Neck:
• 3:40 PM stopping at Woodside, Flushing-Main Street, then all stops to Great Neck.
Far Rockaway Branch:
• 3:48 PM stopping at Valley Stream, then all stops to Far Rockaway.
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Extra Train Service to Hamptons/Montauk on Thursday, July 2 (These trains will also operate on Friday, July 3):
• 1:56 PM from Hunterspoint Avenue arriving Montauk at 4:45 PM. (A 1:53 PM train departs Penn Station to connect with this train at Jamaica.)
• 4:06 PM from Hunterspoint Avenue “The Cannonball” arriving Montauk at 6:48 PM. Hamptons Reserve Service will be offered on Thursday, July 2, and not on Friday, July 3. (A 3:58 PM train departs Penn Station to connect with this train at Jamaica.)
• 5:09 PM from Penn Station arriving Montauk at 8:29 PM. (A 5:12 PM train departs Hunterspoint Avenue to connect with this train at Jamaica.)
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North Fork train extended on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 3:
• The 5:21 PM train from Ronkonkoma to Yaphank will be extended to operate to Greenport (arriving 6:45 PM) on July 2 & 3.
Cars will also be added to some regularly scheduled eastbound trains.
Saturday, July 4th:
On July 4th, the LIRR will operate on a regular Saturday schedule.
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Bus Company Receives Federal Transit Award
Just a short time ago, I received a press release to talk about how the MTA Bus Company received an award from the Federal Transit Administration. Here are the complete details:
Earlier this spring, the Federal Transit Administration singled out the MTA Bus Company for its dramatically increased ridership from 2006 to 2007. Since that time, the MTA Bus Company has seen additional ridership gains. Deputy FTA Regional Administrator Anthony Carr was on hand to present MTA Bus Company President Joe Smith with an award at this week’s MTA Board meeting.
The MTA Bus Company was created in September 2004, consolidating the operations of seven bus companies that operated under independent franchises granted by the New York City Department of Transportation. The merging of the private companies into the MTA Bus Company began in January 2005 and was completed in February 2006, creating the tenth-largest bus company in the country.
MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger said: “While the award highlights gains during its first two years of service, it’s important to note that MTA Bus provided 20 million more rides in 2008 than its predecessors provided in 2004. It goes to show that improved service and new equipment can go a long way toward increasing customer demand.”
MTA Interim Executive Director and CEO Helena E. Williams said: “Ridership gains of nearly 20 percent in less than four years are a true testament to the successful and seamless integration of seven bus companies into an efficient and much-improved operation.”
Joseph J. Smith, Senior Vice President of the New York City Transit Department of Buses and President of the MTA Bus Company and Long Island Bus said: “I’m delighted to receive this award on behalf of all of the hard-working employees of the MTA Bus Company, who strive to provide safe and efficient service to our customers every day. Their dedication and commitment to improving service were instrumental to the ridership gains we achieved.”
MTA Bus committed to aggressively upgrading the overall service delivery of its bus operations by purchasing new buses to replace an aging fleet and adjusting schedules and routes to better match travel demand. MTA Bus now operates 45 local bus routes in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, and 35 express bus routes between Manhattan and the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. It has a fleet of 1,323 buses serving approximately 400,000 riders daily.
Lets hope they keep up the good work!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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Service Diversions 06-26
I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for the weekend & upcoming week (and beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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LIRR Service For Subway Series II
Yesterday afternoon, I received a press release from the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to discuss their LIRR service plans for this weekend’s Subway Series II between the New York Mets & New York Yankees. Here are the complete details:
The Mets are looking to show their cross-town rivals, the Yankees, a thing or three this weekend and the MTA Long Island Rail Road is the best way to see how they do at Citifield. There will be frequent LIRR service to the Mets-Willets Point Station for the Friday evening game on June 26, the Saturday evening game on June 27 and the Sunday night contest on June 28.
Train service to Mets-Willets Point is available on eastbound Port Washington Branch trains from Penn Station and westbound trains from Great Neck and Port Washington. The train ride is just 18 minutes from Penn Station to Mets-Willets Point. For those traveling on the LIRR from Long Island, the new ballpark is just six minutes from Woodside, 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington. From Long Island, customers may go directly to the stadium from Port Washington Branch stations. Customers from other branches should transfer at Woodside.
Fans traveling from branches other than Port Washington can reach Mets-Willets Point by taking a regularly scheduled train to Woodside Station, then changing to an eastbound Port Washington Branch train. Since Mets-Willets Point is located in Zone 1, tickets to that zone from outlying stations are valid to Mets-Willets Point. However, passengers must retain their ticket stubs and inform ticket collectors of their intention to travel to Mets-Willets Point Stadium. Customers must hold onto their tickets, which will be collected at Mets-Willets Point after they disembark.
Friday, June 26 (7:10 PM Game Time)
Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 3:49 PM, 4:25 PM, 4:46 PM, 5:14 PM, 5:29 PM, 5:50 PM, 5:56 PM, 6:14 PM, 6:29 PM, 6:42 PM, 7:14 PM, 7:49 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:18 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:18 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:18 PM, 11:48 PM and
12:19 AM.Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:06 PM, 4:36 PM, 5:00 PM, 5:23 PM, 6:24 PM, 7:09 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:09 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:09 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:09 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:39 PM and 12:40 AM.Trains depart Great Neck at 5:44 PM, 6:04 PM, 6:20 PM, and 6:44 PM.
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Saturday, June 27 (7:10 PM Game Time)
Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 4:19 PM, 4:48 PM, 5:19 PM, 5:48 PM, 5:59 PM, 6:19 PM, 6:35 PM, 6:48 PM, 7:19 PM, 7:48 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:19 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:19 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:19 PM and 12:19 AM.Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:10 PM, 4:39 PM, 5:10 PM, 5:39 PM, 6:10 PM, 6:39 PM, 7:10 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:10 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:40 PM and 12:40 AM.Trains depart Great Neck at 5:59 PM and 6:35 PM.
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Sunday, June 28 (8:00 PM Game Time)
Eastbound:
Trains departing Penn Station at 4:48 PM, 5:19 PM and 5:48 PM, 6:19 PM, 6:35 PM, 6:48 PM, 6:59 PM, 7:19 PM, 7:48 PM, 8:19 PM, 8:48 PM, 9:19 PM, 9:48 PM, 10:19 PM, 10:48 PM, 11:19 PM, 12:19 AM, 1:18 AM.Westbound:
Trains departing Port Washington at 4:39 PM, 5:10 PM and 5:39 PM, 6:10 PM, 6:39 PM, 7:10 PM, 7:39 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:39 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:39 PM, 10:10 PM, 10:39 PM, 11:40 PM, 12:40 AM and 1:39 AM.Trains depart Great Neck at 6:35 PM and 6:59 PM.
The LIRR’s Mets-Willets Point Station is not handicapped accessible. LIRR customers with mobility impairments who are traveling to see the Mets should travel to Woodside Station. At Woodside Station, which is ADA accessible, customers should transfer to a Flushing-bound #7 subway train to the Mets-Willets Point subway stop, and then use the ramp to reach Roosevelt Avenue, across from the ballpark.
To return to Woodside after the game, customers with mobility impairments should board the #7 subway and travel one stop east to its end point, the Flushing-Main Street Station. There, after a brief wait on the train, the subway will head west to Woodside. This is necessary due to the location of the ramp, which will only permit access to the eastbound platform.
Mets-Willets Point timetables for the Mets-Yankees Series, June 26, 27 and a special blue supplemental timetable card for Sunday, June, 28 are available at LIRR ticket offices and terminals. Fans can also contact the LIRR’s 24-hour Travel Information Center. The numbers are, in Suffolk County 631-231-LIRR, in Nassau County 516-822-LIRR or in New York City at 718-217-LIRR. The Travel Information Center’s TDD telephone number for the hearing impaired is 718-558-3022. Customers can also consult the LIRR’s web site www.mta.info.
Lets go Yankees!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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MTA Has Filed Countersuit Against Lockheed Martin
At the end of April, I blogged about Lockheed Martin suing the MTA over the agency’s alleged interference in following through on a $300M contract to install a network of digital security cameras. The MTA has officially punched back as earlier today, they filed countersuit against the company. Tom Namako of the New York Post has more in this report:
The MTA fired back at a major defense contractor today, saying Lockheed Martin bungled an anti-terror program to link 2,000 subway security cameras capable of “intelligent video” to huge surveillance command centers.
Only 1,400 of 1,750 cameras have been installed, and few are actually working, MTA attorney Ronnie Hakim told a City Council committee.
Also, 15 of 40 construction jobs needed to finish the massive security overhaul are delayed — with 8 of them more than a year behind schedule, Hakim said.
The MTA also fired a cutting response to Lockheed’s blockbuster April lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court by filing their own counter-suit against the firm.
The counterclaim blasts Lockheed on several fronts, saying that the firm’s system failed repeatedly during tests at a center located at Mitchell Field on Long Island, that Lockheed falsely claimed that the work was progressing, that an MTA inspector was injured by poorly-maintined scaffolding , and that Lockheed’s subcontractors botched installation of arial wires across a bridge.
The agency also defaulted the firm and trash-talked Lockheed’s track record as a defense contractor for the federal government.
“Lockheed has had problems in different kinds of programs. You may have read about problems they had with some of their defense contracts,” Hakim said.
The developments are a major setback for subway security — and the MTA will likely face serious legal fees in the near future, said Councilman John Liu, chair of the committee.
Click here for the complete report.
This is clearly headed for a long drawn out battle which is a complete shame. The 8th anniversary of the September 11th attacks is not far off & next to no progress has been made on the creation of a digital security system within the subway. I & many others find this to be completely unacceptable. Regardless of who is to blame, the fact is something needs to be done about creating a legitimate & worthwhile security system. Anything less will just serve as a further disservice to the millions who ride the rails.
xoxo Transit Blogger
