LIRR To Upgrade HQ Built In 1913

Jamaica, NY, January 30, 2012 - The new MTA Chairman and CEO Joe Lhota met with Long Island Rail Road officials and received a guided tour and update of the various facilities in Queens including East Side Access, train operations, customer communications and security.

The exterior of the almost century old headquarters built in 1913 is scheduled for repair work and the 3rd floor is being turned into a 'situation room' to help handle emergencies. The structure was originally built as part of the great grade separation project of a century ago that took all LIRR trains off street level and onto viaducts within New York City.

PATH Scores Ridership High For 2011

New York, January 26, 2012 - Either the economic conditions have improved greatly from 2008 or there has been a mass-eschewing of the automobile for commuters crossing the Hudson River. In any event,The Port Authority’s PATH rail system announced that  76.6 million commuter trips made during the year, the highest number since the agency took ridership in 2011 since they took over operation of the system in 1962.

This follows the recent announcements by the MTA that Metro-North (82 million) and Long Island Rail Road (81 million) that commuters are coming back to ride the rails to get them where they're going within the region. It is also indicative of a national trend towards mass transit.The previous record by PATH was 74.9 million riders in 2008 - a 1.7 million difference and a 3.6 percent increase when compared to 2010. 

Port Authority Chairman David Samson said in a prepared statement that, “Our multibillion-dollar commitment to transform PATH into a 21st century rail system has paid dividends. More people are taking notice of what PATH has to offer and are choosing it as their preferred mode of travel between New York and New Jersey .”

It's Official - Metro-North Now Is The Top Commuter Rail Carrier In The USA

New York City, January 23, 2012 - Even with the economic downturn last year, July's heatwave, the snow storm outages and Hurricane Irene's devastation north of the town of Suffern, Metro-North posted its second-highest ridership levels in its history - topped only by 2008's figure of 83.6 million riders and became the top commuter railroad in the country and North America. It has been noted in recent months that Metro-North would supplant the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in this category. 2011 saw Metro-North carry more than 82 million commuters last year with a 96.9% on-time performance record for 209,020 train trips.

That's not all - this year's ridership figures are anticipated to be 2% higher than last year.

MTA Metro-North President Howard Permut said in a prepared statement, “This growth is gratifying because people have a choice in travel. They are voting with their feet by taking Metro-North because of the value we provide. This growth is the continuation of a long-term trend and is a result of our unwavering focus on reliability, cleanliness, customer service and safety."

Among the improvements on the railroad are the new M-8 emu (electrical multiple unit) cars [see above] and their smooth ride which I enjoy immensely into the historic Grand Central Terminal [right].

I'm a daily rider on Metro-North and always find my interactions with their front line personnel to be courteous and professional - maybe there's more to this story than just commuters voting with their feet!

Full Service Resumes On Repaired Port Jervis Line

January 15, 2011, Harriman, NY - Full service has resumed months earlier and at a substantially lower cost than originally expected, the repaired Port Jervis line rail service resumed to the accolades of riders and MTA officials. It took about 3 months to repair the devastation of Hurricane Irene. Metro-North trains return to a full schedule of 26 daily trains and 14 trains each weekend day.

At an organized 'meet and greet' event on November 28, 2011 in Harriman New York, MTA Chairman and  CEO Joseph Lhota said, "We're very happy to provide for commuters to be taking the train again. I'm proud of Metro-North that it was able to get service back ahead of schedule and under budget."

Metro-North President Howard Permut proudly boasted, "It's great when I see people coming back to take the train, I am pleased to see it back as quickly as we could get it done."

Just as importantly, those praises were also sung by the riders. Frank Cervera of Westtown NY said, "I feel very optimistic, very happy, pleasantly surprised and very relieved to be able to travel to New York City and back. Myself and others rely on the line to earn a living. Without the train service, the commute was tedious, difficult and frustrating. I use the park and drive to commute to my job in mid-town Manhattan." Rebeca Diaz of Chester NY echoed a similar sentiment with, "I'm excited because its done ahead of time. It's a big deal, I work in New York City."

It should be noted that the situation hasn't been completely resolved as some work still needs to be done but a new top-service schedule has been put into effect. The Sloatsburg-Suffern trackage is still in need of repair. The original estimate for completion of all Port Jervis Line repairs was moved forward from fall 2012 to June 2012 with the hard work of Metro-North's employees and contractors.

Polar Bears Attack Coney Island, In a Nice Way

Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, January 1, 2012 - What a way to begin the year, sand, surf, bikinis, Coney Island, January 1st - January 1st!!! What's going on here!!! Shiver me timbers!!! The Polar Bear Club jumped into the Atlantic Ocean surf en masse at 1 pm creating quite a scene for about the next hour. For a while it looked like summer came 6 months early!!! At 2 pm, the show was over on that warm for New Year's Day.

Many of the Polar Bear Club members took the BMT subway to the Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island terminal for a stress-free ride there and back.

Relaxation - definitely! Now quick, my shades, oil, blanket, radio - but not today!!!! An overcoat is more like it!!!

Bulls On Wall Street – No Really!

Lower Manhattan, New York, NY (January 5, 2012) – A pair of bulls invaded Wall Street today, well sort of. From 1 to 3:00 pm, live caged bulls were showcased beneath the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) façade as the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. visited the NYSE and were at on the interior platform as they help ring the closing bell with PBR CEO James Haworth to kick off the 2012 Built Ford Tough Series /PBR’s 6th Annual Madison Square Garden Invitational on January 6-8, 2012.

It was some week for bulls in Lower Manhattan, first the Charging Bull at Bowling Green on Sunday, the NYSE on Thursday - what's next, a cattle drive? Stay tuned! That's no bum steer!!!

St. Nicholas Church At Ground Zero Holds Annual 'Blessing of the Waters' Ceremony At Battery Park

Lower Manhattan, January 8, 2012 - One of the time-honored Epiphany rituals was celebrated in Battery Park this past Sunday. The Blessing of the Waters and casting of the Holy Cross into New York Harbor. This ceremony was conducted after a mass was held at Saints Helen and Constantine Church in Downtown Brooklyn. Parishioners arrived in Lower Manhattan in a bus in the early afternoon following a morning of prayer. These parishioners are of St. Nicholas Church at Ground Zero which was demolished during the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. This year is especially joyful because they now can begin to build their replacement church next to Ground Zero. The story about this is in this blog at: http://railientrails.blogspot.com/2011/10/agreement-to-build-greek-orthodox.html

The ritual begins with a procession from Pier 1 to Slip 1, near where the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island ferry boats dock. Crosses and religious artifacts are carried and chants are sung during this procession. The priests and divers (this year there was only one), boarded a new FDNY rescue boat where more prayers are sung. At the appropriate moment, the swimmers are told to be ready and the gold cross is thrown into the water with a tether and is the symbolism of the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan river by St John the Baptist. The successful swimmer hoists the cross in the air to signify he's got it and swims back to the boat. For his efforts, he is rewarded with a small cross, personal blessing from the priest to ensure good luck for the coming year. The ceremony is concluded with the release of a white dove which symbolizes the Holy Spirit which appeared that day in the sky.

The Greek Festival of Epiphany is held every year on the Sunday of January after the Epiphany. Greek Orthodox Churches around the world holds its own 'Blessing of the Waters' ceremony. All Greek Orthodox churches located close to a water front perform this rite that is based upon the Rite of Baptism.

Drop Your Pants Lately? Many Did On The Subway!

January 8, 2012 - Thousands gathered at many plazas such as Foley Square in Manhattan and headed towards the subway mid-afternoon to, you guessed it, drop their pants as part of a world-wide social networking event. This 11th edition seemingly drew more participants than in previous years for the cheeky event.

Their basic theory was to enter the subway system and undress in waves, giving a shock value to other riders. Somehow, I don't buy the shock value as many laughed at the sight of 'No Pants' on the NYC subway system. Believe it or not, there were rules for the participants:

1. No pants
2. No laughing (admittedly hard to do sometimes)
3. Enter the subway as a group, split up and remove your pants one at a time so it looks like a flower blooming

All in all, four thousand joined in the prank in the Big Apple coordinated by Improv Everywhere. If you missed it this time, check it out next year on the 1st Sunday of January.

NY MTA FASTRACKs Lexington Avenue Line Rail Upgrades

January 9, 2012 - Tonight begins an historic change in how subway right of way maintenance is done. For four consecutive weeknights beginning tonight, a veritable laundry list of 300+ tasks at fifteen Lexington Avenue (4, 5, and 6) stations and associated tunnels between Grand Central-42nd Street station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn during a period of completely suspended train service between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the 6.7-mile route that encompasses 20 track miles. Passengers are encouraged to use the BMT (N, Q and R), IRT 7th Avenue 2 or 3 lines to/from nearby stations with overnight 3 service extended into Brooklyn. 'The Lex' is the busiest route in New York City and the first to get the FASTRACK treatment.

The ultimate goal is to make and complete track, signal, station repairs more safely and efficiently those hard to get to places without any train service interruptions. Stations, will receive the spot painting, power washing, platform edge repairs, wall tile replacements while the stations are closed. A closed section of a subway line, more work is accomplished at once and at less cost. When this FASTRACK project is complete, NYC Transit will perform an assessment and report to the MTA Board for review.

In a prepared statement, NYC Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast said,"All of this is work that must be done to maintain the safe, smooth and efficient operation of a subway system that runs around the clock, seven days a week. However, by suspending service along line segments, workers can work on and near the tracks without having to interrupt that work every few minutes while a train moves through the area."
 

The Transit Authority's next FASTRACK overnight Monday thru Friday 4-night closure will be on the Seventh Avenue 1, 2 and 3 IRT lines between 34th Street and Atlantic Avenue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Metro-North Begins Quiet Car Service on New Haven Line Starting Jan 9, 2012

January 3, 2012 - Metro-North advised its New Haven line riders that 'Quiet Car' service on trains between Grand Central and its Danbury, Waterbury and New Haven destinations with flyers. The northern-most car on am peak service and southern-most pm peak select trains will have the new offering. Reverse rush hour trains are not involved in this pilot program.

Commuters on these trains need to follow 4 rules:

• do not use cell phones
• disable sound features on computers and other electronic devices
• conduct conversations in subdued tones
• use headphones at levels that will not be heard by fellow commuters.

The New Haven line joins its sister Harlem and Hudson line trains with the new 'quiet calmute' service designated with a 'Q' on the timetable beginning January 9th.

Quiet car violators will be notified by a conductor with a quiet calmute 'shhh' card that explains the rules in English and Spanish.

The new passenger experience comes on the heels of an announced 19% six years in a row Connecticut line fare increase to cover the cost of the new M-8 emu (electric multiple unit) cars and infrastructure improvements. According to Connecticut Governor Malloy, the implemented January 1 increase is necessary to pay for dependable service and equipment.

Caption: A Metro-North push-pull commuter train from Danbury CT on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal.