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MTA Service For President’s Day 2015

Posted by
on February 13th, 2015 at 5:41 am

Here is the official rundown for MTA Service for the upcoming President’s Day Holiday:

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) trains and buses will operate on special schedules in observance of Presidents’ Day on Monday.

New York City Subways and Buses:

On Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, New York City subways and buses will operate on a Saturday schedule with some planned subway service changes:

5
No service in both directions between Dyre Av and E 180 St. Use free shuttle buses instead.

D
No service in both directions between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and 34 St-Herald Sq. D trains run in two segments:

• Stillwell Av to Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr (express service between 36 St and Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr)

• 34 St-Herald Sq and 205 St.

As an alternate, take the FNQR or free shuttle buses between Grand St and W 4 St.

L

No service between 8 Av and 14 St-Union Sq. As an alternate, take the M14 bus.

As a reminder, Saturday service includes:

• There is no express service on the 6 or 7
• The B train does not operate; use the ACDQ instead.
• M trains operate between Delancey-Essex Sts and Metropolitan Av only.
• Q trains operate between Stillwell Av and 57 St-7 Av only.
• The Z train does not operate; use the J, which runs between Jamaica Center and Chambers St.

Long Island Rail Road:

On Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, the Long Island Rail Road will operate on a Holiday schedule with one extra westbound train departing Ronkonkoma at 7:10 a.m. and arriving at Penn Station at 8:28 a.m.

Because trains will operate on a holiday schedule, there will be no service east of Ronkonkoma.

Off peak fares will be in effect all day.

Metro-North Railroad:

On Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, MTA Metro-North Railroad will operate on a Saturday schedule with some extra cars on trains AM inbound and PM outbound hours to accommodate those people who have to have to work.

The Hudson Rail Link connecting bus service, the Newburgh-Beacon Ferry and the Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry will not operate.

The north end exits to Grand Central at 46th-47th-48th Streets will be closed.

Off-peak fares are in effect all day.

Staten Island Railway:

Tomorrow, Friday, February 13, the Staten Island Railway will operate on an early evening rush hour schedule beginning at 2:30 p.m. to help folks get a jump start on the long weekend. On Presidents’ Day, Monday, February 16, the Staten Island Railway will operate on a Sunday schedule.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels:

On Friday, February 13, MTA Bridges and Tunnels will suspend all routine construction at 1 p.m. to ease travel for motorists who may be heading home early in anticipation of the three-day holiday weekend.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 02-05-15

Posted by
on February 5th, 2015 at 11:13 pm

Get an early start on your weekend travel plans as I have just updated the Service Diversions through all of next week.

Make sure to follow @TransitBlogger on Twitter by clicking the button in the sidebar as I am using it more often. Also if you are into indie music make sure to follow @IndMusicReview & @SurgeFM!

Have a great weekend!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Awards LIRR Grand Central Contract

Posted by
on February 5th, 2015 at 9:40 pm

The big superstar or baby of the LIRR is their East Side Access Project which will have some of their trains terminating at Grand Central in the near future. While I personally feel adding a third track to the main line should be their top priority, one can see the benefits of service to Grand Central.

The agency announced earlier this afternoon that it had awarded the contract for the construction of its Grand Central terminal. Here are the details:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that it has awarded a contract to GCT Constructors, JV, a joint venture consisting of Schiavone Construction Co. and John P. Picone Inc., to build the future Long Island Rail Road concourse at Grand Central Terminal. The $404.8 million dollar contract, which with options could increase to a total of $428.9 million, was awarded after a competitive request for proposal process that drew nine other firms.

Funding for this Contract will come from a Federal Grant through the Federal Transit Administration and MTA local funds.

Under the contract, workers will build the architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical facilities, escalators and elevators, that will comprise the future LIRR 375,000 square-foot passenger train concourse and related ventilation plants at 44th and 50th Streets.

Work in the concourse includes building 17 deep escalators at 45th, 46th, 47th and 48th Streets and installing elevators connecting the LIRR passenger concourse to the train station caverns 140 feet below Park Avenue. The work also includes installation of emergency egress stairs and the associated architectural, structural, mechanical and electrical finishes and equipment.

The contract includes major civil work to create passenger connections from the new LIRR Concourse up to Grand Central’s Lower Level Dining Concourse, Grand Central’s Biltmore Room on the Upper Level, the 47th Street Cross Passageway, and the 45th Street cross passageway. For the first time since construction activities began, work at the landmark station will be proceeding in view of the public.

“Up to this point, East Side Access work at Grand Central Terminal has been largely unseen by the public. This contract finally brings the construction from 140 feet below-ground up to the dining concourse at GCT and in other places where the public will finally start to see what’s been going on right underneath their feet,” said Dr. Michael Horodniceanu, President, MTA Capital Construction.

The contract also requires mechanical and electrical fit-out of ventilation buildings at 44th and 50th Streets, including installation of eight large fans as well as associated system equipment. The ventilation building structures have been built as part of prior contracts.

“This world class project will be an economic game-changer for New York City and Long Island. There is no other transit infrastructure project in the United States that is as complex as East Side Access or carries as much economic promise for the region it will serve,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast.

The East Side Access project will bring trains from all 11 branches of the Long Island Rail Road into a new terminal being built beneath Grand Central Terminal. The new connection will increase the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan, and dramatically shorten travel time for Long Island and eastern Queens commuters traveling to the east side of Manhattan. It will also provide easier access to JFK airport from Grand Central Terminal by bringing customers to Jamaica Station, where they can transfer to the AirTrain.

To be honest, I am a bit surprised at the cost of the contract as I thought it would come with a heftier price tag. It will be interesting to see if they stay within budget when all is said & done. Something tells me they will not.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Queens A Station To Close For 4 Months

Posted by
on February 4th, 2015 at 4:43 pm

Earlier this afternoon, MTA NYC Transit announced that the Queens-bound Rockaway Blvd A Train station will close for 4 months due to station renewal. Here are the details:

Beginning 5:00 a.m., Monday, February 9 until May 2015, MTA New York City Transit will close the Queens-bound Rockaway Blvd station, as part of an ongoing $39 million capital project at five stations along the A line on Liberty Avenue in Ozone Park: 80 St-Hudson Street, 88 St-Boyd Avenue, Rockaway Boulevard, 104 St-Oxford Avenue and 111 St-Greenwood Avenue.

For these stations, originally opened in the early 1900’s, these improvements include the installation of new lighting, better platforms, enhanced safety features, and upgraded communications, and will create significantly better travel conditions for customers. To date, station renewals have successfully been completed at 104 St-Oxford Avenue and 88 St-Boyd Avenue between May 2014 and February 2015.

Station renewal work at Rockaway Blvd will consist of replacement of mezzanine to platform stairs, mezzanine floors, doors and windows, and interior and exterior walls. The station will be painted and canopies, windscreen panels and railings will also be replaced. Customers will also benefit from new lighting in the mezzanines, and new artwork. The construction contracts were awarded in December 2013 as a joint venture to Forte Construction Corp and Emis Construction Group.

In order to carry out work on this project in a safe and efficient fashion, the Queens-bound platform at Rockaway Blvd will temporarily close between February and May 2015. Following the completion of this phase of the project, work will move over to the Manhattan-bound platform at this station, tentatively scheduled to begin in May 2015.

Queens-bound customers travelling to Rockaway Blvd must take either a Far Rockaway-bound A to Aqueduct-North Conduit Av or an Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd bound A to 104 St and transfer to a Brooklyn-bound A. For service from this station, take a Brooklyn-bound A to 88 St and transfer to an Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd or Far Rockaway-bound A. Normal A service will be provided travelling towards Manhattan.

We regret the inconvenience this work may cause and appreciate both our customers’ and the community’s patience and understanding while we carry out this important work. To ensure that our customers are well-informed of this closure and alternative service, notices will be posted in stations along the Liberty Avenue line prior to the commencement of work and announcements will be made on all A trains. Service notices will also be posted on our website, www.mta.info.

Customers may log on to www.mta.info and click on Planned Service Changes for the most up-to-date information. Remember that TripPlanner+ provides travel information that takes all service diversions into account. In addition, customers can receive customized alerts via e-mail or text message by signing up here: http://www.mymtaalerts.com

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro North Harlem Line Update

Posted by
on February 4th, 2015 at 4:15 pm

Here is the latest update for Metro-North Harlem line service after last night’s accident in Valhalla:

MTA Chairman & CEO Thomas Prendergast and Metro-North President Joseph Giulietti are working today in collaboration with the National Transportation Safety Board on its investigation regarding last evening’s collision between a passenger train and SUV near Valhalla Station. MTA Metro-North Railroad is accompanying the NTSB with its initial on-site investigation of the incident.

MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said: “The entire MTA family’s thoughts are with the relatives and loved ones of the victims of last night’s tragedy. We are tremendously saddened by this tragic accident, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all of them. We also thank the first responders who assisted with safely removing the passengers from the trains and transporting those who were injured to area hospitals. And we extend our gratitude to the American Red Cross, local hospitals and communities who have provided care and assistance during this difficult time, and Town of Mount Pleasant Supervisor Carl Fulgenzi for making Town Hall available.”

Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti said: “We want Metro-North’s customers to know that they can remain confident that their safety, and the safety of our employees, is always the first priority in everything we do. We will work closely with the NTSB and local officials to determine the exact cause of this tragedy, and work to ensure such incidents are not repeated.”

For people who had loved ones who may have been affected by the accident, Metro-North has established a family assistance center at the Office of the Westchester County Medical Examiner, 10 Dana Road, Valhalla. Information also is available at 1-800-METRO-INFO (800-638-7646).

Metro-North train service will remain suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains until further notice due to this incident. Limited bus/train service for Upper Harlem Line customers is available on the website at www.mta.info. As the NTSB announced this morning, the train will remain until the NTSB completes the on-site investigation and the train will then be removed. At that time Metro-North will make repairs and regular service through this area will resume.

As more information becomes available we will notify customers as soon as possible. Please continue to monitor www.mta.info and local media for regular updates.

We appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to recover from this tragedy.

Also in a related update, the death toll has been revised from the initial reported 7 to 6 which includes 5 Metro-North passengers & the driver of the Jeep. The total amount of people treated for injuries at local hospitals is 15.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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