IAlam

On 4/7/2024 at 8:28 PM, Chris89292 said:

It seems like work is beginning to happen fast at both 82nd and 111 street stations, the new windscreens are beginning to see shape, for the first time the  is seeing actual station renewals rather than the project being part of ADA accessible improvements renovation, which were seen in the past when Court Square and 74th Street were renovated. It took exactly 9 years for this project to see light, with each year passing, it seems like no contract was set at all.

I've been using the railroad more for the past couple of weeks for convenience, but I'll try to check it out over the weekend or something cause I'm curious to see how it's taking shape.

On 4/2/2024 at 2:45 PM, N6 Limited said:

I used combo ticket this past weekend, the transfer between LIRR and MNRR isn’t as bad as many people made it seem. (You dont have to go all the way to the south end to exit.)
 

However, the combo origin/destination trips in TrainTime didn’t show the MN track info. I had missed the GC train by 15 seconds in Jamaica. I had to look up the MNRR trip individually, get the track number, position myself on the next LIRR train to GC to exit to the appropriate escalators which connected to the stairs corresponding to the range of MNRR tracks that my train was leaving from (thanks new MTA App offline maps!). And I was still able to connect to the originally planned MN train with a min or two to spare. 
 

But other than that, it’s not a long trek to the south end of GCM to connect to MN when there are other connections at 47th (tracks 11-42) and 45th(tracks 102-114) streets. 

You'd be surprised that most people still don't know that. There are a lot of Metro North riders who do not know the existence of the 45th/47th Street cross-passages let alone the existence of GCM. A common issue at GCM is that people don't even know how to get out of the terminal. I'm constantly being asked how to exit, especially on the upper level, because they don't understand that they have to go down to go back up. Although if you know what you're doing you can make a connection in under 5 minutes which is pretty good considering how big the entire complex is.

On 4/3/2024 at 8:27 PM, mikecintel said:

That's great you have 3 cards.  I have 3 cards but I bought them for $1.  The other 2 cards I had I lost them so.  Total is $10 I paid for it. Ugh!.  Keep it for spare and besides when the MTA has a 2nd generation of OMNY cards which I think they in the future but a very long time that will happen.  You can keep those 3 cards as a memorabilia when the 2nd generation starts whenever we it will be produced.  You can also "sell them" if you have not use it and it is not registered.

Yeah, I'll probably hold on to it and give it to someone else.

21 hours ago, mikecintel said:

Regarding about EasyPayXpress Customer they are lucky because they will not have to pay for an OMNY card and they will get it for FREE.  I can't wait for the April meeting regarding about OMNY.  I "think" that would be the last meeting about OMNY because in the CPC book for the future meeting dates they didn't mention anything about OMNY anymore.

Yay *checks wallet* now I’ll have 3 cards one for $5, another for $1, and the last for free. None of which I even use because I just tap on with my watch.

3 hours ago, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

Just got an email a few minutes ago, Easypay will be permanently ending in the beginning of July. Reloads will be turned off in May. They will mail letters and include an OMNY card. It's not clear if the balance will automatically transfer or not.

Quote

Dear EasyPayXpress Customer:

In the next few months, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be ending the EasyPayXpress program as part of the transition to the MTA's new contactless fare payment system, known as OMNY. You can already use contactless fare payment at subway turnstiles and AutoGates, onboard buses, the Roosevelt Island Tram, and at AirTrain. In the next few years, contactless fare payment will fully replace MetroCard and allow for fare payment and ticketing across subways, buses, Access-A-Ride paratransit, and MTA commuter rail. Contactless payment has many of the same benefits as EasyPay, and provides a convenient, fast, accessible way to pay your transit fare.

If you prefer to use OMNY like the way you use EasyPay, we have included an OMNY card for your convenience. You can register for an OMNY account and set up your credit or debit card to automatically reload your OMNY account (instructions below).

Here is what you need to know about this transition:

After 5/17/24, your EasyPayXpress account will no longer automatically replenish.

You will then have an additional 45 days, until 7/1/24 to use any remaining balance on your account.

Account balances of less than $2.90 may be used to cover one ride, after which the account will have a zero balance.

The program will end on 7/2/24 (approximately 90 days from the date of this notice) and at that time your EasyPayXpress MetroCard will no longer be usable to pay a transit fare.

If you have any questions, please contact the EasyPay Account Service Center online at easypaymetrocard.com or call 877-323-7433.

So much for 2026, but what I don't understand is what about other agencies like NICE and Bee Line, are they getting their OMNY readers installed by then?

On 3/29/2024 at 1:52 PM, Amtrak41 said:

Valley Stream - Inwood should be Zone 3. Zone 4 is priced out of the market as proven by Far Rockaway Branch ridership that has been falling since 1970. While they are at it, put Centre Avenue - Oceanside in Zone 4.  

They are in zone 4 because they are in Nassau County, the same goes for stations on the main line at Elmont, Bellerose, and Floral Park. Even though these stops are just across the border since they fall within Nassau County limits, they pay Nassau County fares. If the people in Nassau believe that they're paying too much for the train they should advocate to their local government like the residents in the city did. Nassau is notorious for not funding transit in the region, so you end up with higher fares and poorer service.

19 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

THank god I've been able to avoid having to take the bus too many times per week because of some job modifications. It's been a while since I encountered a real a-hole B/O, but today's guy on the QM1 takes the cake. He blocked off 4 sets of seats (i.e., both sides of the two front rows) with his personal belongings and tying all the seatbelts together like a spider web, plus he flipped up all of the wheelchair seats. The bus ended up getting fairly crowded, so a lady flips down one wheelchair seat. The B/O starts yelling at her "I put that seat up for a reason! You can't put down the seat" Meanwhile, she got on at the last pick-up stop so there is clearly no wheelchair passenger. The lady apologizes and moves to a different seat. If it was me, I would have yelled "what is the reason? Go ahead and call command and tell them your reason for blocking seats and causing an ADA violation. Let's see what they say, jacka**"

I was too tired to take pictures and report the B/O like I used to do, because nothing ever happens anyway to get these guys in trouble.

This is part of the reason why although I'm unhappy with the proposed cuts to service, I can see them going through with it. Between the constant history of drivers being extremely rude, showing up intentionally late, and kicking passengers off early. Their poor quality of service standards hurts the appeal of riding the express bus. Even a decade ago when I was riding the express buses for the first time I was dealing with this nonsense, and back then I thought that eventually, it's gonna bite them in the a** when people stop riding and the MTA starts cutting. Looking at the numbers today, people aren't riding and now the MTA is trying to cut service. It's too bad that these cuts will affect the rookies, not those who have been miserable for years.

On 2/29/2024 at 8:15 AM, Robert Spire said:

One thing I am noticing for several months, each new Metrocard has an expiration date of 1/31/2025, none of them have later expiration dates as was the practice before. I am getting the sense that there may be a non reduced fare switchover to OMNY around that time. Otherwise why are new Metrocards given a 1/31/2025 expiration date when its 2/29/2024. Also Metrocards given out by MTA customer service when filing a claim this month have expiration dates of 9/30/2024 when its usually more than a year as was the practice before. 

I got an EasyPay card good until 03/31/2026.

On 3/1/2024 at 11:35 AM, Kamen Rider said:

Like I said before, the last bastion of MetroCard will probably be our employee EPIC passes. Not only are they how we get into the system to go to work, they’re how we clock in and out on the Kronos time-clocks and how we access certain secure locations.

 

That and the Student Metrocards I haven't heard of those being transferred over to OMNY yet.

On 2/20/2024 at 6:06 PM, Lawrence St said:

I heard that Kawasaki dropped out because of issues with LIRR, but without Kawasaki who else is qualified to build the cars? Alstom?

Alstom has its bag of issues right now so I can't imagine them being much better than Kawasaki. It's like they acquired the curse of Bombardier along with the company. 

On 2/20/2024 at 7:27 PM, Railfanner Jake said:

That's pretty much all you've got unless the MTA tries to qualify another builder such as CAF or Rotem. Ik Rotem just picked up the contract for LA metro. Perhaps they could make a return to the northeastern market. Only other name that can come to mind is Stadler 

I hope we can get another builder in the mix, Stadler while they don't have a big portfolio they are known for making decent products.

On 2/20/2024 at 2:03 PM, Chris89292 said:

It’s seems like the MTA has stopped adding  service skipping 82nd and 111 street on their planned service changes for the week of March 18-22, my speculation is that the stations are expected to reopen my Monday March 18th, it is subject to change

Quote

In Queens, Flushing-bound 7 skips 82 St-Jackson Hts, 90 St-Elmhurst Av, 103 St-Corona Plaza and 111 St

Mar 18 - 22, Mon to Fri, 10:15 AM to 3:00 PM

For service to these stations, take the 7 to Junction Blvd or Mets-Willets Point and transfer to a Manhattan-bound 7.

For service from these stations, take the 7 to Junction Blvd or 74 St-Broadway and transfer to a Flushing-bound 7.

It seems like that may be the case, trains will be skipping stops going eastbound, but only mid-days for now.

7 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

I’m curious to see if the city funds the city part services of MNR how would the timetable restructuring look like.

Look at the LIRR especially the PW, Mainline, and Babylon branches for example, I expect to see something similar to those branches happening.

8 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

A little update on the Siemens Chargers for MNR/CDOT.

https://ngec.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Metro-North-Railroad-Siemens-NGEC-2024-PPT.pdf

so far everything seems on schedule if not early. 

They teased us with venture coaches on the last slide.

But also I came across this today, how does this even happen?

35 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Can't they just shut the whole line down for a week when ridership is at it's lowest to accelerate these changes?

 There is no such thing as a "low ridership week" on the . A lot of construction workers throughout the city come from Corona, Flushing is as much of a destination as Manhattan at this point, also there aren't many alternatives for train riders should the  get taken out for a whole week. QBL is already operating reduced service and The LIRR only effectively serves 2 stops in Queens. Parts of Corona between 82nd St and 111th St don't even have a bus paralleling the  so even when there's a disruption it's chaos as it's the only east-west route in the area. The nearest alternative bus route is the Q66 which is already swamped on a daily basis. The  train is too important for them to do a full closure. The current closures to 74th St are already insane and put immense pressure on QBL. I don't even think QBL can even handle a school closed weekday if the  is shut down.

6 minutes ago, flaskman37 said:

ahh okay that sounds straight forward & I’m going for CAM

Not exactly sure what their tests are but I'd assume it's something similar. 

13 hours ago, IAlam said:

Ok, I just got the email about the boot standards how do I know if something is ASTM F2413-18 certified? most places online aren't showing it in the descriptions and I have no clue how to even check my boots if they're certified.

Ok, so I checked the Redwings website they do list it there, but are there any other brands I can look at too?

12 hours ago, flaskman37 said:

oh damn, longer then I had thought. What was medical like? Simple self explanatory stuff?

Yeah assuming you're going for assistant conductor, just pulling weights, climbing a structure resembling a train, walking on tracks, vision, colorblind, hearing, etc ...

5 minutes ago, Kingsbridgeviewer382 said:

The QM21 has two drop-off stops along Queens Blvd (83rd Ave, Main St).

I mean using QB over the expressway like it expected to do. I saw them at the mall near Grand Ave.

23 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

Lol... Folks would just bombard the Q58 like they do now.

1. Oh, I'd say it's worse.... It's not even an underestimation of Grand Av., it's purposely ignoring rider habits along Grand av. in an attempt to bolster the Q38.... I've long came to that conclusion in regards to these/similar Q38 proposals over the years....

2. Before this discussion, I've never gave it any thought.... But I do concur with the sentiment though.... How much time would you say it would save? Or do you have it as being more or less a wash?

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

1. Yeah, sounds about right honestly. I was looking for something to describe those proposals because they always came up so lopsided against Grand Ave service but wanted to give the benefit of the doubt.

2. I think it ends up being more or less a wash. The difference in existing Q58 LTD and Q38 runtimes between Fresh Pond/Metropolitan and 108th Street (HHE on the Q58, 63rd Road on the Q38) are not very large, plus both run behind schedule by about a similar margin. For the Q98, even though Queens Blvd can lags the service roads on Horace Harding tend to move well even during rush hours. So that helps bring it closer to about the same.

1) If it was up to me I'd throw the Q98 back to HHE after hitting Woodhaven/QCM that way Ridgewood to Queens Blvd riders have a faster route and reduce the service and use those resources to boost the existing Q58. That way at least for the busiest portions of the line there's frequent service West of QB is busy but I've been on enough buses through Corona Ave to see how quickly they fill up. Also, the Q98 going via HHE both east and west of QB would probably be more popular with Rideway riders who don't want to go all the way through Grand Ave just to get to the QB line.

2) I gotta agree to route via Elliot Ave doesn't do much to help the line with time savings or ridership.

So I saw some Grand Ave and Gleason buses doing driver training in the Flushing and Mitchel Gardens area I wonder why they go that far just for training.

Also, are QM21 bus drivers using Queens Blvd now? I saw 2 today which I was surprised about.

On 2/13/2024 at 7:56 PM, flaskman37 said:

Scheduled for a medical exam sometime next week for a conditional offer on a job, how soon after do you find out if you passed the medical exam & receive a "final/official offer"?

I got mine after 2 weeks.

11 hours ago, 30Bruins said:

For people that have sat for the S&D test, how do they ask about the signals? Do they give the aspect and ask you to write the definition? Or do they give the name? Or a combination? Thanks a lot.

11 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

They show you a picture of the signal and you write out the name and indication. Names have to be 100% and indications have to be 80%. Then the next section is just the term and blank space to write out the definition of it.

6 hours ago, danielhg121 said:

random. Just like the definitions, 25 out of the sixty something.

I just want to add it’s 80% between both the indications and definitions as a whole.

ie

You need 100% of aspects names 25/25, but if you get 6/25 indications wrong and 4/25 definitions wrong your total is 10/50 so you’re still within the 80% margin. 

Also random really does mean random you can get aspects from the same page more than once.

On 1/28/2024 at 11:39 PM, Rockymtnjack said:

Check out the Redwings Kingtoe series of work boots. Super comfortable and long lasting.

Ok, I just got the email about the boot standards how do I know if something is ASTM F2413-18 certified? most places online aren't showing it in the descriptions and I have no clue how to even check my boots if they're certified.

On 2/1/2024 at 2:34 AM, Kamen Rider said:

I keep forgetting Hudson Rail Link is a thing… maybe because it’s not on the bus maps.

Now that I think of it why isn't Hudson Rail Link on the bus map? it should be, but you can't even find information on it on most third-party apps including Google or Transit.

1 hour ago, danielhg121 said:

I wear timbs now and they’re quite comfortable but there was an adjustment curve to get situated into them but I think that happens with any shoe.

The front of my foot feels so cramped in mine, it's great for snow and looks stylish but honestly, it's nothing I'd want to wear for more than a couple of hours since it's cumbersome and my feet feel sore afterward. I want something shorter and lighter.

1 hour ago, danielhg121 said:

I think anything with a 1/2 inch heel is good, I wore hiking boots to mine. You have to climb up a little steel structure so you need something to sorta hook onto the step while climbing up. Then walk on some uneven ballast so make sure they’re comfortable. 

Maybe I'll pass on my timbs for something a bit lighter 

Anyone know what is considered acceptable work boots for the PAS?