Tag Archives: MTA

NYC’s MTA Seeks Bailout Over Plummeting Ridership

The New York Post reports: New York City’s public transportation system, the largest in North America, is seeking a $4 billion federal bailout as the coronavirus pandemic has triggered an extraordinary free fall in ridership and left transit officials facing what is likely to be the worst economic crisis in decades. In a letter on Tuesday to New York’s Congressional …

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NYC Subway Ridership Dwindles Amid Virus Scare

The New York Post reports: The new coronavirus brought the unthinkable: a lonely New York City commute. Dramatic photos shot by a Post photographer show a nearly empty Times Square subway station Tuesday afternoon as straphangers apparently heeded sometimes contradictory advice from officials to avoid crowded trains while insisting it is still safe to ride the rails. The striking images …

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NYC Residents Told To Avoid Subway When Possible

Gothamist reports: As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to grow across the city, authorities are urging New Yorkers to reevaluate their commutes with an eye toward cleanliness. “If you see a packed train car, let it go by and wait for the next train,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday. Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed the suggestion a few …

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New York City’s Subways Have A New Smell: Bleach

Gothamist reports: Train cars and buses are being cleaned daily, and the entire fleet is getting a deep clean every 72 hours. Meanwhile, surfaces in stations will also be getting wipe downs—turnstiles, MetroCard and ticket vending machines, slam gates, benches, elevator buttons, and handrails will be disinfected daily. Governor Andrew Cuomo specified that the weapon of choice here is bleach …

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NYC’s MTA Launches Anti-Virus Sanitization Program

NBC New York reports: The MTA is stepping up its cleaning efforts in order to ensure that the novel coronavirus does not get spread on NYC’s public transportation. Transit workers will disinfect subway turnstiles, station handrails, MetroCard and ticket vending machines daily and other frequently used parts of the system, according to a statement from Transport Workers Union President Tony …

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Massive Anti-MTA Protest Snarls Grand Central, Many Arrested, Turnstiles Vandalized W/Glue, Paint [VIDEO]

CBS News reports: There were multiple arrests after protesters gathered at Grand Central before taking to the streets Friday night. Police struggled to hold back the elbow-to-elbow protesters covering the main floor of Grand Central Terminal. The group started gathering just after 5 p.m., many wearing masks and carrying anti-police posters. Some tried to hang banners in the terminal, all …

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NYC Yanks New Subway Fleet Over Opening Doors

The New York Times reports: An entire fleet of New York City’s newest subway cars was abruptly pulled out of service on Wednesday after two recent episodes raised concerns that doors could open while trains were moving, according to people involved in the transit system who were told about the defects. The MTA , which runs the subway, did not …

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NEW YORK: State Lawmakers Agree To First-In-Nation Congestion Pricing Plan For Manhattan Commuters

The New York Times reports: After weeks of intraparty bickering, the New York State Legislature and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo agreed to a $175 billion budget early Sunday morning, packed with a bevy of progressive programs, including changes to the cash bail system, a new tax on high-end homes and a novel plan to charge motorists to drive into Manhattan’s …

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NYC’s MTA To Begin Tests Of Contactless Fare Cards

The New York Post reports: The MTA’s new fare payment system will be called OMNY – short for One Metro New York – and agency employees will test the new contactless cards out starting next week, according to a memo sent to workers. The pilot program being offered to MTA workers is the first major step toward the agency’s move …

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SURPRISE: Cuomo Cancels Dreaded L Train Shutdown

The New York Post reports: ‘L’ of a plot twist! Less than a month after deeming the 15-month total shutdown of the L-train tunnel linking Manhattan and Brooklyn “vital,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday backpedaled at the 11th hour and announced a piecemeal approach that will allow the line to still run 24/7. Rather than the long-anticipated complete year-plus closure …

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MTA Claims NYC’s $11 Billion Rail Hub Is On Schedule

The Associated Press reports: Deep in the bedrock 15 stories below the famous Grand Central Terminal, a cavernous construction site is slowly, and expensively, taking shape as a commuter rail hub that will accommodate more than 150,000 passengers a day. East Side Access has been dogged by massive cost overruns and delays since construction began nearly a dozen years ago. …

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Subway Station Destroyed On 9/11 Reopens [VIDEO]

ABC New York reports: For the first time since the September 11th terror attacks 17 years ago, a 1 train pulled into a previously destroyed subway station at the World Trade Center. The new World Trade Center Cortlandt station is now complete. It is fully accessible and has digital, state of the art real-time train schedules. On Friday, MTA contractors …

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Severe Weather Paralyzes NYC Transit [VIDEO]

Gothamist reports: Today’s severe thunderstorm happened right during the evening commute. The high winds downed trees, causing delays along the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 lines and prompted the MTA to suspend Metro-North service on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines. In fact, the MTA even temporarily closed down entrances to Grand Central terminal to prevent overcrowding. …

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Cuomo Pitches First In Nation Congestion Pricing For Manhattan, Drivers Would Pay $11.52 Below Midtown

The New York Times reports: Driving a car into the busiest parts of Manhattan could cost $11.52 under a major proposal prepared for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that would make New York the first city in the United States with a pay-to-drive plan. Similar traffic charges are already used in cities like Singapore, Stockholm, London and Milan, but New York …

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BREAKING: Pipe Bomb Explosion At Manhattan Bus Station, Suspect In Custody, Several Injuries Reported

An early report from the New York Post: Several people were injured Monday morning when a device exploded at the Port Authority bus terminal on 42nd Street, according to law enforcement sources. One person is in custody after his device partially detonated inside a tunnel, sources told The Post. Police and firefighters have responded to the scene, where the bomb …

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NEW YORK CITY: Cuomo Pitches Congestion Charges For Manhattan In Bid To Fund Crumbling Subway

Oh look. Other news. The New York Times reports: A decade ago, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York offered a plan to ease traffic in Manhattan and raise hundreds of millions of dollars to improve the city’s aging infrastructure. Drivers would be charged $8 to enter the most congested parts of Manhattan during peak commuting hours. The plan was …

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NEW YORK CITY: MTA Says Dogs Must Fit In A Bag To Ride The Subway, New Yorkers Say Done And Done

People Magazine reports: New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority is dog-friendly — to a point. Leashed service and emotional support animals are allowed to ride with their owners with no other restrictions, but all other pet dogs wanting to ride the rails need to be brought on in a carrier. For pup parents with smaller dogs, this is a cinch. …

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Guerilla Pride Posters Appear On NYC Subway

Gothamist reports: Thomas Shim said he and his collaborators were inspired to pepper the subway with guerrilla Pride Month posters when President Donald Trump declined to formally acknowledge the month’s significance on June 1st. “It hit us hard the day of pride month, and President Trump not acknowledging it,” Shim told Gothamist on Monday. “Pride month is not something that …

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Bear Couple Mosaic To Grace NYC Subway Station

I learned about this installation a couple of weeks ago and planned on reporting on it once I could take my own photos when the new subway line officially opens on Sunday. But some of you have prodded me not to wait. From the Associated Press: The sight of two men holding hands is far from uncommon, but a mural …

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NYC’s MTA Lays Out Coming L Train Pain [VIDEO]

New York City’s MTA has issued a fascinating and informative video which lays out the coming years-long closure of the L train, the busiest downtown link between Brooklyn and Manhattan. From the New York Times: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is asking riders of the L subway how they would like their nightmare: nasty, brutish and shortish, or somewhat less painful …

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