AMNY Subway Tracker

On Friday at noon, a group of mothers will raise awareness about the right to breastfeed in public by doing just that aboard the A train as they ride from 168th Street station in Manhattan to Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn, with a rally to follow.

During the event, organized by State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) and the NYC Breastfeeding Promotion Leadership Committee, the self-described "subway caravan" will also be sharing information with straphangers about Senate Bill S1674-D, first introduced in 2006, known as The Breastfeeding Bill of Rights.

The group holds the event in the subway to mark an incident several years ago in which a breastfeeding mother was issued a desk appearance ticket.

The MTA is expanding a tap-and-go fare payment program this Spring, officials announced yesterday.
Citibank customers have already been able to go through Lexington Avenue subway turnstiles by tapping their PayPass bank cards and keychains instead of swiping a pay-per-ride MetroCard. When the Smartcard pilot expands to include some crosstown buses in Spring, people enrolled in the program will be able to use the payment technology to buy unlimited-ride passes.
The MTA plans to eventually allow straphangers with any brand of touch-and-go technology to participate in the pilot. The MTA began testing the PayPass cards and keychains in July 2006.
So far, the agency has received positive feedback, according to a report released yesterday.

Waiting at the 23rd Street/Ely Avenue station on the Manhattan-bound E/V platform in Queens this afternoon, I witnessed a prime example of the MTA's inability to deal with wet weather.

A live announcement came over the PA: "No Queens-bound E trains are in service. Please walk to the 7 train platform for Queens-bound service."

As the message repeated, clamorous school kids and the rest of the rather large mid-afternoon ridership had already begun to make their way toward the rain-slicked stairs for their unforeseen transfer.

My own train was delayed about 10 minutes, but when a Manhattan-bound V train finally did pull in, I stepped on.

-- Max Dickstein

Update: MTA spokesman Paul Fleuranges sets Tracker straight on what went wrong. The problems were mechanical, not water related. Tracker stands corrected.

Photo: April 2007 photo from 34th Street and Sixth Avenue via Lab2112's Flickr stream

New York City Transit upgraded its Trip Planner service. Customers can go on-line and create an itinerary, which will now include a new and improved street map for walking directions. The on-line application has taken the load off of transit's customer service line, which may soon become partially automated.

The MTA did an awful job directing stranded in riders last August's transit-crippling storm, but is making strides in communicating with commuters, a new report says.
According to the MTA's Citizens Advisory Committee, the agency has ramped up its Web site since the Aug. 8 rainstorm that shut down 21 of 22 subway lines, leaving riders fending for themselves.
The site, where riders can get service alerts, crashed during the storm but the MTA has improved it to handle more traffic. The group's report, released yesterday, outlines the highlights and lowlights of transit in 2007.
One of the main reasons transit workers couldn't communicate with riders during the storm was a lag in installing public address systems at stations
"That so many of the stations don't have PA systems is very disconcerting in this day and age with the heightened security and concerns," said Ellyn Shannon, of The MTA's Citizens Advisory Committee. "For riders to make informed decisions you need to communicate with them."
But the MTA's new CEO Elliot Sander also made the agency more accessible to customers, the group said. The agency held more public hearings when it proposed a fare hike and its Web site began posting more passenger information, including subway elevator and escalator outages.
"The information that riders need has become much more accessible," Shannon said.
The advisory committee also credits the MTA for improving service on the Times Square Shuttle, the No. 7 line and the Staten Island Railway.
Transit President Howard Roberts said last week that equipping 86 stations without PA systems will be a priority in the MTA's next capital plan, which will be submitted to a state board March 31.
The MTA did not comment on the review.

(via flickr's elmolover5)

Not surprisingly, one-third of New Yorkers drive under the influence of cell-phone gabbing, smoking or putting on makeup, according to a Hunter College study released today.
Researchers noted that cell phones rank as the number one distraction for drivers. Researchers observed more than 3,000 drivers and about one-fifth were on their cell phone with half illegally talking without hands-free devices.
“Over the past several years cars have been equipped with additional safety features, yet drivers are becoming more distracted,” said Hunter Sociology Professor Peter Tuckel, who conducted the study with the help of students. “It appears that these technological gains are being offset by the risky driving behavior of motorists who are perhaps lulled into a false sense of security by the introduction of these technologies.”
Researchers observed drivers at 50 different intersections in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx for most of October.
Other findings include:
*Smoking was the second biggest distraction
*Cell phone users were more likely to be doing something else like eating hamburgers and French fries, drinking coffee or soda, applying makeup, and smoking
*Women drivers are more likely to be using a cell phone
“It is clear that the car has become an extension of the home and office,” Tuckel said. “For many, the car is now a communications center and a place to eat. Many drivers think they can multi-task in the car, but that is not the case in these dense city streets. There is only one thing they should be focusing on, and that is driving.”

(via DOT)

The answer of which way to go is at the feet of some lucky and observant straphangers.
Decals of compasses on the sidewalk outside four midtown subway stations around the Grand Central area will greet train riders for the next week, pointing them in the right direction.
The city transportation department, Grand Central Partnership and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are experimenting with the sidewalk decals to see if subway riders want a permanent compass outside stations.
“If we admit it ourselves, we’ve come out of a subway station and thought, ‘Am I on Madison Avenue?’ ” said Fred Cerullo, president of Grand Central Partnership, a business improvement district.
The compass, a slip-resistant canvass and vinyl prototype, points out the four directions as well as which streets correspond with each direction. For now, New Yorkers can check out the compasses at
-150 East 42nd Street (south side of East 42nd St between Lexington Ave and Third Ave)-Entrance to 42nd Street/Grand Central station
-The Grand Hyatt New York, 109 East 42nd Street (west side of Lexington Ave between East 42nd St and East 43rd St)-Entrance to 42nd Street/Grand Central station
- 570 Lexington Avenue (south side of East 51st St between Lexington Ave and Park Ave)-Entrance to 51st Street/Lexington Avenue station
- 509 Madison Avenue (south side of East 53rd St between Madison Ave and Park Ave)-Entrance to Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station

The Second Avenue Sagas blog found an entrancing map that animates the history of the subway lines as they were built. Watch when your line appeared on the city's landscape, but be warned, its addictive.

(via flickr's gak)

Escalator steps in the Bowling Green subway station collapsed, injuring a woman and upsetting another straphanger yesterday, Transit officials said.
The woman was “slightly” injured, a New York City Transit spokesman said, and she asked for medical treatment. It was unclear how she was injured and what her injuries were.
EMS took her to New York Infirmary-Beekman Downtown Hospital. Another person was “very upset” but not injured, a spokeswoman said. The stairs gave way at 9:20 a.m., at the end of the morning rush.
Transit workers cordoned off the escalator, which runs from the No. 4 and 5 station mezzanine to street level on Broadway. Elevator and escalator workers are investigating why the stairs collapsed.
The police department said that two steps somehow became off-track and when they reached the end of the escalator, they threw two people off. Transit officials would not confirm that account.
--Marlene Naanes

There's been plenty of on-line hype the past few days about the possibility of Google creating a possible transit trip planner for the Metro area. Bloomberg first reported the news but the MTA would only admit talking about the idea.
--Marlene Naanes

But now the MTA says it's poised to handle it. An MTA spokesman said that the authority has finished installing firewalls expected to expand the Web site's ability to handle a large surge of commuters looking for information.

We continue to test them but believe that the installation was a success, he said.

Although straphangers can already grade all lines on the MTA Web site, New York City Transit will be handing out paper rider report cards for the J and Z. Transit staff will hand out the cards during the morning rush Monday through Thursday. Here's the schedule:
• Monday, August 27th: Broad Street and Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau
• Tuesday, August 28th: Chambers Street, Canal Street and Delancey-Essex Streets
• Wednesday, August 29th: Bowery and Marcy Avenue – Crescent Street
• Thursday, August 30th: Cypress Hills – Jamaica Center/Parsons-Archer
Transit already distributed 40,000 cards to riders at stations along the Canarsie L line between Wednesday, August 15th and Friday, August 17th, and 88,000 cards to No. 7 train in July. Transit has not released the grades for those lines just yet. The 7 line's results are due out soon, Transit officials say.

Subwayblogger found a way to figure out if trains are running on time or otherwise out all together. While the MTA ponders how to communicate with customers better, check out facebook.com's new feature. Facebook users can post information about subway service on each line (plus the PATH).

(via flickr's firstratekate)

As storms and possible flash floods threaten tomorrow's commute, the MTA says it's ready. Buses will be set to roll out, customer service folks will be on-the-ready to dole out information and pumps will be ready to suck any water off the tracks. What won't happen, but may in the future, are express buses willing to stop at undesignated stops during a crisis. But MTA CEO Elliot Sander said this evening that express bus response during a crisis is something a new task force is considering. After hoards of commuters were not able to fit onto additional buses responding to Wednesday's transit meltdown, near-empty express buses passed them by. If it's possible to charge express buses with extra stops during an emergency, Sander said some labor issues will have to be sorted out.

Barring any snafus, the MTA Web site should be beefed up and ready for serious traffic by next week. During Wednesday's deluge the site was flooded with hits, making it impossible to access at times and crawling at others. The agency decided to vamp up the site after a July storm sent commuters on-line, clogging the site with hits and halting its performance. Hopefully tomorrow's storms won't prove too severe, and the site can evade its own storm clouds as well.

Fresh from the MTA:

Service on the Queens Blvd corridor is not expected to return to normal for this evening's rush hour. Currently,

E trains are operating in two sections, World Trade Center - Queens Plaza and Parsons Archer - Roosevelt Ave.
Shuttle Bus service is available between Queens Plaza and Jackson Hts - Roosevelt Ave F trains are suspended in both directions between the 21st Street - Queensbridge Station and the Jamaica - 179th Street Station.
Shuttle Bus service is available between 21st Street - Queensbridge Station and Queens Plaza Station Shuttle Bus service is running from the 179th Street - Hillside Station to the Sutphin Blvd. - Archer Avenue Station G trains are suspended in both directions between the Long Island City - Court Square Station and the Bedford - Nostrand station.
G train service is operating between Bedford - Nostrand and 4th Avenue - 9th Street Station.
Shuttle Bus service is available from Bedford - Nostrand Station to Long Island City - Court Square Station V trains are suspended in both directions between the 2nd Avenue Station and the Forest Hills - 71st Avenue Station.
Jamaica-bound customers can also take the Long Island Rail Road to Jamaica Station, and transfer to buses or the E train. The Long Island Rail Road is honoring MetroCard.
R trains are operating between Bay Ridge - 95th Street and Astoria - Ditmars Blvd Station.

I walked to work today.

And by "walk," I mean I trekked 4.41 miles from Prospect Heights to SoHo. Thanks to Mapquest, I now know exactly how far I sweated and griped alongside fellow New Yorkers while trying to make it from Point A to Point B.

Let me just say, it wasn't pleasant. I arrived at my usual Seventh Avenue subway stop at 8:30 a.m., only to be told by a policeman that the place was flooded. No sweat, I thought (ha!), I'll just walk to the Bergen Street station a mere five blocks away. That was closed, too.

Rumor had it the 4/5 train was working, which was another six blocks away at Atlantic Avenue. Again, no biggie, I¹m no prima donna. I kept on walking.

The sidewalks started to flood with people, all of whom were headed toward Manhattan. And it was hot. I made it to Atlantic a few moments later, only to find the place overrun with sweaty people, all spilling into the streets, all trying to get to work.

Turns out the 4/5 rumor was just that -- a rumor -- and I spent the next 15 minutes trying to hail a cab or call a car service. The car service lines were busy (duh) and the cabs were all full (double duh).

After making a frantic call to my boyfriend, I learned that nearly all of New York¹s subway system was down and I decided to walk in Manhattan. I figured I could at least probably grab a cab there.

Half an hour later, I was on the Manhattan Bridge, plodding along and sweating like crazy. And I wasn't the only one. Some folks made the hike alongside me from Atlantic Avenue. At least there was a breeze out there and I had time to return some cell phone calls (and complain, naturally).

From my vantage point, the Brooklyn Bridge looked packed with people as well. No one looked happy, but, then again, this is New York.

I finally made it to Manhattan (land!) and, after walking another half hour or so, managed to convince a cabbie to allow me to jump into his car, along with five other strangers. He would only drop us along Sixth Avenue, but, hey beggars can't be choosers.

I finally made it to work, over two hours after I left my house.

I really need a shower.

-- Korin Miller

amNewYork made an issue out of the lack of Shea express service with a May 3 cover story. Here's the story from that edition.

MetroCard artwork, from dm.NYC's photos on Flickr

These days, finding old MetroCards in your pockets is like discovering long-forgotten subway tokens in your drawer, rider advocate Gene Russianoff told the New York Post in a story published today. So it's all to the good that straphangers will now have up to two years to transfer money from an expired MetroCard to a new one, up from just one year. The Post says riders lose $18 million a year when they fail to transfer those sometimes measly balances.

-- Rolando Pujol

The TA is launching a feasibility study on how to ease congestion on the overtaxed 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 lines. The agency is getting engineers together to look at the problem. Solutions may include platform extensions, as well as lengthening of trains. More from transit reporter Marlene Naanes later. To see how crowded your line (and train) was in April, check this out. To see how on-time your train is, click this.

And did you know that just as with Port Authority meetings, you can now check out the MTA action live online?

-- Rolando Pujol

(Photo via Phil & Alyce Lanoue/NJ Morris County Online)

You may want to avoid the Holland Tunnel this evening as some stinky motorcyclists head from Jersey to Little Italy. Well, the 2,000 riders in Gooch’s Garlic Run won’t be stinky on their way into eat Italian, but traffic may. The tunnel will remain open, says the Port Authority, but the eastbound north-side (read left-side) of 12th Street in Jersey City will be closed from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. or so. The left lanes of the Jersey-side toll plaza and the left side of the exit in New York will be for the cyclists only. To make your evening commute sweeter, take the Lincoln Tunnel. After all, the Garlic Run’s for a good cause—last year it raised about $57,000 for children in need.
--Marlene Naanes

Easily the most contentious item in the mayor's 127-point plan to green NYC, congestion pricing has inflamed passions on both sides.

Sustainable transportation advocates and business groups call the plan, which would charge cars $8 to drive into Manhattan below 86th Street during peak hours, a proven way to reduce gridlock. They point to London and other cities, where traffic has gone down as much as 17%. But opponents, including Queens lawmakers, are calling the charge a tax on residents of the outer boroughs, some of whom live miles away from the nearest subway stop. Streetsblog does a good round-up of the plan's most vocal critics.

Some supporters of the plan said they were surprised to see Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz at the mayor's speech today, and wondered if the colorful politician would come out publicly in favor of congestion pricing.

So far he has said only that he would keep an open mind. Supporters point out that charging motorists could significantly reduce traffic in downtown Brooklyn, if fewer people are driving into and out of Manhattan.

-- Justin Rocket Silverman

Photo: Charles Eckert

Many places have facetiously been called the sixth borough over the years, spots as far flung as Miami. But according to the New York Sun, Philadelphia could stake a realistic claim to that status if nonstop, high-speed Acela service between Manhattan and the City of Brotherly Love becomes reality.

Such a trip would take about an hour, and if it delivers large numbers of New Yorkers to Philadelphia, could push apartment prices up in Philly. Price per square foot in Philly has a hard time busting above $400, a breathtaking bargain compared to NYC’s average $1,000 and above, the article explains. One could expect a real-estate boom, especially in buildings near 30th Street Station, and nearby across the Schuylkill River, and the revival of a high-end Richard Meier tower, a plan abandoned because it simply didn’t draw the deep-pocketed NYC clientele it had been meant to attract.

OK, here’s the inevitable reality check. Acela, and for that matter plain vanilla Amtrak service is incredibly expensive. To wit, one way on Acela right now is $129. Actual pricing for the non-stop route has not been revealed. Folks who can afford that twice a day probably don’t need to look in Philly for real estate deals.

Robert Yaro of the Regional Plan Association sums up one of the frustrating problems of American transit nicely:

"Every other industrialized country has a high-speed rail system, creating synergy between cities and increasing the size of the marketplace to benefit both cities. We're so far behind, it's ridiculous."

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo: iStockphoto.com

Just a few days after a Clean Air Task Force report faulted transit agencies for using dirty diesel, the EPA announced new regulations to clean up locomotives emissions.

The announcement came Friday. From the press release:

When fully implemented, this landmark initiative would cut particulate matter emissions from these engines by 90 percent and nitrogen oxides emissions by 80 percent. This would result in annual health benefits of $12 billion in 2030 and reduce premature deaths, hospitalizations and respiratory illnesses across the United States. These benefits would continue to grow as older locomotive and marine engines are replaced. Overall benefits are estimated to outweigh costs by more than 20 to 1.

The Clean Air Locomotive and Marine Diesel Rule would tighten emission standards for existing locomotives when they are remanufactured. Additionally, the rule sets stringent emission standards for new locomotive and marine diesel engines and sets long-term regulations that require the use of advanced technology to reduce emissions.

-- Chuck Bennett

When riders are packed on a crowded platform and no train is in sight, there is only a one in five chance they will hear an “understandable” delay announcement, according to MTA statistics.

The MTA released its Passenger Environment Survey of the subway and buses for the first half of 2006 yesterday. Among its findings, only 20% of station delay announcements were deemed “understandable.” Another 16% were “partially understandable,” 36% were “marginally understandable” and 28% were completely “not understandable.” Adding to the confusion, just 47% of the 468 stations had subway maps displayed.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

In case you missed it, Gawker's interactive map of heinous subway smells is up and running. They used the terrific map created by Will James of onNYTurf, which if you haven't discovered, you should. The smell map really nails some of the worst offenders. In our commute, few things are more pugnacious than the odor at the ACE station at 34th Street and Eighth Avenue ... the nauseating smell wafts up through the sidewalk grate. Contribute at subwaystink@gmail.com.

-- Rolando Pujol

Transit expert Bruce Schaller has got an interesting breakdown of the Census data on commuting in Gotham Gazette.

“Over the last year and a half, however, the number of non-work trips has inched downward, even after accounting for the effects of the increase in fares for unlimited ride passes in February 2005. The slide continued this spring and early summer, well after the effects of the fare change have worn off.

Why has this happened? In part, the effects of fare incentives, reduced crime and system improvements may have petered out; those people who could be lured to return to what has become a safer, cleaner and more efficient transit system have already done so.

In part, the transit system is now having to deal with the implications of its own success. Overcrowding has replaced crime as riders’ daily worry and is a major reason that customer satisfaction for subways and buses, as measured by Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) surveys, is flat or declining.

A third reason for the leveling off of non-work trips is continued problems with service reliability. MTA data show a worsening of on-time performance for both the subway and bus.”

Schaller predicts computerized train control and real time information systems will encourage more people to keep riding the rails. Interesting analysis to say the least.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

News that the average New Yorker has a 34 minute commute brought howls of laughter and plenty of rage from readers. Many wrote that that number was absurdly low.

One reader wrote:

“Amazing how low the average of 34.2 minutes is stated for commuting. I don't know anyone who agrees with these figures. I live in Dutchess County, NY and my commute is 300 minutes (5 hours) round trip if nothing goes wrong, that's 150 minutes. All my Jersey friends are at least an hour each way and even my NYC friends are at least 45 minutes. I will buy breakfast if you can prove that Long Islanders can come thru Penn Station and then subway to downtown in 34.2 minutes.”

Regardless of how long the time really is -- more New Yorkers than ever are taking mass transit.

More than 2.5 million residents of the region — about 2 of every 7 commuters — regularly rode some form of public transportation to work in 2005, up from about 2.2 million in 2000, according to Census data cited in the NY Times.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

The U.S. Census Department just released this factoid:

38.4 minutes: The average time it takes to commute to work for residents of New York City, the most time-consuming commute among the 70 cities with 250,000 or more people.

Plenty of time to read amNewYork, right?

UPDATE: Census said that is the old figure, from an old news release that was sent out again today. New Yorkers are actually No. 2 for the longest commute with an average time of 34.2 minutes. Still plenty of time to read amNewYork.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

Thousands of people were evacuated and more than a dozen injured after a track fire broke out earlier this evening on the elevated B train in Brooklyn just past the Manhattan Bridge. Firefighters used ladders to reach passengers on cars. A wooden tie that supports the rails is currently being blamed. Here's coverage and photos from ABC 7 and CBS 2, and blogger Razor Apple has good photos. Information on other lines that were affected. Plus, reader B.W. alerted us to these photos, which include shots of the scene taken from a rerouted train.

Much more on the Tracker tomorrow.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photos: AP

Sure, we've had our share of hassles in the subway this summer, with flooded tracks, rails buckled by heat, sewage-filled tunnels and endless but necessary weekend track work. And on hot days, trains have run a little more slowly. But consider the lethargic travels of our commuting colleagues in Chicago:

A confluence of events ranging from construction to new Pink Line service has caused trains to crawl along sections of track, increasing travel times and forcing some riders to wait for several trains to pass until they can find one with enough room to board.

Some quick observations. They have a new line? Good for them ... we've been not-so-breathlessly anticipating a Second Avenue line forever. And waiting for the next train because of overcrowding is a familiar tale in New York, especially on the Lexington Line (thank that absense of that long-promised Second Avenue subway for that). But still, the pokey Chicagoland commute has got to be frustrating for folks out there. Here's the scoop from our sister paper, The Chicago Tribune. (Note: Registration required)

-- Rolando Pujol

The MTA will soon be testing a redesigned armrest for the flashy new M7 trains that serve Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road. Why is this a big deal? Because the armrests -- bigger and more rubbery than the old ones -- have this bad habit of slipping right into the pant pocket of the poor person who's sitting down. When you stand up, it's snag and sometimes rip! The New York Times reports that the new armrests could be on all the M7s by next year, and Connecticut commuters who are still relying on older generation trains will benefit from the design growing pains endured by the New Yorkers.

The Times article details other common complaints about the M7 -- unforgivingly straight seats that are narrower than those on the old M3s. I'll add my frustration with the luggage racks at either end of the cars, which are so small you cannot even fit a modest suitcase, as you can, with room to spare, in the rest of the car and on the old M3s.

But enough kvetching. These are great new cars ... super AC, non-stinky bathrooms, digital destination displays, clear automated announcements, big picture windows. And the MTA says they are super reliable to boot in all kinds of weather.

-- Rolando Pujol

New York City Transit’s chief spokesman Paul Fleuranges stepped back into reporting mode with this fascinating TransitTrax podcast on why the subway stations are so hot and how nothing can be done about it. Click on Summer Heat & The Subway.

Well worth the listen.

Most startling fact: The subway cars weren’t all air conditioned until 2003!

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com