LIRR And MNRR Random Thoughts Thread

[QM1to6Ave]

12 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Apparently the MNRR employees don't know that CityTicket launched earlier this week for off-peak service.  I decided to use it this morning to get into Grand Central. Train wasn't crowded at all coming from Riverdale and the conductor that originally checked my e-ticket nodded his head and then came back and asked me if that was actually a CityTicket and I told him that the program just started earlier this week. He had no idea. lol

I may make this a regular thing when I need Grand Central since they are restoring a lot of trains later this month on the Hudson Line.

That figures LOL. What an incompetent organization. 

[paulrivera]

6 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Rendering of the new Metro North dual modes, they are not coming anytime soon but enjoy the rendering I guess..

 

 

 

Thank goodness ol' whats-his-name isn't around to change that paint scheme to some Excelsior blue and gold variant at the last minute.

flashbacks of the first batch of M9's being delivered in Bumblebee scheme before being repainted to Excelsior scheme.

[Lex]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

Thank goodness ol' whats-his-name isn't around to change that paint scheme to some Excelsior blue and gold variant at the last minute.

flashbacks of the first batch of M9's being delivered in Bumblebee scheme before being repainted to Excelsior scheme.

Honestly, I prefer the state colors to what they had before.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

7 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

That figures LOL. What an incompetent organization. 

I honestly wasn't that surprised, which is why I re-opened the app so that he could see it. LOL It's not the first time I've had a conductor come back and re-check my ticket because they aren't aware of what passengers can and can't use. One morning I was coming home from staying in the City. Guy checks my ticket, gives me the OK, then he comes back and seems confused and has his colleague come over. The other guy looks at my ticket. He's like yeah it's fine (it was a monthly pass). I forget why he was confused but he kept saying "Really?", so the guy had to give him the breakdown. Could've been something as simple as the pass saying Spuyten Duyvil to Grand Central instead of vice versa. That used to annoy me because it doesn't matter what it says as long as the pass covers the zones you're going to. Smh

There were times that I'd use my Hudson Line pass on the Harlem Line, which is totally acceptable. Most conductors would just give me the OK because I got on within the zone and could only be traveling within that zone since I was going towards Manhattan, but other conductors would look confused. It was funny as hell.

One thing to note... They still allow you to buy an off-peak pass if you are traveling within the City. The only reason I could think of people doing that is if they don't plan on using CityTicket the day of or if they have a tendency to suddenly buy a ticket but not use it. Paying the few extra bucks means you don't totally lose out on that $5.00.

[paulrivera]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I honestly wasn't that surprised, which is why I re-opened the app so that he could see it. LOL It's not the first time I've had a conductor come back and re-check my ticket because they aren't aware of what passengers can and can't use. One morning I was coming home from staying in the City. Guy checks my ticket, gives me the OK, then he comes back and seems confused and has his colleague come over. The other guy looks at my ticket. He's like yeah it's fine (it was a monthly pass). I forget why he was confused but he kept saying "Really?", so the guy had to give him the breakdown. Could've been something as simple as the pass saying Spuyten Duyvil to Grand Central instead of vice versa. That used to annoy me because it doesn't matter what it says as long as the pass covers the zones you're going to. Smh

There were times that I'd use my Hudson Line pass on the Harlem Line, which is totally acceptable. Most conductors would just give me the OK because I got on within the zone and could only be traveling within that zone since I was going towards Manhattan, but other conductors would look confused. It was funny as hell.

One thing to note... They still allow you to buy an off-peak pass if you are traveling within the City. The only reason I could think of people doing that is if they don't plan on using CityTicket the day of or if they have a tendency to suddenly buy a ticket but not use it. Paying the few extra bucks means you don't totally lose out on that $5.00.

Doesn't surprise me. I used an eTicket the first week they were available for the New Haven line and the conductor I had wasn't aware the eTix program had expanded past the Harlem line. Another time I used a Unirail eTicket from CTRail and they didn't know what it was either (even though it said New Haven to Fordham.)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

18 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

Doesn't surprise me. I used an eTicket the first week they were available for the New Haven line and the conductor I had wasn't aware the eTix program had expanded past the Harlem line. Another time I used a Unirail eTicket from CTRail and they didn't know what it was either (even though it said New Haven to Fordham.)

The conductors and commuters need to get with it. There are still people that buy paper tickets and then complain about "long lines". lol I haven't bought a paper ticket in years. The only reason I bought paper tickets in the past was because I think the monthly passes weren't on the app yet or it was too buggy to risk, but that's not an issue now. Same is true with the MNRR Train Time app. Very accurate. No need to run to the board to see which track it is. Less time wasted and I can take shortcuts to reach whatever track it is if it's in Grand Central.

Edited March 5, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

This happened last week, but here's a story of the latest Ronkonkoma Branch Mineola-Farmingdale shuttle bus fiasco which really infuriated me because the bullshit on so many fronts (and so it's a bit of a long story).

You may recall my previous post about a month ago on the issue. I basically missed the train, and there were no employees at Farmingdale, and I called in and spoke to a rep and complained that there was no coordination on the Farmingdale end, that there was no supervision in order to ensure that the connection between shuttle buses and trains are made. So they had employees the following day there, just like on the Mineola end of things. 

Well, after two other attempts to get footage of the full operation from Ronkonkoma to Penn failed, I decided to go for a third time. The first of those two attempts, you can read here what happened. Spoiler alert I suppose, but that was the only time in all four attempts that I made it to Ronkonkoma. The second of those attempts, the combination of the Q88 operator driving so friggin slow and being late, mixed with the n22 arriving early (even though it left late from Jamaica) made me miss the connection at Springfield Blvd & Hillside Ave. I ended up going to Westchester instead.

Well, cue the third time, on the last possible day that I could get footage in the near future (since they went back to the 3/4 segment splits via Hicksville and Babylon this weekend, until May). If it wasn't supposed to rain or snow (and if it was sunny), I would have gone on the previous days/weekends, but that was the case for all of those dates, except last Sunday (I took a gamble with that too, when I made that decision early on in the month). I do the same trip, taking the shuttle bus from Mineola to Farmingdale. At this point I was 1 for 2 making the train, but for the last weekend, they added more time between Mineola and Hicksville, because it was tight (15 minutes is doable, but with the right operator). They now gave it 20 minutes, so the bus left earlier in order to maintain the same schedule and arrive 10 minutes before the train. So, I figured that should have helped me as it gave somewhat of a cushion between that segment (the rest of the route was good in terms of runtime). Well, Murphy's law was back at it again to prove me wrong.

Shuttle Bus 

So we leave Mineola on time, but the issue was that the operator took his own routing between the two points. It was a limo bus, instead of the coach buses I had the other times. The shuttle buses were routed to go as follows between Mineola and Hicksville

• Old Country Road -> Roslyn Road ->Jericho Turnpike -> South Marginal Road -> N Broadway

Well this dude decided to use Glen Cove Road (RFM area) to go from Old Country to Jericho Turnpike, and then at the railroad station took West Barclay towards the end of the station parking lot, then doubled back to Newbridge Road. He didn't even stop at the location where the shuttle buses stopped, and because of that, he got out to talk to someone (likely an employee, IDK), wasting more time. By the time we left Hicksville, we were 14 minutes late (essentially meaning that it was very likely to miss the train if he took the same amount of time as scheduled from Hicksville to Farmingdale). Get this though, at this point is when dude starts hauling ass towards Farmingdale. We took less time than scheduled between Hicksville and Bethpage, and it started looking like it was a possibility to make the eastbound train that the bus was scheduled to connect with. 

Of course, the operator was back on his bullshit, and decided to do his own thing. In Farmingdale, buses are supposed to take Conklin Street to Secatogue Avenue, then go up Secatogue Avenue, and take Eastern Parkway, entering the station through the southern end. So what did he do....he took a "shortcut" which ended up being anything but. He decided to go up Clinton Street, to then turn right onto South Front Street. There were two problems with what he did, the first one being the intersection of Clinton & South Front, which is adjacent to a railroad crossing. You cannot move if the gates are going down/are down and there are other vehicles ahead of you, going across the tracks. It only works if traffic on Clinton can move freely, or if there's no cars in front of you right before the gates go down, because otherwise, nothing can move. Well that's exactly what happened, as the gates were going down for the eastbound train I wanted to catch, and we had to wait it out until the gates were up again, eating up quite some time. Hitting a red on one of the two intersections on Conklin was more preferable than what happened. 

The other problem, was that South Front Street, which turns into Atlantic Avenue at Secatogue Ave, is a one-way headed outward from the station, meaning that we had to go down to Eastern Parkway. That basically eliminated the remaining time I had left to get to make the connection. We got to the station as the train was closing its doors (it was 2:53 PM, the scheduled time when the train was supposed to leave), and sure enough, it left. To say I wasn't happy is an understatement, given that the next train was in 2 hours, and the trip back would get into Penn way after sunset. 

LIRR Employees at Farmingdale

The ridiculous didn't end there, because there were two employees (a male and a female employee) that were there, by the shuttle bus stop and the platform, standing there aimlessly, watching the whole thing go down. I told them I had to go to Ronkonkoma, and I asked why they couldn't alert the crew that there was a connection which didn't arrive, to which the female employee responded with "we don't do that" in a dismissive tone. That was completely infuriating to hear, and a complete bullshit response, especially given that in virtually every other context, trains either wait for late connections, or provide additional service because of the inability to make the connection. Well, I gave both of the employees I spoke with a piece of my mind after that response, because what the hell are they there for if they're just gonna watch around and watch the wind blow. In response to a point where I rhetorically asked if that meant I know had to wait there for two hours, the female employee responded with "it's up to you" in a condescending tone.

On top of being incredibly incompetent and a waste of taxpayers money to have those shit for brains around, they don't give a f**k and are dismissive about it, being proud about it.  At least the female employee was, the male employee did not say a single damn thing throughout that exchange. Not that I was looking for one, because it wouldn't have meant shit, but I didn't even get a "sorry" or "we apologize for the situation". Completely garbage customer service, and unprofessional. I did get a bunch of apologies from the customer service rep who I called immediately after sounding off at those two imbeciles, who btw was the same person who I spoke with the first time. Don't know if it was to make feel less enraged or what (which I was, but not specifically at him in particular) or what,  but after I said some bit about that nonsense being unacceptable for the taxes I pay, he said that he'll write that down and let them know (paraphrasing a bit, but that was essentially what he said). 

Side note: I actually left after that and I was gonna call it a loss. I walked to and got on the n71 towards Hempstead at Route 109 & Main Street, which btw had only 1 person on. Someone else was waiting at the Main Street stop. However, I actually thought about it a little, and ultimately decided to go back to Farmingdale, but instead just cut my losses and start from there, headed towards Penn). Took the n72 back, and then walked to Farmingdale LIRR for the train to Penn Station. Trains ended up skipping Woodside because of a disabled AMTRAK train, so there was only one stop between Farmingdale and Penn. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[danielhg121]

21 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

The ridiculous didn't end there, because there were two employees (a male and a female employee) that were there, by the shuttle bus stop and the platform, standing there aimlessly, watching the whole thing go down. I told them I had to go to Ronkonkoma, and I asked why they couldn't alert the crew that there was a connection which didn't arrive, to which the female employee responded with "we don't do that" in a dismissive tone. That was completely infuriating to hear, and a complete bullshit response, especially given that in virtually every other context, trains either wait for late connections, or provide additional service because of the inability to make the connection. Well, I gave both of the employees I spoke with a piece of my mind after that response, because what the hell are they there for if they're just gonna watch around and watch the wind blow. In response to a point where I rhetorically asked if that meant I know had to wait there for two hours, the female employee responded with "it's up to you" in a condescending tone.

Were there any other passengers that got off the shuttle bus with you that also realized that the train to Ronkonkoma had just left? I'm sure they were peeved as well and probably ordered an Uber or taxi. 

But yea, absolutely useless if they're not making sure that the connections aren't met. I can't imagine their supervisor told them to just stand there and act like statues for a day because these employees make well above minimum wage with little to show for it. I'm honestly not surprised by this whole ignorant attitude given LIRR's track record of giving few alternatives or just outright stranding people. 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

21 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Shuttle Bus 

So we leave Mineola on time, but the issue was that the operator took his own routing between the two points. It was a limo bus, instead of the coach buses I had the other times. The shuttle buses were routed to go as follows between Mineola and Hicksville

• Old Country Road -> Roslyn Road ->Jericho Turnpike -> South Marginal Road -> N Broadway

Well this dude decided to use Glen Cove Road (RFM area) to go from Old Country to Jericho Turnpike, continued further north up Glen Cove Road to the LIE instead of turning on Jericho, went down Route 106 (North Broadway/Newbridge Road) and then at the railroad station took West Barclay towards the end of the station parking lot, then doubled back to Newbridge Road.

^^^ Minor amendment to what I stated above. This was the crux of the delay between Mineola and Hicksville, and it is important to note. 

1 minute ago, danielhg121 said:

Were there any other passengers that got off the shuttle bus with you that also realized that the train to Ronkonkoma had just left? I'm sure they were peeved as well and probably ordered an Uber or taxi. 

But yea, absolutely useless if they're not making sure that the connections aren't met. I can't imagine their supervisor told them to just stand there and act like statues for a day because these employees make well above minimum wage with little to show for it. I'm honestly not surprised by this whole ignorant attitude given LIRR's track record of giving few alternatives or just outright stranding people. 

There was one other rider, but I think that he may have only wanted to specifically go to Farmingdale. I also want to note that ridership on that bus was much less than with all the other previous times taking the shuttle, and I want to say it's because of the lack of coordination with trains. If that's the case, I wouldn't know how those people are making eastbound trips (maybe using the n72, going to Jamaica instead, or just not doing that trip altogether). 

Edited March 20, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[trainfan22]

Today I was on an LIRR train that reversed (went backwards) at Harold Interlocking cause of signal problems and my train got routed down the wrong hole. 

 

That was something different. 

[NBTA]

Never thought I would see a homeless guy on the LIRR, but indeed I did.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

On 3/1/2022 at 12:48 PM, N6 Limited said:

I just checked, it's even more crazy than that. Zone 9 to 14 $13.50 https://new.mta.info/document/19751. They've also added color, which is nice.

Maybe that's because Suffolk County is 86 miles long.

 

On 3/2/2022 at 8:02 PM, N6 Limited said:

Do you think that the MTA will create/allow Joint LIRR - MNRR tickets after east side access opens? 

Some possible examples:

Fordham - Jamaica

Mineola - White Plains

That might lead to union issues. (Will MNRR employees be willing to maintain a machine that sells LIRR tickets, and vice versa?) 

[bobtehpanda]

On 4/22/2022 at 2:49 PM, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Maybe that's because Suffolk County is 86 miles long.

 

That might lead to union issues. (Will MNRR employees be willing to maintain a machine that sells LIRR tickets, and vice versa?) 

I mean, allegedly OMNY is coming to both the railroads.

Why would they give af if they're getting paid the same for the same amount of work in the end? Not like they make commission on tickets.

[N6 Limited]

Come to think of it, if they offered joint tickets (on one ticket), then the conductors would have to know stations and/or zones of the other railroad, no?.  So, if they were to do something like that then the machines should print two tickets, one for each railroad to avoid conductor confusion.

Also, City ticket is $5 off peak for both railroads, when ESA opens (And MNRR to Penn), should they offer a discount for joint city tickets? 

For example: Fordham - City Field, etc. Joint city ticket for $8 ($2 discount), so each railroad gets $4, but encourage more ridership which may increase revenue.

(City Ticket would be easiest to implement for something like that due to the flat fare,  City Terminal Zone, and required use on date of purchase.)

Side note: A bike permit is no longer needed to bring your bike on the LIRR.

[Jsunflyguy]

2 hours ago, N6 Limited said:

Come to think of it, if they offered joint tickets (on one ticket), then the conductors would have to know stations and/or zones of the other railroad, no?.  So, if they were to do something like that then the machines should print two tickets, one for each railroad to avoid conductor confusion.

Also, City ticket is $5 off peak for both railroads, when ESA opens (And MNRR to Penn), should they offer a discount for joint city tickets? 

For example: Fordham - City Field, etc. Joint city ticket for $8 ($2 discount), so each railroad gets $4, but encourage more ridership which may increase revenue.

(City Ticket would be easiest to implement for something like that due to the flat fare,  City Terminal Zone, and required use on date of purchase.)

Side note: A bike permit is no longer needed to bring your bike on the LIRR.

Why would the conductors care, the conductor would only need to know the zone number to see if someone was overstaying a ticket, which only applies on the 'home railroad'. If you have a Hollis to Merrit 7 ticket, the LI conductor only cars that you paid to Hollis and the MN conductor vice versa. If they need to issue a ticket it's done through OBTIMS so person telling you the destination will suffice, and the laminated zone card will serve as a backup.

 

 

I could see being able to get a via ticket for GCT. It is $5 city zone so that's perfectly fare (g).

Edited May 7, 2022 by Jsunflyguy
finished message

[46Dover]

Was wondering how that third track project on the Main Line is coming along (it’s been that long since I’ve been back to New York, although my last visit was last year going to TrainLand in Lynbrook).

Edited May 12, 2022 by 46Dover
forgot parentheses

[EphraimB]

New 2030 LIRR subway map

Edited May 15, 2022 by EphraimB

[NoHacksJustKhaks]

35 minutes ago, EphraimB said:

New 2030 LIRR subway map

So uh, East Side Access never got finished?

Or are you trying to make your commute better again 

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

4 hours ago, EphraimB said:

*Map*

New 2030 LIRR subway map

LOL, back at it again, now with the LIRR. 

3 hours ago, NoHacksJustKhaks said:

So uh, East Side Access never got finished?

Or are you trying to make your commute better again 

The only thing from there that I actually could agree with, that's on that map, is to have LIRR trains run into Lower Manhattan (a stop situated between Fulton Center and WTC with connections and access to both), with a stop closer to Downtown Brooklyn (somewhere around MetroTech). Now, that wouldn't necessarily be easy, to do with the current layout at Atlantic Terminal and consideration for all the infrastructure and subway tracks underground, along with the funds that would be needed for such a project. However it would make it easier for riders to access Downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn, and would provide faster and easier access to parts of New Jersey via PATH. With the preliminary West Hempstead Branch changes when ESA opens for example, you could travel between SE Queens and Jersey City, Hoboken, and Newark within a 60-90 minute timeframe. It would also make it a faster alternative to the or trains to their respective JFK Connections from Lower Manhattan. Personally I feel like that type of project was a missed opportunity, it has been proposed in the past but it didn't go anywhere. 

As far as the Far Rockaway end of things, LOL. What I will say is that the location of the Far Rockaway station sucks, it should have been closer to Mott Avenue, but there's nothing much that can be done there at this point. Regardless, what also screws over the Far Rockaway station in particular, is that it's lumped in with Zone 4. I understand it goes through Nassau and all that, but there should have been a way to provide them with the same discount privileges the rest of the NYC stations get. 

[B35 via Church]

If it weren't for the selfish nature of his suggestion, I don't think it's the worst thing in the world to displace/shift the current LIRR Far Rockaway station elsewhere.... That station is shunned for a quite obvious reason..... At the same time, having 's AND the LIRR run in your backyard (the more SFR [single family residential] portion of Far Rockaway) is pretty damn comical....

Secondly, LIRR subway map though? Yeah, Long Islanders are gonna adore taking hard seater's to/from "the city"... You think the bitching about R46's is bad now? Man, sheeiiitttt

[NoHacksJustKhaks]

8 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

What I will say is that the location of the Far Rockaway station sucks, it should have been closer to Mott Avenue, but there's nothing much that can be done there at this point.

Yeah the location isn't ideal in the slightest. They might've been able to shift it closer to Mott a few years ago (when the area was basically a desolate parking lot) but that time is gone, the apartments are going up fast. Far Rockaway line has always been aimed at the Long Island crowd and that likely won't change.

[trainfan22]

Metro North is cross honoring (free) this weekend at Woodlawn, 125th, Grand Central and Willams Bridge due to an train G.O where it's not running between Manthattan and The Bronx.

 

 

Just show the C/R your Metrocard or OMNY card for free travel. Fordham, Tremont and Melrose is NOT apart of the cross honoring.

Edited May 18, 2022 by trainfan22

[trainfan22]

So M8's debuted on the Shore Line East service today...?

 

https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/05-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-That-M8-Electric-Trains-Have-Arrived-on-Shore-Line-East

 

 

Anybody got pics or vids of this? Also New London Amtrak station is a low level platform so how do people board M8s there? 

Edited May 25, 2022 by trainfan22

[Lil 57]

14 minutes ago, trainfan22 said:

So M8's debuted on the Shore Line East service today...?

 

https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2022/05-2022/Governor-Lamont-Announces-That-M8-Electric-Trains-Have-Arrived-on-Shore-Line-East

 

 

Anybody got pics or vids of this? Also New London Amtrak station is a low level platform so how do people board M8s there? 

New London has had high level platforms since 2001, when they were added.

[GojiMet86]

The MBB coaches leased from MBTA are on the way out, eventually the Mafersa coaches will be as well. There are still diesel services, it's not 100% electric yet.

Reading the M8s and Shore Line East thread on railroad.net, there are four dedicated M8 sets that are running on the SLE. They have their third-rail shoes removed because of a reoccuring problem on a bridge; it kept ripping the shoes off. So they are just pantograph only for the moment.