4 replies to this topic

[KevinKorell]

MTA website:

NYC Transit Prepared for Winter Storm

New York City Subways

We have deployed a fleet of snow- and ice-busting equipment to keep outdoor tracks and the third rail clear of snow. The fleet includes super-powered snow-throwers, jet-powered snow-blowers, and specially-built de-icing cars, all designed to keep service moving.

Subway trains are being stored underground overnight on some express tracks, service may be affected on lines that usually have express service. Other trains may also have weather related service changes.

Some 840 station personnel are will be working the overnight tour performing station snow and ice removal.

Hundreds of track personnel will assist in clearing snow in yards and along the right of way from signals and switches.

There are nearly 220 miles of outdoor track throughout the boroughs. The Rockaway A, Sea Beach N, Brighton B Q[/b] and Dyre Av 5 Lines are particularly vulnerable to snow and freezing precipitation.

[KevinKorell]

MTA website:

Metro-North Operates A Saturday Schedule on Friday, Jan. 3

MTA Metro-North will operate a Saturday schedule (without the trains marked as Shoppers’ Specials in the timetable) today Friday, January 3rd due to the impact of winter storm Hercules. Depending on the time of day, this schedule provides approximately 60% of normal weekday trains.

The Haverstraw-Ossining Ferry and Newburgh-Beacon Ferry will not operate and the Hudson Rail Link will operate on a special schedule.

See a schedule or use our interactive schedules page for details on train times.

For West of Hudson service, please visit NJTRANSIT.

Be sure to continue to check this web site and listen to the media for updates.

Please take care when traveling during inclement weather and allow for additional travel time. Customers should use caution when entering and exiting trains, and on platforms and staircases.

[KevinKorell]

MTA website:

LIRR to Operate on Weekend Schedule Effective 12:01 AM Friday, Jan. 3

The MTA Long Island Rail Road is operating a weekend schedule for today Friday, January 3 as a result of the anticipated blizzard-like, white-out conditions expected from the winter storm, which threatens to deposit 6-10 inches of snow, or more, on Long Island combined with gusty winds and drifting snow.

With the implementation of the weekend schedule, there will be no service between Greenport and Ronkonkoma and no service on the West Hempstead Branch. As an alternative, customers on the West Hempstead Branch can use the Hempstead, Lynbrook, Valley Stream or Merillon Avenue stations (all located in Fare Zone 4) for weekend train service. Bus service will be provided between Greenport and Ronkonkoma.

LIRR station waiting rooms will remain open around-the-clock through Monday afternoon, January 6, to accommodate customers waiting for trains during cold and inclement ewather.

The LIRR has taken a number of steps to prepare and deal with the storm. Station platforms have been pre-salted, switch heaters activated, snow removal equipment deployed to key locations, and we are operating special anti-freeze trains to coat the tracks with de-icer in an effort to prevent ice build-up on the rails. Extra LIRR personnel have been assigned to critical locations so they can respond quickly if problems occur.

Customers are advised to allow extra travel time and use caution on platforms and stairs and while boarding/exiting trains.

If snow accumulations reach 10-13 inches, the LIRR may temporarily suspend service for the safety of customers and employees, and to clear snow from tracks.

Please monitor www.mta.info for up-to-the-minute travel advisories, or call 511, the New York State Travel Information Line, and say: Long Island Rail Road to reach the LIRR’s Customer Service Center. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service provider for the free 711 relay to reach LIRR at 511.

[KevinKorell]

MTA website:

NYC Transit In Clean-up Mode After Winter Storm

Throughout Thursday night and into Friday, an army of MTA New York City Transit workers swept throughout the City and waged a war of attrition against the first winter storm of 2014. As a result of their hard work, the system’s subways and buses continued to operate, though with service alternations necessitated by the harsh weather conditions.

“Everything we are doing is being done with the strongest focus on safety possible, for our customers and employees,” said NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco. “We have procedures in place to address these weather conditions and they have been fine-tuned over decades of operation. Of course, we have an extremely dedicated workforce out there putting those plans into action.”

The storm watch began days earlier as Transit managers tracked the weather’s progress and prepared the tools necessary to preserve service. Snow-throwing and deicing equipment were readied by the Department of Subways while Department of Buses personnel chained buses and prepared salt spreading equipment. Maintenance workers were assigned to 12-hour shifts to confront the first storm of the new year, which featured heavy, blowing snow and blisteringly cold temperatures that taxed equipment and workers alike.

Throughout the night, subway trains operated in local only service as cars not required for overnight service were stored underground on express tracks to ensure their availability for rush hour service. As the weather clears, one of the more challenging jobs will be the clearing of the subway system’s 14 outdoor storage yards. This would have been a far more difficult chore had trains been parked in their normal storage facilities.

Along the lines, the snow throwers were deployed throughout the night along vulnerable portions of the system such as the Bronx’ Dyre Avenue Line, the Rockaways in Queens and the Sea Beach Line in Brooklyn. De-icing trains rolled along the outdoor lines applying a solution to prevent the third rail from icing up.

Special attention is being paid to the system’s 16 million square feet of station flooring with a force of more than 1,000 workers shoveling and treating platforms and stairways to keep them safe for customers, who are still advised to walk carefully. Through mid-day Friday, steady progress was made cleaning outdoor stations and station stairways.

A portion of the subway fleet on lines that travel outdoors and all Staten Island Railway trains are operating with scraper shoes to help prevent ice build up on the electrified third rail. Ice on the third rail can cause an interruption of electrical power resulting in stalled trains.

The Department of Buses chained upwards of 3,400 buses. Limited service was suspended along those routes and to the extent possible, articulated buses were swapped out of service in favor of 40-foot buses, which handle better in the snow. Particular attention is being paid to routes with hilly sections and some bus routes have either been detoured or suspended pending improvements to road conditions.

Work to bring the system back to normal will continue over the next few days and will force the suspension of a majority of this weekend’s maintenance work.

[KevinKorell]

MTA website:

LIRR Operating on Weekend Schedule Friday, Jan. 3

The MTA Long Island Rail Road is operating on a weekend schedule with off-peak fares today. Due to the storm and cold temperatures, there are processing problems with ticketing machines at stations. As a result, the LIRR is charging the lower station fare on board trains today.