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MTA Announces New NYCT President

Posted by
on November 21st, 2017 at 1:29 pm

Earlier today, the MTA announced that Andy Byford will become the next President of New York City Transit. Here is more via the press release I received:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced today that Andy Byford will become the next President of New York City Transit, the MTA agency responsible for New York City subways, buses, paratransit services and the Staten Island Railway.  A seasoned and highly regarded transportation professional whose work has taken him across three continents over nearly three decades, Byford joins NYC Transit after a widely hailed five-year stint as the CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the third largest transit system in North America. Byford began his transit career at London Underground where, over 14 years, he rose to the position of General Manager of the Central, Bakerloo and Victoria Lines, three of its busiest subway lines. He oversaw increases in customer satisfaction and operational performance at the main line UK railway system and was Chief Operating Officer of Australia’s largest transit system in Sydney. He will assume his position at NYC Transit in January.  The hiring of Byford comes after an extensive and international search.

“We are thrilled that Andy is going to lead NYC Transit during this time of great change,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said.  “Our transit system is the backbone of the world’s greatest city and having someone of Andy’s caliber to lead it will help immensely, particularly when it comes to implementing the Subway Action Plan that we launched this summer. In order to truly stabilize, modernize and improve our transit system, we needed a leader who has done this work at world-class systems and Andy’s successes in Toronto are evidence that he is up to this critically important task.”

“New York City’s public transit system has driven New York City to become the bustling, successful metropolis that it is, and it’s an honor to be trusted with the huge responsibility to modernize the system and bring it to the high levels of performance and customer service that New Yorkers truly deserve and rightfully expect,” Byford said.  “I look forward to working with my new colleagues and all the employees of New York City Transit and the MTA, and, most importantly, our customers.”

At the Toronto Transit Commission, Byford spearheaded several prominent initiatives including the development of a corporate plan aimed at completely modernizing the TTC and improving all aspects of operational performance. Under his leadership, subway delays have been reduced, customer satisfaction has hit record levels, and a number of major projects progressed, including the phased introduction of a modern signal system and the imminent completion of a major subway line extension. These improvements led to the TTC being named by the American Public Transportation Association as its Outstanding Transit System of the Year for 2017.

In June, Byford was a member of a panel presenting about international best practices at the MTA Genius Transit Challenge, where he described his successful efforts to modernize and improve Toronto’s subway system.

At NYC Transit, Byford will be responsible for leading the immediate and long-term modernization of one of the oldest and largest transit systems in the world, including ensuring the success of the Subway Action Plan, which aims to stabilize and modernize the subway system by targeting the key drivers of delays. The most recent permanent president for NYC Transit was Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim, currently MTA Managing Director.  NYC Transit has nearly 50,000 employees throughout the five boroughs. A native of the United Kingdom, Byford holds an honors degree from the University of Leicester.

MTA Managing Director Ronnie Hakim said:  “I look forward to working closely with Andy in his new role as President of New York City Transit. Having held the position myself I can say with certainty that it’s an immensely challenging job but also deeply rewarding. Andy is incredibly well regarded in the transportation world and did outstanding things in Toronto. I’m confident he will do the same here in New York.”

MTA President Patrick Foye said:  “To function as a first-rate transit system, you need a first-rate transit leader and Andy is precisely that. His command of urban transit issues is second to none and he is invested in getting the details right. NYC Transit faces serious issues, but Andy is up to the challenge and we are excited to have him on board.”

MTA Chief Operating Officer Phil Eng said: “Transit in a city as diverse as New York presents a unique set of challenges, and Andy’s global leadership experience make him well-suited for the task. I welcome him aboard and look forward to working alongside him as we strengthen and grow the transit system.”

TTC Chair Josh Colle said:  “Andy knows how to make tough choices and get people to buy in. He is the consummate leader: driven, fair, passionate, and highly effective. Toronto’s loss is New York’s gain and I have little doubt that he will bring world class leadership to the North America’s biggest subway system. While we are incredibly disappointed to see him go, we wish him the best in the Big Apple.”

I am very excited to see what Andy can do running NYC Transit since he has experience running a major city’s transportation system. If the results he produced in Toronto can be duplicated, the future for NYC Transit looks bright.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Service Diversions 11-20-17

Posted by
on November 20th, 2017 at 5:07 pm

I have updated the service diversions through the end of the week. Also make sure to read these posts for Thanksgiving 2017 service plan information for each respective service:

Long Island Rail Road

Metro-North Railroad

NYCT Buses & Subways

Staten Island Railway

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

xoxo Transit Blogger

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NYC Transit Thanksgiving 2017 Service Plan

Posted by
on November 17th, 2017 at 4:26 pm

Here is the MTA NYC Transit service plan for Thanksgiving 2017:

New York City Subway Thanksgiving Day Service and Vintage Trains Through December

The New York City Subway will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day. The 57  St F station will be closed for entry and exit from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. To prevent overcrowding on stairways and platforms, some subway entrances at 34 St-Herald Sq B, D, F, M, N, Q, R & W, 34 St-Penn Station 1, 2, 3, 59 St-Columbus Circle 1, A, B, C & D  and 72 St B & C may be closed or designated as exit-only.

MTA New York City Transit encourages the use of mass transit to the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The closest subway stations to the start of parade route are 79 St 1, 81 St B, C, and 59 St-Columbus Circle 1, A, B, C & D.  There will be additional service on the 42 St S Shuttle as well as increased early morning service on the 1 line to accommodate spectators.

The Thanksgiving weekend marks the start of MTA New York City Transit’s longstanding annual tradition of offering holiday vintage rides on subways and buses between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, all for the swipe of a MetroCard. On Sunday afternoons from November 26 to December 24, New York City Transit will run its “Shoppers Special” train consisting of eight cars from the 1930s that operated on the lettered lines until the late 1970s.

As part of the MTA’s celebration of this year’s opening of the Second Avenue Subway, the “Shoppers Special” will run on the Second Avenue Subway line from 96 St Q to Lexington Av/63 St F, Q, then make local stops along the Sixth Avenue B, D, F & M line to 2 Av F. The first run of each Sunday departs at 10 a.m. from 2 Av and the last run of the day departs at 5 p.m. from 96 St.

New York City Buses – Thursday/Friday Service Details and Vintage Buses on 42nd Street

Buses operated by MTA New York City Transit and the MTA Bus Company will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thanksgiving Day. Many routes do not operate on Sundays or do not run on part of the route at certain hours. Customers traveling on Thanksgiving Day should check Sunday schedules, lines and routes.

All bus service in Manhattan may experience delays, especially those routes operating near the parade route such as the M7, M10, M11, and M79 SBS. Details will be provided at mta.info under “Service Status.” On Friday, November 24, service will operate on a weekday schedule with some exceptions listed at mta.info.

MTA New York City Transit also will offer rides on its vintage bus fleet on the M42 route beginning Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 22. A variety of vintage buses will operate along the crosstown route between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, weather permitting.

 xoxo Transit Blogger

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LIRR Thanksgiving 2017 Service Plan

Posted by
on November 17th, 2017 at 4:19 pm

Here is the LIRR Thanksgiving 2017 service plan:

To make it easier for Long Island Rail Road customers to get where they need to be this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the MTA agency is supplying additional train service along with off‐peak ticket pricing on certain days.

Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, November 22: a dozen extra afternoon eastbound trains will run to handle the rush of customers racing home to start the holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 23: Extra trains will be available to get customers into the city for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as well as extra trains to get home following the festivities.

Black Friday, November 24: The LIRR will run a regular weekday schedule this day to accommodate the hordes of shoppers headed for discounts and deals. All day Black Friday, the LIRR will honor all tickets at lower, off‐peak fares.

Saturday, November 25 and Sunday, November 26: Still have the urge to get out and about? The LIRR is ramping up extra service on these days, too – the first of six consecutive weekends that the LIRR will bolster service to meet the holiday season demand.

Off‐Peak & Family Fares in Effect Thursday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 26

In getting with the holiday spirit, the LIRR will offer tickets at off‐peak prices over the four‐day Thanksgiving holiday starting on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23 until Sunday, November 26. The Railroad’s Family Fare Discount will also be in effect all four days: children ages 5‐11 (limit of four children per fare‐paying adult) can ride one‐way for $1 each. These tickets must be purchased before boarding the train. Children, as always, under 5 ride for free.

Service Highlights For the Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend

Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday, Nov. 22
Eastbound – 12 Extra Trains Departing Penn Station

Ronkonkoma Branch:

12:43 p.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

1:49 p.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, then all stops to Ronkonkoma.

Babylon Branch:

2:22 p.m. from Penn Station, express to Rockville Centre, then local to Babylon.

2:32 p.m. from Penn Station, express to Lynbrook, then local to Babylon.

3 p.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then local to Babylon.

3:31 p.m. from Penn Station, express to Rockville Centre, then local to Babylon.

Port Jefferson Branch:

2:08 p.m. from Penn Station to Jamaica, Mineola, then local to Huntington.

2:29 p.m. from Penn Station to Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then local to Huntington.

3:24 p.m. from Penn Station to Jamaica, Mineola, Westbury and Hicksville.

Port Washington Branch:

3:40 p.m. from Penn Station to Woodside, Flushing Main Street, then all stops to Great Neck.

Far Rockaway Branch:

3:48 p.m. from Penn Station, express to Locust Manor, then all stops to Far Rockaway.

Montauk Branch:

4:06 p.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Westhampton, Southampton, Bridgehampton, East Hampton and Montauk.

Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23

On Thanksgiving Day, the LIRR is running on a weekend/holiday schedule supplemented by with 17 extra trains timed perfectly for those attending the Thanksgiving Day Parade or otherwise visiting the city. There will be six extra westbound trains in the morning and 11 extra eastbound trains in the afternoon. Coach cars will be added to select trains as the demand requires to
accommodate holiday travelers.

Westbound – Six Extra Trains Heading into Penn Station

Babylon Branch:

The 6:49 a.m. train from Babylon, making all stops to Rockville Center, then Jamaica, and Penn Station.

The 7:21 a.m. train from Babylon, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica and Penn Station.

Ronkonkoma Branch:

The 6:10 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma, making all stops to Hicksville, then Jamaica, Woodside and Penn Station.

The 7:18 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma, making all stops to Hicksville, then Jamaica, Woodside and Penn Station.

Port Jefferson Branch:

The 6:01 a.m. train from Port Jefferson making all stops to Huntington, then stopping at Jamaica and Penn Station.

Montauk Branch:

The 6:28 a.m. train from Speonk, making all stops to Babylon, Jamaica and Penn Station.

Eastbound – 11 Extra Trains Departing from Penn Station

Babylon Branch:

The 11:39 a.m., 12:09 p.m., 12:39 p.m. and 1:09 p.m. trains from Penn Station stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all local stops to Babylon.

Huntington Branch:

The 11:59 a.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica, New Hyde Park and all stops to Huntington.

Port Jefferson Branch:

The 12:06 p.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, then all stops to Port Jefferson.

Montauk Branch:

The 12:15 p.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica, Freeport, then all stops to Speonk.

Ronkonkoma Branch:

The 11:35 a.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale then all stops to Ronkonkoma except Pinelawn.

The 12:32 p.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, Mineola, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, then all stops to Ronkonkoma except Pinelawn.

The 1:03 p.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Farmingdale.

The 1:32 p.m. train from Penn Station, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, Bethpage, Farmingdale, then all stops to Ronkonkoma, except Pinelawn.

Black Friday, November 24

LIRR trains will operate on a normal weekday schedule on Friday, November 24 with off‐peak fares in effect the entire day.

Saturday and Sunday, November 25 & Sunday, November 26

Beginning this weekend, the LIRR is offering extra train service and seating capacity on weekends through the entire holiday season for your shopping, dining, sightseeing and entertainment pleasure. The LIRR is adding four morning westbound trains and six afternoon
eastbound trains to its regular weekend schedule starting Saturday, November 25, and Sunday, November 26 and the weekends of December 2‐3, December 9‐10, December 16‐17, December 23‐24 and December 30 – December 31.

The extra weekend trains are as follows:

Long Beach Branch:

Westbound

The 8:55 a.m., 9:55 a.m., 10:55 a.m. and 11:55 a.m. trains from Long Beach making all local stops to Jamaica, then express to Penn Station.

Eastbound

The 4:07 p.m., 5:07 p.m., 6:07 p.m. and 7:07 p.m. trains from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica and making all local stops to Long Beach.

Babylon Branch:

Eastbound

The 1:12 a.m. from Penn Station, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre and then all stops to Babylon.

Port Jefferson Branch:

Eastbound

The 2:44 a.m. from Penn Station stopping at Jamaica, New Hyde Park, then all stops to Huntington.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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Metro North Thanksgiving 2017 Service Plan

Posted by
on November 17th, 2017 at 4:00 pm

Here is the Metro North Thanksgiving 2017 service plan information:

Metro‐North is stuffed with service for the Thanksgiving holiday. The railroad is providing special service and extra trains throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year for Metro‐North. Off‐peak fares will be in effect on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23, through Sunday, November 26, and customers can take advantage of free parking at many stations. A Thanksgiving weekend timetable is available at Grand Central Terminal and outlying stations, or online at http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/schedules.htm

Off Peak & Family Fares in Effect Thursday, Nov. 23 through Sunday, Nov. 26

Customers are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, and those traveling into Manhattan can purchase a ten‐trip off‐peak ticket to save 30 to 40 percent off of the one‐way fare. The ticket can be used by more than one person, even when you are traveling together. The “Family Fare” costs $1 per ticket for up to four children (ages 5 to 11) when they are traveling with a farepaying adult. Metro‐North recommends customers use MTA eTtix®, the mobile ticketing app that enables you to purchase one way, round trip, ten trip, weekly and monthly passes, as well as reduced fare tickets, child and family fare tickets and military tickets, on your smartphone or mobile device. For information about the eTtix® app, please visit: http://www.mta.info/mtaeTix‐promo

Wednesday, November 22, the Day Before Thanksgiving

Historically, the day before Thanksgiving is the heaviest travel day of the year for Metro‐North customers. On Wednesday, November 22, there will be 18 early getaway trains that depart Grand Central Terminal during the mid‐day. The extra service includes three additional trains on the Harlem Line between 2:15 p.m. and 3:34 p.m., five extra trains on the Hudson Line between 1:38 p.m. and 4:11 p.m., and ten extra trains on the New Haven Line between 12:58 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Times are shown in the current timetables. Due to the heavier mid‐day travel patterns, some evening trains may be canceled or combined, so be sure to check the timetable.

For West‐of‐Hudson customers, early getaway trains will operate on both the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line on Wednesday, November 22.

On the Port Jervis Line, the 2:41 p.m. train from Hoboken to Middletown (with a connection departing New York Penn Station at 2:29 PM) is extended to Port Jervis. The 6:15 p.m. departure from Hoboken (6:03 p.m. train from Penn Station‐NY) will not operate.

On the Pascack Valley Line, there will be a 2:58 p.m. departure from Hoboken (with a connection departing New York’s Penn Station at 2:51 p.m.) making select stops in New Jersey before arriving at Pearl River, Nanuet and Spring Valley. To accommodate this train, the 7:20 p.m. departure from Hoboken (7:08 pm connection from Penn Station‐NY) will not operate.

Thanksgiving Day, November 23

Metro‐North will provide additional inbound morning service for customers heading to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which kicks off at 9:00 a.m. at 81st Street and Central Park West and ends in front of Macy’s at Herald Square (34th Street). There is also expanded outbound service starting in the late morning and continuing through mid‐afternoon. If you’re leaving New York after the parade, customers must show a ticket before boarding trains at Grand Central or Harlem‐125th Street Station. On this day last year, about 30,000 customers departed Grand Central between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Finally, there will be extra trains in the evening for customers returning to New York City after their Thanksgiving feasts.

West of Hudson, a regular holiday/weekend schedule is in effect for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line, with one additional round trip on the Port Jervis Line (shown in the October 29 NJ Transit timetable). Parade‐goers can take a 6:22 a.m. departure from Port Jervis arriving in Hoboken at 8:30 a.m. (a connection at Secaucus Junction arrives at New York Penn Station at 8:39 a.m.). After the parade, there is a 12:21 p.m. departure from Hoboken (12:14 p.m. from New York Penn Station) that operates express to Suffern before making all stops to Port Jervis.

Friday, November 24, the Day After Thanksgiving

On Friday, November 24, Metro‐North will operate on a Saturday schedule with additional inbound service in the morning and outbound service in the afternoon to accommodate the Friday workforce and Black Friday shoppers. West of Hudson, a regular weekday schedule is in effect for Friday, November 24.

Saturday and Sunday (Thanksgiving Weekend)

Metro‐North will round out the holiday weekend schedule with extra trains and additional cars on existing trains. Service on Saturday, November 25 features upper Hudson and outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Special service. Regular half‐hour service to/from Stamford on the New Haven Line, North White Plains on the Harlem Line and Croton‐Harmon on the Hudson Line will
operate all day. On Sunday, November 26, trains run on a normal half‐hourly schedule featuring outer New Haven Line Shoppers’ Specials.

A regular weekend schedule is in effect on Saturday, November 25, and Sunday, November 26, for the Port Jervis Line and Pascack Valley Line. For more information about Metro‐North train schedules, visit our schedules page at http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/planning/schedules/schedules.htm or download the free Metro‐North Train Time App for train times. The app is available via the Apple Store for iOS devices or Google Play Store for Android.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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