IAlam

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?

18 hours ago, subwaycommuter1983 said:

Let's not get excited.

The fact that the open gangway trains are only going to run on a subway line that doesn't have high ridership is a huge setback and defeats the purpose of having open gangway trains.

It is also an indication that moving forward the MTA will only stick to purchasing standard trains.

4 hours ago, LTA1992 said:

Y'all just makin shit up. HOW is it a setback for it to run on the (C)? The goal is to TEST it to see how it works in the system. Capacity (which is built in, btw) is irrelevant. 

It has to WORK before all else (which I don't see why it won't).

1 hour ago, FLX9304 said:

You know these peeps that they wanna run it on a busy line. Let’s start with the  first and see how it works with applied restrictions. Remember: it’s not up to these communities & politicians on about where the cars go. That’s the DOS/RTO’s call. 

The R211T's are basically a modern-day version of the R110's. It's meant to test the technology before the MTA decides if they want a full order. The fact that there are 2 versions of the concept clearly indicates that these aren't meant to be production cars. The fact that these issues like the smoke detectors are prevalent shows that even if the MTA wants to order these trains for their increased capacity a final version will most likely have more changes. Once you start seeing production cars then there's a good chance they'll get assigned to routes that need them. Testing new technology on less busy lines like the  makes sense because you have a controlled environment.

45 minutes ago, Chris89292 said:

The design of the stations were shown to the board community in Queens, Turns out the stations will use the same windscreens as seen on previous renovated stations like the , but the big differences are that the contractors are fully rehabilitating the stations rather then reusing old platforms or fences.

That's disappointing I was hoping ESI would be the new standard going forward. 

On 1/14/2024 at 5:45 PM, Calvin said:

Preserved: 9801-9802

I'm glad to see the LIRR preserving trains. I wasn't sure if they even did it. 

On 1/14/2024 at 9:49 PM, Chris89292 said:

The roof at 82nd street has been completed, the last few steps are now adding the shell on top, and possibly new windscreens, I feel like the station will be opened by the end of February, as long as faster construction occurs at 111 street where both stations can open at the same time. 

I'm hoping it gets the same treatment as the Astoria stations but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

On 12/29/2023 at 6:31 PM, NoHacksJustKhaks said:

Ah. I dont know why, but since you're from California, I assumed that "ERA" referred to some mythical city over there that I wasn't aware of 

And Yeah, for whatever reason, LIRR fanning tends to be more risky than on the subway.  Obviously most employees are good but then unfortunately you have ones like these too.

That's my all-time favorite conductor right there 

23 hours ago, PhilFromCA said:

Sorry for the super-late reply.  I had to postpone my trip due to circumstances out of my control, and had to focus on those issues.  (all is OK now)

The ERA is the Electric Railroaders' Association, www.erausa.org.  Monthly programs now on Zoom.  Pre-pandemic, monthly meetings were in Manhattan.

If an LIRR employee flips me off, that is OK, unless he also calls the police.  Once on WMATA, the train operator told me to stop taking photos, even though I had a printout from the WMATA general manager saying that it was OK to take photos from public areas.  She said she didn't care and was going to call the police anyway.  I was on my way to meet my wife, so I didn't argue the point.

If anyone sees me as an easy mark for a mugging, that is NOT OK.

There there a link or something you have for this? I find myself in DC quite a bit and that would be useful just in case.

On 1/9/2024 at 6:45 PM, Kriston Lewis said:

During summer months, it was policy to turn off interior car lights along outdoor segments during daylight hours. I’m certain it was for energy efficiency. I think this is still in place, but rarely seen in practice today. I recall a sign on the right of way on the Brighton Line that says “LIGHTS ON” near Newkirk Plaza. Some bus operators do the same as well.

It still happens on the , on hot summer days, just not done by all crew members..

1 hour ago, Lawrence St said:

Back in 2020 when I had to go to EWR, I wanted to take one of the overnight BxM2's (that never had anyone on them) from Riverdale. Dude blew past my stop with a NIS sign up, I had to actually chase after him for a few blocks (thank god for the horrible timed lights on Riverdale Av) with luggage and a backpack until he finally pulled over and asked if I wanted the bus. His excuse was no one ever rides his trip and he thought I was waiting for the BxM1. Yeah right.

On a side note is it possible to take a carry-on bag on the express buses? I've been wondering about this because I typically take the LIRR and local bus because I'm worried about getting yelled at or being unable to make it on or off the bus with it.

There’s a train in Corona yard with the first 3 cars completely graffiti bombed right now.

21 hours ago, Metro CSW said:

Damn.... And I was rooting for the Q44 to Fordham. Oh well, guess it wasn't much of a demand anyways.

There is demand it's just that it shouldn't be the job of the Q44. Had it been a Flushing to Fordham route that would be one thing but Jamaica to Fordham, is just too much. Jamaica to Fordham would honestly benefit from a regional express bus, but we don't do that here in MTA land.

On 12/26/2023 at 4:57 AM, Sylveon said:

then you have the Q30 and Q75.... that's gonna piss off a lot of people..... cuz why terminate at Briarwood... Kew Gardens would've been better

On 12/26/2023 at 1:41 PM, xD4nn said:

Kew Gardens doesn't make any sense either. They aren't going to change jack after this final plan since they claim that west of QCC has "greater ridership". My guess for them rerouting it to Briarwood is so that it can still be based out of JA. It would be horrible to base it out of QV. QV is way too far and they can't do street reliefs since it goes nowhere near QV. Jamaica is the better option and schedules have decreased on the Q75 in favor of greater service on the Q30 so I don't see why it can't be based out of JA.

The Q75 really should be going to Forest Hills, Forest Hills and Fresh Meadows are both destinations, and Q88 passengers having to ride a long haul for a local stop are just getting shafted at this point. Forest Hills would be a better destination and can supplement the Q64 which is ridiculously crowded.

On 12/29/2023 at 5:58 AM, B35 via Church said:

I wasn't trying to implicate that particular stretch carries lightly, but at the same time, I do see more people from Flushing have more of a use for a Q98 of sorts, compared to the current Q58 LTD.... So if they're going to do away with the Q58LTD, I would look to increase local service along Grand av & that section of the route b/w QB & 108th st. in Corona.... Basically what I'm getting at is that there's more usage along the Grand st. corridor than there is on the Q58 b/w QB & 108th....

As far as having the Q59 ending at Rego Center vs. ending it where the current Q38 does (which I thought about doing at first), the latter would be too huge of a deterrent - even more so than not retaining the Q58 local to/from Flushing for those folks b/w QB & 108th.....

23 hours ago, MTA Dude said:

I was asking about how many people use the Q58 specifically to get from Flushing to the Broadway/Corona Ave stop, then walk further up Broadway to get to Elmhurst Chinatown. But I guess people who want to make that trip are more likely to take the given the amount of traffic the Q58 often has to deal with.

Still not sure why the Q59 should loop back to Rego Center. The only benefit I see is to connect it to 108th St. It's way too big of a loop to benefit anyone along Grand or Corona Ave.

The proposed Q98 is one of the best things in the proposal for Flushing riders IMO. QCM is a major destination that's pretty popular for people in NE Queens, but that requires either backtracking via the subway or taking the Q88 and transferring. As for Broadway and Corona, I feel people would rather take the subway, and the only people who would take the Q58 live by the line or are trying to save money on a return trip. The center of where people want to is by Elmhurst Ave which is a bit of a walk on top of the fact the Q58 doesn't even stop near the station in Flushing either.

On 12/29/2023 at 7:29 PM, B35 via Church said:

Sure man, I got it bookmarked.

God awful QT remix map proposals {Local}

God awful QMT remix map proposals {Express}

MY EYES THEY BURN

16 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

I've had quite a few like that...OMNY readers are definitely more glitchey than fareboxes. One day last week i caught the same bus to and from the city, and omny reader was broken both ways

Maybe because this is mainly a CS issue but I was so used to fareboxes being broken I was hesitant to start using OMNY. But now it seems the other way around. The farebox almost always works and it’s the OMNY reader that’s broken, but I’ve yet to see it happen at a route for another depo until now.

This is a first for me, got on the QM5 and the OMNY reader didn’t work so I got a free ride. 😁

On 12/13/2023 at 2:34 AM, checkmatechamp13 said:

https://www.tmj4.com/news/local-news/amtrak-hiawatha-line-forgoes-monthly-pass-leaving-riders-with-minimal-options-doubling-ride-fairs

Aren't Amtrak tickets on the Hiawatha unreserved? The idea that an intercity line and not a commuter line seems a little BS to me. But it also seems like the state has something to do with this considering it's a state-supported route. Wisconsin seems to always be battling whether or not they want to fund Amtrak service/improvements.

Just stay away from any angry employees, people, or cops, and leave if they tell you to, otherwise, you're probably fine.

Also if someone tries to escalate the fact you're taking pictures here's the rule that says you can take pictures it's 1050.9-c.

Since there are always tourists and railfans taking pictures I highly doubt you encounter anything, just use common sense if it looks sketchy stay away.

On 12/12/2023 at 2:33 PM, JORDAN10293 said:

Just to add- I have to be in Holbrook at 11am so doesn’t seem like it’s possible for that day to work unless I was able to leave early.  Not sure how this would work 

If it didn't happen yet I'd still try to go. Honestly, you can sign in explain the situation to the trainers get the packet, and leave. They made me sign in and out at the same time.

So hidden in Remix I found out the Q26 overnight service is from Flushing to College Point only. But they don't have it starting on Main St and Roosevelt Ave but instead at 38th Ave and Main St at a stop that it doesn't use during the day.

https://platform.remix.com/project/d6368ff6/line/8171a407?latlng=40.76631,-73.83294,14.261&pat=606483087&dir=0

7 minutes ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

There's one proposal that I wanna see how it plays out in particular, and that's the Q110 to Floral Park LIRR. I'd like to see what folks end up doing once they catch wind of that proposal.

Also, some of the routes proposed for 24/7 service up to now will no longer have it (B57, Q98). 

It’ll probably go something like “ew poor people coming into our wealthy neighborhood won’t anyone think of the children?”

I haven’t gotten the chance to look at much yet, but just glancing at the map they walked it back so much. This is basically the Bronx redesign all over again. The sad this is there were some good proposals that were taken out too. No more 43 LIJ is no more, the old 36 remains, They didn’t even bother trying to salvage Fresh Meadows to Forest Hills (73), and the new 75 is just ??? So far I don’t hate it but, it’s boring to say the least they played it too safe. 

Looks like they walked back almost all the express bus changes but too. But they seem adamant about the QM65. They walked back the Q4 to Elmont and instead gave us the QM64 to Elmont 😂.

29 minutes ago, JORDAN10293 said:

Nice! Makes me a little nervous, I went on the 20th and got through but haven’t heard anything so hopefully that means I should hear back soon.  

Yeah, I had about a week's notice, but they sent it to the wrong email. (Not even sure how they got it since I never recalled using it.)

On 11/25/2023 at 5:25 AM, Mtatransit said:

I can understand Amityville and Riverhead as those are mostly terminating routes 

But Smith Haven just doesn’t work… not only is the bus loading area utter confusion, (what’s with the county not installing signs anyways) but you also can’t time the routes entering Smith Haven properly. There is just too many through routes

CI and Brentwood I am conflicted. I do believe we should have atleast one pulse point here to provide connections between different directions, but having pulse points at both is too much

The 4 should either fit into Brentwood or Central Islip. It shouldn’t need to make both

I made my first trip not too long ago and this. The connections there feel like a mess.

On 11/23/2023 at 9:42 AM, B35 via Church said:

Well hell, if the wait times are still/generally too long, then how bad was it before (as in, compared to the first time you went out there) ?

Even with all the cuts to the system, SCT's bus system is still too large to organically pull off timed connections at multiple/major xfer points in the network.... While well-intentioned, it's just not realistic.... Weird feeling, but in regards to this particular facet of the new network, I'm sitting back reading this sneering & chortling, while concurrently irritated.....

Back when you & @Mtatransit were stoked, or otherwise (apparently) optimistic about these timed connections, the very thing you're now reporting here with this, is what I figured was going to end up happening - having buses sitting idle for minutes on end, mid-route, in an attempt to make these timed connections work... Too many variables at play to have it all be pulled off naturally smoothly, or otherwise within reason.... Speaking of which, I'd go as far as to say it's unreasonable to riders that aren't seeking those particular mid-route connections; I would personally be livid if I was sitting at one stop for 10 minutes in an attempt to guarantee a connection (I'd say 5 is even pushing it, but that's the greatest amount of leeway I'd give it)... Like how much time is some poor rider on the #4 traveling between say, Deer Park & Smith Haven, having being pissed away sitting at Brentwood and at Central Islip waiting for connections that he/she doesn't need.....

To me, all it shows is how the powers that be, views the bus system.... The new network is not *the little engine that could* (so to speak)... It is not small at all, but it appears to me that the decision makers in all this, views SCT as some small bus network....

My plan was to ride the new system the first week of the new year (while I'm off work), but the more I read your posts/reports & listen to pinepower's videos regarding the new network, I want no part of this crap.

From my experience during less busy hours buses are running early so they're usually staying at a previous pulse point longer than scheduled and then catching up. But then during rush hours the buses are stuck in traffic and are unable to keep up with the schedule anymore. I missed 2 pulses back to back and saw a couple of other buses miss the pulse points too.

I will say Walt Whitman seems to be timed pretty well even though it's not a pulse point. Riverhead seems to be decent as well but you can have some buses come as early as 15-20 minutes before the pulse. 

On 12/8/2023 at 4:15 PM, MysteriousBtrain said:

Following publication, we are inviting all our stakeholders to series of a virtual briefings where we will provide a borough-wide overview of the Proposed Final Plan and discuss our public outreach timeline and process for customer and community input. There will one high level borough/citywide briefing and four quadrant-based briefings where we will provide the overview and then take a deeper dive into the route proposals in each quadrant. If you cannot attend your quadrant briefing, please consider joining us for our boroughwide overview briefing on December 15th.

  *   Wednesday, Dec 13 from 6:30-8:30PM – Northwest Queens (CDs 1,2,3,4)
  *   Thursday, Dec 14 from 6:30-8:30PM – Southwest Queens (CDs 5,6,9,10)
  *   Friday, Dec 15 from 11:30AM – 1PM – Boroughwide and Citywide Groups
  *   Monday, Dec 18 from 6:30-8:30PM – Northeast Queens (CDs 7,8,11)
  *   Tuesday, Dec 19 from 6:30-8:30PM – Southeast Queens (CDs 12,13,14)

In the new year we will conduct several months of outreach. We will be requesting time to present to all Queens community boards and host a series of MTA outreach events. All events and materials will be published to the project website. Stakeholders will also have several months to review and comment on their trips prior to the MTA holding a public hearing.

Ugh, I'm annoyed because I'm not available during my specific outreach session. The borowide one is during lunch which is also annoying.