LIRR Massapequa Station Overhaul Is Half Done

Massapequa, LI, NY, August 23, 2014 – The first half of the $40-million reconstruction of the LIRR’s Massapequa station is completed. Beginning on Monday August 25th, the second phase will begin. The project started in the spring of 2013. The current station that was grade separated in 1953.

One of the major features of the project will be the installation of a new pocket track just east of the station as a part of the East Side Access in order to short-turn trains around for the return trip to Manhattan instead of reaching Babylon first.

Currently it serves 6,000 weekday commuters.

Photo caption: A NY Penn Station-bound LIRR M-7 train approaches the 1953 Massapequa station platform after departing from Massapequa Park on Long Island. just to the east of this older platform is where the short-turn track will be built as part of the East Side Access project.

Motorcycle-cade Invades Manhattan With Boots On The Ground

Manhattan, NY, Aug 16 2014 –

A huge throng of motorcyclists that came from around the country entered Manhattan via the Holland Tunnel tonight as the culmination of a three-day ride that began at Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was a rolling memorial from where flight 93 hit the ground on 9-11 twelve years ago. The fund-raising event is part of a support system of families and friends that lost loved ones and co-workers on that tragic day.

The parade of different types of bikes (yes, tricycles too) came out of the Holland Tunnel and turned towards the West Side Highway from Laight Street (2 blocks south of Canal Street) and headed directly into Times Square after turning right near 42 Street.

First Kawasaki M-8 Contract Almost Completed

New Haven, Ct, August 16, 2014 – The initial order of 380 M-8 cars between Metro-North, ConnDOT and Kawasaki is almost completed. To date, 376 have been delivered with another four on the way. A dozen of the 376 are currently being inspected for acceptance testing. The first 38 were built in Kobe, Japan while the rest made in Lincoln, Nebraska.

There are additional add-on orders with some of the last cars possibly could have a bar car configuration.

The ‘Cosmopolitan’ fleet built in the 1970s and 80s has only a handful of emus still in operation but only up until later this year.

As a footnote, Kawasaki is building M-9 commuter emu cars costing $1.83 billion for the MTA’s commuter agencies, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road.

Photo caption: A pair of Metro-North M-8 emus in Grand Central Terminal. The initial contract of 380 Kawasaki-built emu cars is almost completed. Note that the destination on one trainset says New Haven while the other says Grand Central.

AIRTRAIN NEWARK SUSPENDED SATURDAY SUMMER NIGHTS FROM 10 PM THROUGH 8 AM

Newark Liberty International Airport’s rail link replaced with free shuttle buses between and terminals

The Port Authority is suspending AirTrain Newark service from 10 p.m. Saturdays through 8 a.m. Sunday mornings for system wide maintenance work during the summer. Free shuttle buses are available for travelers using NJ Transit and Amtrak trains from Newark Liberty International Airport’s rail link station to and from the terminals and parking lots.

During the outage, all buses display appropriate route information on their electronic signs.
For further updates on AirTrain Newark, please check http://www.paalerts.com/recent_airportalerts.aspx.

MTA's Subway Time App Expanded to Staten Island Railway

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Staten Island, August 15, 2014 -  The ability to download 'countdown clock' information has evolved from a nicety into a necessity for some in the New York Metropolitan area. The MTA's Subway Time app which displays real time subway and bus arrival times on their smartphones, now includes the entire Staten Island Railway (SIR).

MTA New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco stated in a press release that, “We want to give our Railway customers more options to get updated arrival information so that they can plan accordingly and get to where they need to go safely and on time. We always like to say, 'Know before you go,' and this Subway Time app update puts that information in the hands of Staten Islanders."

The newly anointed Staten Island Railway vice president and chief officer Frank Jezycki, said, "The Subway Time app has been very successful with our subway customers, and we are happy to bring it to Staten Island. It is part of our ongoing commitment to providing the best service possible while investing in new technology and using it to become more efficient."

The new app is to supplement the four stations on Staten Island utilizing physical LED countdown clocks at Great Kills, Eltingville, Annadale and Huguenot. Staten Island Borough President James Oddo is in favor of expanding the program placing the LED signage or the rest of SIR by allocating $250,000 in capital funding.

WMATA SmarTrip® Contactless Farecard Contract Awarded

Washington, DC, July 29, 2014 – The Washington Metro is officially moving away from paper fare cards and fully into electronic fare payment systems. An $8 million deal with Cubic to convert, upgrade and retrofit WMATA’s fare devices to work with contactless fare card usage called SmarTrip® within 2 years.

The work includes changing 500 turnstiles and vending machines

Cubic Transportation Systems initially installed WMATA’s paper magnetic farecard system when the system opened during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.

This is the latest in a series of improvements on the Washington Metro which includes the opening of the Dulles Airport Silver Line earlier this week.

Photo caption: Suica contactless fare cards in use on the Tokyu-Setegaya line in Tokyo, Japan.

Metro-North’s Port Jervis Line Service Interrupted For 4 Weekends

Orange County, New York, July 24, 2014 - Weekends on Metro-North’s Port Jervis line will not be smooth riding as track work will preclude that for four weekends in a row. Timbers need to be replaced on two railroad bridges over the Ramapo River near where a track washout occurred in 2011. 
On Friday evenings, the 4:04 PM from Hoboken (3:56 from New York-Penn) is canceled between Hoboken/Secaucus and Suffern. Commuters will take the 4:25 PM to Suffern to connect with buses at Ramsey-Route 17, and arrive at New York State stations up to 75 minutes later than the normal train time.

Trains will not operate between Harriman and Suffern for four weekends beginning July 25-27 and riders could experience 20-40 minute delays but some will be subject to 60 minute delays on pm rush hour trains from Port Jervis.

The scheduled upgrades are not cheap - $125,000 in bridge labor and materials with a $90,000 charge for

the bus services.

The line went back into revenue service on November 28, 2011 when then-new MTA CEO Lhota inaugurated the line with a meet and greet. The trains are operated by NJ Transit under contract for Metro-North.

Photo captions: Port Jervis line repairs in 2011 that took about 3 months to fix the devastation of Hurricane Irene. A Metro-North train stopped at Tuxedo, NY.