MTA To Buy More Subway Cars w/ Cameras
In what will surely get the attention of civil liberty groups around the tri-state area, the MTA has announced its plans to buy up to 340 subway cars that would be equipped with surveillance cameras. Ti-Hua Chang of MyFox NY has more in this report:
The MTA plans to buy 290 more subway trains and equip them with video surveillance cameras. The cameras, which would be hidden in the ceiling, would only record. They would not send out a live signal.
The MTA also has an option to purchase 50 more subway cars with cameras if the budget permits.
“Future cars will be camera-ready,” MTA spokesman Paul Fleuranges told the New York Post. “The hardest part of retrofitting old cars to run the lines is that it involved taking the car apart.”
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly considers video surveillance cameras on subways a move in the the right direction. He said it’s like chicken soup — it can’t hurt.
But the head of the New York Civil Liberties Union said there have to be guidelines before there is abuse of the video images. Donna Lieberman said that although the cameras are in public, people have a right to know how the images will be used, how long they will be kept, and who will have access to them.
Click here for the complete report.
Now here is a report with more information from Tom Namako of the New York Post:
The MTA is on track to create a subway ring of steel.
In an unprecedented security move, transit officials are ordering up 340 new subway cars that will come equipped for surveillance cameras, The Post has learned.
Instead of tearing up old subway cars and installing the wiring and hardware needed for security cameras — a costly process — the new cars will already have the technology built in, NYC Transit officials said.
The MTA will just have to pop in the cameras, and the cars will be ready to roll with their new surveillance equipment.
“Future cars will be camera-ready,” said MTA spokesman Paul Fleuranges. “The hardest part of retrofitting old cars to run the lines is that it involved taking the car apart.”
MTA documents peg the cost of the initial 290-car order, likely to be followed by a 50-car second order, at about $748 million.
It’s expected that the 60-foot cars — which will be joined together to make about 34 trains in total — will be on the tracks by 2015.
Click here for the complete report.
I am all for the MTA looking to improve the technology but not under the falsehood of security. This plan reeks of big brother & I am strongly against it. These cameras will not stop crime from happening as a determined criminal does not let these devices stop them. If they were completely reliable, we would not hear or read about robberies at banks, stores, etc….
It is a shame that the agency can’t just purchase newer equipment without the big brother aspect being included. Yes, I am grateful for much needed updates to our infrastructure & equipment but not if it has to be under the false pretense of ‘security”.
One can hope that this pilot does not expand as I stand behind the rights of privacy. I understand that we lose some natural rights to privacy due to being in public. However this does not mean we should have to deal with cameras at every turn in our public lives. This is not the freedom our country was founded on!
xoxo Transit Blogger
- Security Camera Plan Leaves Out Many Stations
- MTA Puts Nearly 1000 Security Cameras Online
- Security Cameras Not Coming Anytime Soon
- MTA Wasted $21.3M On Non-Recordable Cameras
- MTA Has Filed Countersuit Against Lockheed Martin
Service Diversions 08-30-10
I have just updated the “Service Diversions” page by removing all of the work that just wrapped up at 5 AM this morning. The latest information for the upcoming week & beyond in some cases is at the forefront.
Throughout the week, I will make minor updates on the page itself (no entries about it) by removing work already completed. The next complete update will be Thursday evening or early Friday morning.
As always, I suggest you print out a copy of the diversions to have with you while riding. You may also use any phone or electronic device to access the mobile friendly version of Transit Blogger. Have a safe week & do your best to keep cool!
xoxo Transit Blogger
- Service Diversions 08-23-10
- Service Diversions 07-12-10
- Service Diversions 07-26-10
- Service Diversions 08-09-10
- Service Diversions 08-16-10
OPTO L Trains Have Mind Of Their Own
Over the last number of years, the MTA & Transport Workers Union Local 100 (TWU Local 100) has engaged in many individual battles in their entire war. One of the bigger ones had to do with the MTA looking to cut back on employees by having some trains run under “OPTO” service.
The service which features a one man train operator & no conductor has been in place for years on the L. The union has long been against this service due to it cutting the need for more workers. Their rallying point against it has always centered around safety concerns.
Their viewpoint was highlighted in a report on Friday by Pete Donohue of the New York Daily News. According to the paper, some OPTO trains started to operate in an unsafe manner on their own prompting MTA NYC Transit to temporarily halt the use of the service:
Some Robotrains have been going rogue on the L line, prompting NYC Transit to temporarily suspend the high-tech operation, the Daily News has learned.
In one incident, a train that was stopped at a Brooklyn platform took off on its own – traveling three to five feet before a crew member on board hit the emergency brakes, NYC Transit confirmed yesterday.
With two other similar incidents recently on the Brooklyn-to-Manhattan line, the agency suspended use of the computerized train control system on Aug. 16, NYC Transit said in a statement yesterday.
Train service continued the old-fashioned way – with motormen doing the driving, not computers – until software fixes were finished last weekend, the agency said.
The so-called Robotrains are part of an expensive package of upgrades involving subway signals, switches and onboard computers that only exists on the L line.
But to critics like Kevin Harrington, a vice president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, glitches are warnings that this system is potentially dangerous.
Click here for the complete report.
I have never been a fan of this service. While I am for using technology to improve our system, I think there are instances where things should be left alone & this is a case that applies. Part of the problem is the technology installed for this service was pretty much installed over aging equipment.
If this is to be successful, the whole operation should have been gutted & built out from scratch. Mixing a hybrid of technologies usually leads to conflicting issues like this. Thankfully no one has been hurt in any of these incidents. Let us hope that this situation gets resolved as soon as possible.
xoxo Transit Blogger
- MTA & TWU Local 100 Hit A Roadblock During Contract Talks
- Many TWU Members Ineligible To Vote
- TWU Dealt A Crushing Defeat
- More Safety Lapses……
- TWU Local 100 Regains Dues Check-Off Status
LIRR Anticipates Normal Rush Hour Service
Service has been anything but normal on the Long Island Rail Road since last Monday’s fire at Hall Tower just east of Jamaica Station. Normal commutes for hundreds of thousands turned into absolute nightmares as a plethora of trains were canceled during both rush hour periods.
Throughout the week it seemed hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of getting back to normal. However the agency did the best it could considering the circumstances & worked around the clock to get service back to normal. The weekend showed a glimpse of light with most lines running normal service.
The light officially broke through when on Sunday afternoon, the agency announced it anticipates normal service for the AM & PM rush. Here are the complete details courtesy of the press release I received:
MTA Long Island Rail Road customers can anticipate a return to their regularly scheduled trains for Monday morning’s rush hour following successful, round-the-clock repairs of the railroad’s switch and signal system in Jamaica that was severely damaged by a fire on August 23rd.
By 4 PM Sunday, LIRR forces will have completed repairs and extensive testing of the switch and signal system in Jamaica, paving the way for full restoration of AM and PM rush hour service come Monday. The LIRR – the nation’s busiest commuter railroad – operates more than 700 trains into and out of its Manhattan and Brooklyn terminals on a typical weekday.
“I appreciate the challenges our customers faced during the past week and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time,” said LIRR President Helena E. Williams. “I would also like to thank the hundreds of railroad employees who worked around the clock to put the damaged signal and switch system back together while keeping service going and assisting our customers throughout the week. Once again, they demonstrated their dedication and commitment to our customers.”
The fire last Monday morning damaged a key signal tower located just east of the Jamaica Station that controls 53 signals and 77 switch points in an area where 10 of 11 LIRR branches converge. Despite the damage, the LIRR was able to restore most of its PM rush hour service the day of the fire by using a manual switching system. During last week, the LIRR ran 75 percent of its morning rush hour service and 66-68 percent of its afternoon rush hour service while repairs to the switching mechanism were underway.
The manual, back-up switching system was used to ensure maximum safety during the emergency.
During repairs more than 200 individual wires had to be assessed or replaced inside the signal tower and more than 300 tests had to be conducted to insure safe operation of the signal system. Testing was conducted throughout the weekend.
The switching and signal system in Jamaica is due for a major upgrade and modernization in late October and early November when a $56 million computerized control center will go online, replacing three existing signal towers that currently control some 155 switches in the Jamaica station area. The Jamaica upgrade is part of a $150 million effort to upgrade the LIRR’s switch and signal system at key areas of the railroad. Two other key switching areas – one near Bellerose and one in Valley Stream – have already been modernized during the last two years as part of the overall project.
“Safety is always our No. 1 priority for our customers and our employees,” Williams said. “These modernization projects will help ensure that we are moving toward the latest technology available to control train traffic safety and efficiently. In the event of a fire like the one that occurred last week, the new systems give us greater redundancy, better surge protection and improved diagnostic ability to isolate and fix problems.
“While the new systems are a big improvement, more needs to be done to replace and update some of our old technology throughout the LIRR. That’s why we need a fully funded, five-year capital program.”
I happened to use the LIRR on Sunday morning as I came back from a night of hanging out with one of my best friends. The ride seemed to be pretty smooth albeit slow in my mind as I just wanted to get home at that point. Hopefully things go off without a hitch starting in a few hours.
xoxo Transit Blogger
- LIRR Weekend Service Information
- LIRR To Operate Weekend Montauk Service
- LIRR AM & PM Rush Hour Service Advisory
- Various Transit Hubs Vulnerable To LIRR Repeat
- LIRR PM Rush Hour Service Advisory
Service Diversions 08-28-10
A few hours ago, I updated the “Service Diversions” page with the latest diversions for this weekend, next week, & beyond in some cases. The next update will be sometime after 5:01 AM Monday when all of the weekend diversions are removed & the ones for the week move up the list.
LIRR riders do not forget to read this entry with complete information about the weekend service plan in affect stemming from Monday’s fire at Hall Tower east of Jamaica Station.
I suggest you print out a copy of the page to carry with you or use any mobile device to access the phone-friendly version of Transit Blogger. Try to stay cool & as always, have safe travels!
xoxo Transit Blogger
