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Service Diversions 01-16

Posted by
on January 16th, 2009 at 10:04 pm

I have just updated the service diversions page with the latest scheduled diversions for this weekend & next week (and beyond in some cases). Don’t forget to check in for any changes to the page. I also suggest printing out a copy of the page to use while riding the system. Have a safe & wonderful weekend!

P.S. Stay warm!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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1

The Result Is Still Not Close To Its Name

Posted by
on January 16th, 2009 at 6:23 pm

Brooklyn bound A train entering 2nd Avenue station during a G.OBrooklyn bound A train entering 2nd Avenue station during a G.O, Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit.

Last year I titled the entry for the A Train‘s “Rider Report Card” results “A Result Not Even Close To Its Name….”. This year the title is similar as not much has changed. The A once again earned a C- for an overall grade.

Also this time I have uploaded the .pdf files where you can see the complete voting breakdown for each category & the change from 2007. The respective files will be linked underneath the results for each category. Now on to the breakdown:

A Train Riders’ Top 10 Priorities; 2007 priority rank will be in ( ):

01. Reasonable wait times for trains ( 1 )

02. Adequate room on board at rush hour ( 3 )

03. Minimal delays during trips ( 2 )

04. Station announcements that are easy to hear ( 4 )

05. Cleanliness of stations ( 5 )

06. Sense of security on trains ( 7 )

07. Cleanliness of subway cars ( 8 )

08. Train announcements that are easy to hear ( 6 )

09. Sense of security in stations ( 9 )

10. Working elevators and escalators in stations ( 12 )

—

Now here is the entire order of A train riders’ priorities 2007 priority rank will be in ( ):

01. Reasonable wait times for trains ( 1 )

02. Adequate room on board at rush hour ( 3 )

03. Minimal delays during trips ( 2 )

04. Station announcements that are easy to hear ( 4 )

05. Cleanliness of stations ( 5 )

06. Sense of security on trains ( 7 )

07. Cleanliness of subway cars ( 8 )

08. Train announcements that are easy to hear ( 6 )

09. Sense of security in stations ( 9 )

10. Working elevators and escalators in stations ( 12 )

11. Comfortable temperature in subway cars ( 10 )

12. Station announcements that are informative ( 11 )

13. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel ( 14 )

14. Train announcements that are informative ( 13 )

15. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines ( 16 )

16. Ease of use of subway turnstiles ( 19 )

17. Signs in stations that help riders find their way ( 17 )

18. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars ( 15 )

19. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way ( 18 )

20. Lack of graffiti in stations ( 21 )

21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars ( 20 )

Click here for the breakdown of votes for this category.
—

Now here is the graded breakdown for all 21 categories; 2007 grade in ( ):

01. Minimal delays during trips C (C-)

02. Reasonable wait times for trains C- (D+)

03. Adequate room on board at rush hour D (D)

04. Sense of security in stations C (C)

05. Sense of security on trains C- (C)

06. Working elevators and escalators in stations C- (C-)

07. Signs in stations that help riders find their way C+ (C)

08. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C (C)

09. Cleanliness of stations D+ (D+)

10. Cleanliness of subway cars D+ (D+)

11. Station announcements that are easy to hear D (D)

12. Station announcements that are informative D+ (D+)

13. Train announcements that are easy to hear D+ (D+)

14. Train announcements that are informative D+ (D+)

15. Lack of graffiti in stations C (C)

16. Lack of graffiti in subway cars C (C)

17. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars C- (C-)

18. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C (C)

19. Comfortable temperature in subway cars C (C)

20. Ease of use of subway turnstiles C+ (B-)

21. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines B- (B-)

Click here for the breakdown of votes for this category.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Well this analysis will not be long. The results are almost identical to 2007. 90% of the top priorities from 2007 remain as such for 2008 which is not good. When looking at the top 3 priorities which I always like to focus on, the story is unfortunately the same. The trains are crowded, take too long to show up, & have delays. The 3 key factors between a positive or negative ride are covered by the A Train but not in the way it would like.

In the end, for a complete review you can venture to last year’s results as my feelings have not changed.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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3

A.R.C. Project Gets Boost From Federal Approval

Posted by
on January 16th, 2009 at 4:40 pm

This past Wednesday, a major transportation project that would benefit the tri-state region took one step closer to becoming a reality. Federal environmental officials approved plans for the A.R.C. project. The A.R.C. project is the Access to the Region’s Core which would create a second tunnel underneath the Hudson River. This would double commuter railroad capacity between New Jersey & Manhattan.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s New Jersey Advocate Zoe Baldwin has more in this entry:

The Federal Transit Administration okayed plans for the Access to the Region’s Core tunnel yesterday, bringing the historic project a step closer to fruition. Approval of the environmental impact statement, preliminary design, and a new station to handle increased ridership enables NJ Transit to seek final design approval and negotiate federal funding for the final $3 billion needed.

Click here for the complete entry.

Click here for the main article about the approval courtesy of the Politicker New Jersey.

I have rarely ridden New Jersey Transit. So I can’t say this project would positively impact me directly. However I do completely support this project as I would any that is a major positive for mass transit & the riders who depend on it. Commuter railroads are a great alternate to vehicular use when possible so projects like this one can only benefit everyone over the long haul.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

Potential Stimulus Package = More Of The Same

Posted by
on January 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm

As I wrote about, one of the major issues overlooked in last year’s presidential election was the investment into our country’s mass transit infrastructure. I personally voted for the Obama/Biden ticket for many reasons with one of them being that they would be more serious about investing in mass transit. The news seemed to reflect this with the talk of a huge stimulus package that will probably get passed in the short term.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Committee released a summery of the House’s version of the stimulus legislation. Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Kate Slevin has more in this entry:

Today the House Appropriations Committee released a summary of the House version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, the proposed federal stimulus legislation. The announcement says the legislation will be considered in the next few weeks. On the transportation front, the proposed legislation includes $30 billion for highway construction and $10 billion for transit and rail “to reduce traffic congestion and gas consumption.”

The highway portion will fund some of the 5,100 highway and bridge projects, totaling $64 billion, that could start construction within six months. There is no detail as to how this money will be allocated or whether it will go to maintenance or expansion projects.

Click here for the complete entry.

Why am I not surprised to see mass transit get a smaller portion of the funds? I will be honest, I would love to see a fair 50/50 split of money between roads & mass transit. However I am a realist & understand that hell will freeze over before an even split occurs with any sort of funding now or ever. However if the ratio is similar to what was released in yesterday’s summary, it will once again feature mass transit getting the short end of the stick. I yearn for the day when our leaders will truly embrace the need to invest in mass transit.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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0

LIRR To Run Modified Holiday Service On MLK Day

Posted by
on January 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

Just a few minutes ago the Long Island Rail Road issued a press release via e-mail. The press release was to announce it is running modified holiday service on Martin Luther King Day. Here are the complete details:

The MTA Long Island Rail Road will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday,
January 19, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday. There will be 31 extra eastbound and westbound trains, to and from Penn Station, added on various branches to accommodate holiday travelers. Off-peak fares will also be in effect all day.

Customers are reminded to check printed schedules for train departure times.
Please note some trains are listed more than once due to common stations on different branches. For example, Hicksville is served by both Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branch trains.

The extra trains are as follows:

Babylon Branch (Westbound):

Depart Babylon 5:08 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 6:22 AM

Depart Babylon 5:51 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 7:04 AM

Depart Babylon 6:38 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 7:52 AM

Depart Babylon 7:14 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 8:28 AM

Depart Babylon 7:38 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 8:52 AM

Depart Babylon 7:39 AM, stopping at Jamaica, arrive NY 8:47 AM

Depart Babylon 9:14 AM, making all stops to Rockville Centre, then Jamaica, arrive NY 10:28 AM

—

Babylon Branch (Eastbound):

Depart NY 2:35 PM, stopping at Jamaica, then Babylon (arrive 3:35 PM)

Depart NY 4:59 PM, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon (6:15 PM)

Depart NY 5:31 PM, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon (6:47 PM)

Depart NY 6:31 PM, stopping at Jamaica, Rockville Centre, then all stops to Babylon (7:47 PM)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Montauk Branch (Westbound):

Depart Speonk 6:39 AM, making all stops to Babylon, then Jamaica, arrive NY 8:47 AM

—

Montauk Branch (Eastbound):
Depart NY 2:35 PM, stopping at Jamaica, Babylon, then all stops to Speonk (4:35 PM)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Port Jefferson Branch (Westbound; to Huntington):

Depart Hicksville 5:46 AM, stopping at Jamaica, Woodside, arrive NY 6:31 AM

Depart Huntington 5:42 AM, making all local stops to Jamaica, arrive NY 6:51 AM

Depart Hicksville 6:46 AM, stopping at Jamaica, Woodside, arrive NY 7:31 AM

Depart Hicksville 7:30 AM, stopping at Jamaica, arrive NY 8:15 AM

Depart Hicksville 7:46 AM, stopping at Jamaica, Woodside, arrive NY 8:31 AM

Depart Huntington 7:49 AM, making all local stops to Jamaica, arrive NY 8:34 AM

Depart Hicksville 8:46 AM, stopping at Jamaica, Woodside, arrive NY 9:31 AM

—

Port Jefferson Branch (Eastbound; to Huntington):

Depart NY 3:35 PM, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then Hicksville (4:19 PM)

Depart NY 4:35 PM , stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then Hicksville (5:19 PM)

Depart NY 5:07 PM, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then all local stops to Huntington (6:15 PM)

Depart NY 5:35 PM, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then Hicksville (6:19 PM)

Depart NY 6:07 PM, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then all local stops to Huntington (7:13 PM)

Depart NY 6:35 PM, stopping at Woodside, Jamaica, then Hicksville (7:19 PM)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Port Jefferson Branch (Westbound):

Depart Port Jefferson 8:27 AM, making all local stops to Huntington, Jamaica, arrive NY 10:18 AM

—

Port Jefferson Branch (Eastbound):

Depart NY 4:03 PM, stopping at Jamaica, then all local stops to Huntington, then all local stops to Port Jefferson (6:01 PM)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Port Washington Branch (Westbound):

Depart Great Neck 7:43 AM, making all local stops to Woodside, arrive NY 8:18 AM

Depart Great Neck 8:35 AM, making all local stops to Woodside, arrive NY 9:14 AM

—

Port Washington Branch (Eastbound):

Depart NY 5:03 PM, making all stops to Great Neck (5:39 PM)

Depart NY 6:03 PM, making all stops to Great Neck (6:39 PM)

Depart NY 7:03 PM, making all stops to Great Neck (7:39 PM)

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Ronkonkoma Branch (Westbound):

Depart Ronkonkoma 5:10 AM, making local stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, arrive NY 6:31 AM

Depart Ronkonkoma 6:10 AM, making local stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, arrive NY 7:31 AM

Depart Ronkonkoma 7:10 AM, making local stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, arrive NY 8:31 AM

Depart Farmingdale 7:19 AM, stopping at Bethpage, Hicksville, Jamaica, arrive NY 8:15 AM

Depart Ronkonkoma 8:10 AM, making all local stops to Hicksville, Jamaica, arrive NY 9:31 AM

—

Ronkonkoma Branch (Eastbound):

Depart NY 3:35 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, then all local stops to Ronkonkoma (4:55 PM)

Depart NY 4:35 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, then local stops to Ronkonkoma (5:55 PM)

Depart NY 5:35 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, then local stops to Ronkonkoma (6:55 PM)

Depart NY 6:35 PM, making stops at Woodside, Jamaica, Hicksville, then all local stops to Ronkonkoma (7:55 PM)

xoxo Transit Blogger

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