Full Version: NYC area transit news -- Part 3
Perhaps this should be a wakeup call for the transit agencies --- not just in New York but everyplace, whether affected by yesterday's power loss or not. In this day of websites and servers, there should be backup locations available in the event of a disaster such as this, so that information can be distributed to the public in a timely and convenient manner.
Here's the subway update for you Kevin:
QUOTE
Due to lingering power problems, there is no NYC Transit Subway service at this time system-wide. All scheduled weekend construction work has been canceled.
NYC Transit Bus service is running on every route with particular emphasis placed on 63 priority routes in each borough serving major corridors. In addition, NYC Transit is operating two shuttles between Jamaica, Queens and Penn Station. Those shuttles are Sutphin Boulevard/Jamaica Station to Penn Station and Parsons-Archer to Penn Station.
NYC Transit Bus service is running on every route with particular emphasis placed on 63 priority routes in each borough serving major corridors. In addition, NYC Transit is operating two shuttles between Jamaica, Queens and Penn Station. Those shuttles are Sutphin Boulevard/Jamaica Station to Penn Station and Parsons-Archer to Penn Station.
The latest from the LIRR:
QUOTE
AS OF 7 PM AUGUST 15, 2003
The MTA Long Island Rail Road is currently operating half-hourly train service between Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn and Jamaica. Additionally, local train service is operating between Penn Station and Jamaica Station and between Penn Station and Port Washington. Hourly train service is being provided east of Jamaica Station on the Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Hempstead branches and on the Montauk Branch as far as Patchogue. There is train service every two hours on the Port Jefferson Branch.
The LIRR is providing hourly bus service on the West Hempstead branch east of Valley Stream, and on the Oyster Bay Branch east of Mineola.
Bellerose customers must use the Floral Park or Queens Village stations.
Bus service is being provided east of Ronkonkoma and east of Patchogue with the exception of:
The 4:25 PM train operating from Jamaica to Montauk, making all stops from Speonk east
The 6:30 PM train operating from Jamaica to Montauk, making all stops from Bay Shore east.
LIRR service to Shea for Mets baseball:
The LIRR will make Shea Stadium stops on both east- and westbound trains that are operating hourly on the Port Washington Branch west of Woodside beginning in the 5 o’clock hour for the Mets game that’s schedule to start at 7:10 PM tonight.
Weekend Schedule:
At 12:01 AM, Saturday, August 16, the LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.
The MTA Long Island Rail Road is currently operating half-hourly train service between Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn and Jamaica. Additionally, local train service is operating between Penn Station and Jamaica Station and between Penn Station and Port Washington. Hourly train service is being provided east of Jamaica Station on the Babylon, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Hempstead branches and on the Montauk Branch as far as Patchogue. There is train service every two hours on the Port Jefferson Branch.
The LIRR is providing hourly bus service on the West Hempstead branch east of Valley Stream, and on the Oyster Bay Branch east of Mineola.
Bellerose customers must use the Floral Park or Queens Village stations.
Bus service is being provided east of Ronkonkoma and east of Patchogue with the exception of:
The 4:25 PM train operating from Jamaica to Montauk, making all stops from Speonk east
The 6:30 PM train operating from Jamaica to Montauk, making all stops from Bay Shore east.
LIRR service to Shea for Mets baseball:
The LIRR will make Shea Stadium stops on both east- and westbound trains that are operating hourly on the Port Washington Branch west of Woodside beginning in the 5 o’clock hour for the Mets game that’s schedule to start at 7:10 PM tonight.
Weekend Schedule:
At 12:01 AM, Saturday, August 16, the LIRR will operate on a regular weekend schedule.
While they are not yet carrying passengers, as of 8:20 PM all trains on the #7 line are now running and proceeding on signals. While I believe that this is part of the testing that is necessary, I have to believe that this is a good sign even if they are not yet picking up passengers. Also trains appear to be starting to move on the J line.
I also feel that I should make a personal comment here about the MTA and their employees. Last night many of the supervisors spent hours walking the tracks, be it elevated or tunnel, checking stranded trains for passengers. This in the extreme heat that that enveloped this area at the time.
Additionally a crew all through the night and during the day, manned every stranded train. While the MTA did use buses to change the crews and provide some relief for the workers, nonetheless the men and women of the MTA stood by their trains during this entire episode. My heart goes out to each and every one of those workers, as it was hot enough in my own apartment. I can't imagine having to spend the night in a hot, dark, empty subway train. It would be even worse if your train happened to be in a tunnel.
So I personally take my hat off to each and every one of those dedicated workers who stood by their trains. They all deserve a big round of applause and a heartfelt thank you from each and every New Yorker.
And now I'll get down off my soapbox.
I also feel that I should make a personal comment here about the MTA and their employees. Last night many of the supervisors spent hours walking the tracks, be it elevated or tunnel, checking stranded trains for passengers. This in the extreme heat that that enveloped this area at the time.
Additionally a crew all through the night and during the day, manned every stranded train. While the MTA did use buses to change the crews and provide some relief for the workers, nonetheless the men and women of the MTA stood by their trains during this entire episode. My heart goes out to each and every one of those workers, as it was hot enough in my own apartment. I can't imagine having to spend the night in a hot, dark, empty subway train. It would be even worse if your train happened to be in a tunnel.
So I personally take my hat off to each and every one of those dedicated workers who stood by their trains. They all deserve a big round of applause and a heartfelt thank you from each and every New Yorker.
And now I'll get down off my soapbox.
I am sure that some of that requirement to have employees man the stalled trains is to deter vandalism. Usually trains that are not running at night are stored in yards with high electrified fences --- now they were on the rails, rails without power, and they could have gotten new colorful paint jobs reminiscent of the pre-David Gunn years at the MTA -- or at very least, more of the Scratch-fiti that one finds in many subway windows.
I figure they barricaded most or all of the stations to prevent people from entering the system, but the police cannot be everywhere, and certainly the people up to no good can and will find ways to trespass. I agree that the MTA employees did a fine job --- and some of them are probably still out there on the idle lines for the second night in a row.
Thankfully we're going into a weekend, whereby service can be phased back in slowly, not as drastic as if we had weekdays ahead of us.
I figure they barricaded most or all of the stations to prevent people from entering the system, but the police cannot be everywhere, and certainly the people up to no good can and will find ways to trespass. I agree that the MTA employees did a fine job --- and some of them are probably still out there on the idle lines for the second night in a row.
Thankfully we're going into a weekend, whereby service can be phased back in slowly, not as drastic as if we had weekdays ahead of us.
QUOTE(KevinKorell @ Aug 15 2003, 08:51 PM)
I am sure that some of that requirement to have employees man the stalled trains is to deter vandalism. Usually trains that are not running at night are stored in yards with high electrified fences --- now they were on the rails, rails without power, and they could have gotten new colorful paint jobs reminiscent of the pre-David Gunn years at the MTA -- or at very least, more of the Scratch-fiti that one finds in many subway windows.
I suspect that's part of the reason Kevin, but I think that it's also a safety thing. Since no one knew when power might come back, they needed to ensure the safety of anyone who might decide to trespass. They also probably stayed with the trains to ensure that the brakes didn't fail and a train start rolling unmanned down the tracks.
Finally of course, if the train was unmanned when the power came back, then it would take just that much longer to restore service.
Regardless of the reasons though, it still must have been a brutal 24 hours on those crews.
The NYC update as of 9:00 AM Saturday morning:
The LIRR and Metro North are operating a normal weekend schedule, with all lines and stations being served.
The NYC subway is finally operational and running a more or less normal schedule. From what I could tell, since I woke up a couple of times during the night to check the trains, a few lines started running revenue service just after 1:00 AM. I believe that included my line the #7, the A train, and the L train.
Other lines continued to startup through the night and by around 5:00 to 5:30 AM this morning all lines within the subway system were up and running.
Ps. All weekend construction projects were canceled for this weekend, so there are no diversions in service at all. That is a very rare thing around here to have no diversions.
The LIRR and Metro North are operating a normal weekend schedule, with all lines and stations being served.
The NYC subway is finally operational and running a more or less normal schedule. From what I could tell, since I woke up a couple of times during the night to check the trains, a few lines started running revenue service just after 1:00 AM. I believe that included my line the #7, the A train, and the L train.
Other lines continued to startup through the night and by around 5:00 to 5:30 AM this morning all lines within the subway system were up and running.
Ps. All weekend construction projects were canceled for this weekend, so there are no diversions in service at all. That is a very rare thing around here to have no diversions.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.