G & R Service Loss Due To Sandy Repairs
Nearly 8 months after Hurricane Sandy ripped through our region, the repercussions of the storm are still being felt. A few days ago, the MTA announced that due to the severe damage sustained in the Montague Tube (links the 
between Manhattan & Brooklyn) it will be forced to shutdown service through it for up to 14 months.
Unfortunately the bad news does not end there as the Greenpoint Tube (connects the 
between Brooklyn & Queens) will close for 12 weekends through the rest of 2013 as well. Here is more courtesy of Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday outlined shutdown plans for later this year on the R and G trains, a result of repairs to tunnels damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
The Montague tube, which carries the R train between Brooklyn and Manhattan, will close for up to 14 months starting the first week of August, officials said, forcing as many as 65,000 daily riders to seek alternative routes.
The train will run in two sections on weekdays, from Forest Hills-71st Avenue in Queens to Whitehall Street in Manhattan, and from Court Street to Bay Ridge-95th Street in Brooklyn. On weekends, the R will be rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge, meaning it will not stop at Court Street or Jay Street-MetroTech in Brooklyn or City Hall, Cortlandt Street, Rector Street and Whitehall Street in Lower Manhattan. Overnight, the N train, which is typically rerouted through the tunnel to replace the R, will continue running over the Manhattan Bridge.
The G train’s Greenpoint tube will close for 12 weekends this year, forcing the closing of the three northernmost stops: Court Square, 21st Street and Greenpoint Avenue. But the trains will still run between Church and Nassau Avenues. The affected weekends are July 6, July 13, July 20, Aug. 3, Aug. 10, Aug. 17, Aug. 24, Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14. There will also be a five-week shutdown in summer 2014, the authority said. A shuttle bus service will run between Brooklyn and Queens.
“Closing these two subway tubes is a difficult but necessary step to restore them to the condition they were in before Sandy struck,” Fernando Ferrer, the authority’s acting chairman, said in a statement. “The temporary repairs that returned these tubes to operation after Sandy are not enough to provide reliable service. This is unfortunately the reality of recovery from Sandy: The damage is insidious and continuing, and repairing it will take billions of dollars over several years.”
He added that there was “no alternative” to completing the work immediately.
Clcik here for the complete report.
Sadly these closures do not come as a surprise to me considering the damage I had heard about right after the storm. The only shock might have been the length in time to announce that such closures would be occurring.
As one would expect, some local officials took this opportunity to score some infamous “Constituent Brownie Points” by sharing their outrage at what the MTA is doing to their local residents. Honestly the idiots behind these sentiments do not deserve the publicity of having their names mentioned but they know exactly who they are.
What I will say is this to those individuals, grow the hell up! The MTA for all the wrong that it does is not at fault for having to repair damage from such a powerful storm that is rarely seen in our region. I rather they go all the way with their repairs versus doing patch work here & there even if it means lengthy closures as the end result will hopefully be worth it.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Restores Service On The G
- Montague Tube To Close For 14 Months
- No L Service Btw Man & BK For Years?
- Greenpoint Tubes Restortation Complete
- MTA To Perform Critical L Line Repairs
Service Diversions 06-03-13
I have just updated the Service Diversions by removing the weekend work that wrapped up a short time ago & moving up the latest planned work for this week, next weekend & beyond in some cases.
As a reminder, FASTRACK will begin tonight in Queens along the Queens Blvd corridor on the 
, 
, 
& so make sure to check the diversions for changes & alternate routes.
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 @SurgeFM as well.
Have a safe & wonderful week!
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Service Diversions 05-17-13
- Service Diversions 05-10-13
- Service Diversions 05-03-13
- Service Diversions 04-19-13
- Service Diversions 05-30-13
Suicide The Leading Cause Of Subway Deaths
In what comes as no surprise to me & I am sure many others, a report obtained by the New York Post shows that suicide is the leading cause of NYC Subway deaths. The subway which was done by the MTA shows that 51% of deaths between 2010 & 2012 on the subway were the result of suicide. Gary Buiso & Isabel Vincent of the New York Post have more:
Suicide by subway is the leading cause of straphanger deaths — representing 51 percent of all fatalities, an analysis of three years of MTA data shows.
And with 57 percent of all rail deaths this year — 16 of 28 — chalked up to suicide, 2013 remains on a grim pace.
From 2010 to 2012 there were a total of 153 deaths by subway trains — and 78 were believed to be suicides, according to data obtained by The Post through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In 2010, a staggering 69 percent of all subway deaths were suicides, or 35 out of 51 total fatalities.
The cases, detailed in incident reports by the MTA, are presented in a matter-of-fact language that belies the ghastly reality.
“[Victim] laid down on s/b express track when s/b train struck [victim] and cut him in half,” reads a Feb. 3, 2010, account about the 33rd Street station.
On Friday, two more people committed subway suicide, including a man who jumped in front of a C train at West 23rd Street and a man who positioned his neck on the elevated tracks at Seneca Avenue in Queens, decapitating himself. His severed head tumbled down to the street below, cops said.
Stations with the most suicides — two each — include Harlem’s 125th Street; 21st Street Queensbridge; 96th Street on the Upper West Side; and Union Turnpike.
The deadliest station — with one suicide and three accidental deaths from 2010 to 2012 — was Union Square. Stations along 14th Street west of Union Square had five deaths during that same span, data reveal.
Meanwhile, homicide by train is exceedingly rare — just two people died after being pushed on the tracks in the three-year span, both in 2012.
All other deaths were accidental, with straphangers being struck climbing on the tracks or falling to their doom in the path of an oncoming train.
Experts said subway suicide is generally a surefire way to end it all — which is what makes it so appealing to those on the brink.
“Believe it or not, when someone sets out to kill themselves they are worried that they will just get maimed, but when you jump in front of a train, that’s it, you die,” said psychiatrist Rami Kaminski.
But not always.
Over the three-year span, a total of 118 people tried to kill themselves — but about 34 percent, or 40 of them, failed, according to the MTA data.
Click here for the complete report.
As I stated at the beginning of this report, it comes as no surprise that suicide was the leading cause of NYC Subway deaths. The only thing that came as a bit of a surprise was the percentage was not higher. Our region has its share of depressed individuals & those serious about it know that getting hit by a train likely will do the trick.
Regardless of the percentage, the problem is clearly one that needs to be addressed as these actual & attempted suicides hurt loved ones of the victim along with the potential issues that will linger for the train operator & his loved ones. As to be expected, the MTA & Transport Workers Union can’t agree on what should be done to make it safer. Hopefully they can come up with an amicable & feasible solution soon.
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- Woman Saved At Manhattan Subway Station
- NYC Subway Delays Continue To Rise
- Man Killed By L Train In Brooklyn
- LIRR Is Apart Of Two Unrelated Suicides
- MTA Workers Protest Over Raises
Tragic Weekend On The Subway
This weekend was filled with tragedy on the NYC Subway as it featured 4 deaths & the potential for a 5th. The tragic events first started on Friday morning around 2:15 AM when a man was pinned to the platform by a Bronx-bound (northbound) 2 train at the 174th Street station while trying to cross the tracks.
A few hours later, a man jumped in front of a Manhattan-bound (northbound) C train the 23rd Street station in Chelsea. The 3rd death occurred in Queens when a suicidal man was decapitated by a Queens-bound (Middle Village) M train as it rumbled into the Seneca Avenue station.
The 4th death is the only victim to be identified as 22 year old Francisco Deigo Jr. known by his deejay name of Tech Trackz was killed by a 2 train at the Wakefield-241st Street station after trying to retrieve his iPhone which had fallen to the tracks. Sadly his death likely could have been avoided if he had shown some patience. More on this story courtesy of this report by Mark Morales & Thomas Tracy of the New York Daily News:
A Bronx deejay who busted out beats under the name “Tech Trackz” died on a stretch of city subway tracks Saturday morning as he tried to retrieve an iPhone he had dropped, officials said.
Police sources said Francisco Diego Jr., 22, was shocked and then hit by a No. 2 train at the Wakefield-241st St. station — the last stop on the line — just after 1 a.m.
Sources said Diego told a token booth clerk he had dropped his smart phone on the tracks. After the train entered the station he managed to get between two train cars and jumped onto the tracks. He was electrocuted when he touched the third rail, sources said.
Diego fell onto the tracks, where the train hit him as it rumbled out of the station to be serviced.
Click here to read the complete story.
Unfortunately this would not be the last we would hear about iPhone safety issues on the subway as David Narson could have been killed. He got into a fight with a man on the E train who tried & eventually succeeded in stealing his iPhone & wallet. A bit more courtesy of Eyewitness News:
David Narson is fine, but he is angry that his attacker could have cost him his life.
On Saturday night, Narson was rushed to the hospital after a fight that started on the E train, and ended up spilling out onto the platform when the train pulled into the station at 53rd and Lexington.
“He pushed me on the tracks, I pulled myself off – I feel lucky,” says Narson.
Click here for the complete report with video.
I never like to hear or read about these subway deaths especially when they could have been avoided. The obsession with material goods especially those socially pimped out like the iPhone result in horrible choices that not only hurt but have led to the death of people.
I myself have an iPhone but I am not going to risk my life for it as at the end of the day no matter how attached I am to it (and I am), I realize that it is still just a phone. Hopefully this tragic death resonates with fellow smartphone owners (although I doubt it will for some) so they can realize that material goods can be replaced while a life can not!
xoxo Transit Blogger
You might enjoy reading these related entries:- MTA Officer Commits Suicide In Brooklyn
- Man Killed By L Train In Brooklyn
- Man Pushed Onto Subway Tracks By Urinator
- Track Supervisor Death Could’ve Been Avoided
- Good Samaritan Saves MTA Employee
Service Diversions 05-30-13
Get an early start to your weekend planning as I have just updated the Service Diversions with the latest planned work for the upcoming weekend, next week & beyond in some cases.
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 @SurgeFM as well.
Have a safe & wonderful weekend!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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