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Metro North Christmas 2017 Service Plan

Posted by
on December 21st, 2017 at 3:59 pm

Here is the MTA Metro-North Railroad’s 2017 Christmas holiday service plan information:

Let Metro-North help make your holidays happy! Whether you’re visiting friends and family, shopping or sightseeing, riding Metro-North is a safe, convenient way to get you where you want to go this long holiday weekend.

On Friday, December 22, Metro-North will be on a regular weekday schedule with 18 additional early getaway trains departing Grand Central Terminal between 12:58 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. There will be normal a.m. peak service, but a reduced p.m. peak service after 5 p.m., with some train combinations and cancellations. All changes are posted in the Train Time app and in the October 8 public timetables. On Metro-North’s West of Hudson service, early getaway trains will also operate on both the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines:

The regularly scheduled Port Jervis Line departure from Hoboken at 2:41 p.m., stopping at Secaucus Junction, and all stops between Suffern and Middletown/Town of Wallkill, will be extended to stop at Otisville and Port Jervis. Customers from Penn Station-NY wishing to connect to this train should be on the 2:29 p.m. departure from Penn Station-NY to connect at Secaucus Junction. To accommodate this service, the 6:15 p.m. departure from Hoboken to Port Jervis will not operate.

The regularly scheduled Pascack Valley Line Friday-only train will depart Hoboken at 2:58 p.m., and stop at Secaucus Junction, select stations in New Jersey, and Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley. Customers from Penn Station-NY wishing to connect to this train should be on the 2:51 p.m. departure from Penn Station-NY to connect at Secaucus Junction. To accommodate this train, the 7:20 p.m. departure from Hoboken to Spring Valley will not operate.

Sunday, December 24, and Monday, December 25:

On Sunday, December 24, Metro-North’s East of Hudson service will operate a regular Sunday schedule supplemented with Shoppers Specials. For Monday, December 25, the railroad’s East of Hudson lines will operate a special holiday schedule with hourly service on most line segments, and regular weekend service on all branch lines. Special timetables for December 25 are available on the Train Time app and are posted at MTA.info under the Schedules section, then “All Schedules,” here: http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/schedules.htm

Tuesday-Friday, December 26-29:

Metro-North will provide a weekday schedule with additional trains to Grand Central Terminal on all East of Hudson lines during our heaviest travel times (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.). With lighter ridership during the peak periods this week, some morning rush hour trains are canceled or combined to free up trains and crews for these additional trains. In addition, 18 extra Getaway trains will operate on Friday, December 29, between 12:58 p.m. and 4:11 p.m., and some trains after 5 p.m. will be combined or canceled as shown on the October 8 timetables.

On Metro-North’s West of Hudson lines:

The Port Jervis Line will operate on a regular weekday schedule.

The regularly scheduled Pascack Valley Line Friday-only train will depart Hoboken at 2:58 p.m., and stop at Secaucus Junction, select stations in New Jersey, and Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley. Customers from Penn Station-NY wishing to connect to this train should be on the 2:51 p.m. departure from Penn Station-NY to connect at Secaucus Junction. To accommodate this train, the 7:20 p.m. departure from Hoboken to Spring Valley will not operate.

Pinstripe Bowl: Wednesday, December 27 (Yankee Stadium):

Shuttle service will be provided between Grand Central Terminal, Harlem-125th Street, and Yankees-E. 153rd Street stations.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Conductor Neglects Autistic Son

Posted by
on December 20th, 2017 at 6:45 pm

Charisma Bellamy (Picture courtesy of Facebook)

When you hear or read certain stories, you can not help but boil over in anger & frustration. This was one of those instances for me after reading how a MTA conductor named Charisma Bellamy was charged with endangering the welfare of a child after her autistic son was wandering around in a subway station alone while she sat at home drunk. Dan Rivoli & Rocco Parascandola of the New York Daily News has more in this exclusive report:

An MTA conductor was home, drunk, while her autistic 9-year-old son was wandering around in a Bronx subway station — the second time a week she neglected him, police sources said Tuesday.

Charisma Bellamy, 37, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child in the latest alleged incident, which happened about 11:25 p.m. Monday inside the 161st St. station on the D line.

That’s where a straphanger saw the boy on the southbound platform, police said.

The good Samaritan took him to the police facility inside the same station, where officers immediately recognized him from the earlier incident, authorities said.

They took him to his home on Anderson Ave., more than a quarter mile away, and were let inside by the boy’s 11-year-old brother.

Click here for the complete report.

This woman should lose custody of her child as no excuse in the world can justify sitting home drunk and not knowing your child has wandered off. Forget the bigger danger that he is autistic, any sick pedophile could have snatched him away & you would have not known as being drunk was more important to you versus being a responsible mother.

I am absolutely disgusted at the stance taking by the Transport Workers Union Local 100 in this case in which they feel her privacy should be respected as it is a private manner & has nothing to do with her performance at work. She is clearly showing a lack of an ability to control her actions at home & should not be allowed to potentially showcase the same issues at work.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Adds Longer Cars To C Line

Posted by
on December 19th, 2017 at 5:33 pm

The MTA recently started adding longer train cars to the C Train to increase capacity as ridership has increased along the line in certain areas. Vincent Barone of AMNY has more in this report:

The MTA has begun running a few longer train cars on the C line in order to accommodate neighborhood growth around it, according to agency spokesman Jon Weinstein.

The longer cars, known as the R46 model, were built in the 1970s and currently run on other lines including the A. These cars are 75 feet long — 15 feet longer than the current models that run on the C.

That added space increases capacity on the line by 25 percent per train set. In total, five sets of eight-car R46s are running on the line, mixed in with two other models. The changes, which took effect Saturday, were first outlined in MTA chairman Joseph Lhota’s Subway Action Plan, but the MTA also believes the longer trains will help during the 2019 L train shutdown.

“Lengthening C trains was a promise made — and kept — under the Subway Action Plan to increase capacity and improve service for our riders,” Weinstein said in a statement.

Click here for the complete report.

While I commend the agency on adding space for additional riders, MTA Board Member Andrew Albert is 100% correct that riders would prefer more frequent service if they had to choose between it & the few feet of additional space. I personally do what I can to avoid the line as the service is way too sporadic even during the rush hour which is completely unacceptable.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro North To Make Improvements At 5 Stations

Posted by
on December 19th, 2017 at 5:23 pm

Catching up on some transit news from the past few days, the MTA Metro-North Railroad announced it will be making improvements at 5 stations. Here are more details courtesy of the press release I received:

MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board has approved a $91.5 million design-build contract to the firm Halmar International to make state-of-the-art enhancements to Metro-North Railroad’s White Plains, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, Port Chester and Riverdale stations. Construction gets underway in early 2018.  This Enhanced Stations Initiative sets the standard for similar improvements to other Metro-North stations in the future.

The Enhanced Stations Initiative, which includes some elements of state of good repair and enhancements, will result in stations that are safer, cleaner, brighter and easier to navigate.

The general scope of the work includes new signage, platforms, energy efficient LED lighting, benches with USB chargers, station dashboards and totems to provide convenient access to information, improvements to customer restrooms, not to mention Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. Upgrades at White Plains include improved station entrances, as well as new interior wall panels, floor tiles, ceiling tiles and fixtures.

At the direction of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Metro-North issued a design-build contract to expedite the project. Design-build contracts call for a team of designers and contractors to be responsible for both designing and building an entire project in order to ensure that coordination is seamless, and that work is completed in the shortest possible time frame.  The project is funded by MTA’s 2015-2019 Capital Program.

For the station enhancement project, the MTA worked with consultants Grimshaw Architects to study and revise existing design guidelines for stations and facilities, bringing world class standards to Metro-North stations. These revised guidelines will establish a new look for Metro-North stations, influencing station design long after improvements to White Plains, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, Port Chester and Riverdale are complete.

Safety is a top priority at the MTA, and as part of the station enhancement project, Metro-North upgraded its electrical and communications system, adding closed-circuit security cameras inside and outside the stations.

Bringing more beauty to the commute, MTA Arts and Design has issued an open call for artists to create site specific installations at White Plains, Harlem 125th Street, Crestwood and Port Chester.  Dennis Oppenheim’s low-relief, brightly painted metal sculpture in the shape of four houses was installed at the Riverdale station in 2006.

“The Enhanced Stations Initiative raises the bar for station aesthetics, safety and amenities,” said Cathy Rinaldi, Acting President of Metro-North. “Customers can anticipate a better environment at our stations, and all with minimal disruption to their commute. These improvements bring the stations into the 21st century and help enhance the quality of life of the communities they serve.”

xoxo Transit Blogger

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MTA Chairman Clashes With State Senator

Posted by
on December 18th, 2017 at 9:06 pm

Long time readers know how much I hate political grandstanding. Tri-state area riders know full well how much of that goes on with elected officials who seem to always care about mass transit funding & issues when it gives them a chance to earn political brownie points.

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota is another one who is not fond of the game as he lashed out at State Senator Michael Gianaris who recently tried to score brownie points by acting like he gives a damn about mass transit. Kenneth Lovett of the New York Daily News has more:

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota Monday shot back at a top legislative Democrat who called on Gov. Cuomo to not accept a new state budget that doesn’t include a new long-term funding stream for the cash-strapped transit agency.

“It’s nice that Sen. (Michael) Gianaris has seen the light,” Lhota said of the deputy Democratic minority leader from Queens. “The current problems at the MTA are due to a lack of investment going back decades.”

The Daily News reported Monday that Gianaris organized a letter from the Senate Democrats telling Cuomo that finding a way to better fund the MTA should be a top priority in the coming budget discussions.

“Hopefully, he and other legislators finally understand that they need to produce for their constituents rather than continuing their political posturing through press releases,” Lhota said. “The MTA has a new slogan for the legislature: ‘See Something, Do Something.’”

Gianaris shot back that “it should tell New Yorkers all they need to know about Joe Lhota’s stewardship of the MTA that he chooses to attack a letter that simply calls for the MTA to be fully funded.”

“Isn’t his job to make sure that actually happens?” Gianaris added. “One would think he should just say ‘thank you’ and work on achieving that goal instead of lobbing nonsensical attacks in furtherance of a political agenda.”

Click here for the complete report.

I loved the comment from Joseph Lhota as it truly showcased the game that these officials play every single chance they get when it comes to the issues of the MTA & transportation in our region. I still wonder if I will ever see a properly developed & funded transportation infrastructure & system in my lifetime……

xoxo Transit Blogger

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