Amtrak41

Bullyboy Andrew wants his LGA Airtrain because he is a chicken little with NIMBY's. The LIRR 3rd track through Mineola relegates it to a local staion and forces the Oyster Bay Branch to be even more of a backwater operation so as to avoid any eminent domain condemnations to construct a wider ROW with 2 island platforms. Splitting N & W service at a flat junction around Astoria Blvd should not be a show-stopper. It need not be as elaborate as Rockaway Junction.

R38 numbers to start with. When in the order do the SIR care come ? Will they also be link-barred ? Wonder if they will get 3-digit numbers. Their R44's ought to be first thing to go.

I remember about 10 years ago, Chase had a different sort of chip, about a quarter inch square that would protrude slightly through the plastic, and they called it "Blink". It wasn't too secure either if someone got close to you with a device. Then all the banks simply dropped it, never knew why. CTA's Chicagocard worked fine (better than Ventra initially which was associated with an unscrupulous bank in Indiana), had 3 chips inside for easy reading by a device, but whoever provided the technology went out of business. Most small and medium sized banks in the US are still very stubborn about going to Contactless cards, but go on bragging about chips, and urge you to use Apple and Google Pay.

Which brings to mind how PATH will eventually use this. They currently have their own Smartcard that is to be retired, but they charge on a per ride basis, not money basis.

Someone posted this on another blog: "When you use a bank card you don't get a transfer on the card, a paper one can be obtained, if it is a local bus," Any truth to this ?

So then a physical OMNY card (cannot be a Bank card) is required to get senior fares ? Will it require your photo ? Can it be done by snail mail ?

Nothing new for 3 weeks.

How will one get their Contactless Debit card to work for senior fare ?

Will there be a fee for such a physical card, and will they all be reloadable, or some not or tourists ?

I guess that is the end of this thread ?

Any reports on the various Queens TA and Bus Company buses, or is that a topic for another thread ?

I think MTA should have come out with a OMNY card first, not last, since so many banks in the US are dragging their feet and not distributing Contactless cards, debit or credit.

When are the various Queens TA and Bus Company buses getting it ?

Has anyone tried the LIRR yet between Penn Station and Jamaica with only a Metrocard ? Were the LIRR conductors informed ?

Wikipedia says Prepaid OMNY car in Feb 2021 and OMNY vending machines in March 2022.

When will they start doing Queens local buses, both TA and BC ? For inter-modal passengers, OMNY is not of much use at this point.

Newark City Subway when using PCC cars into the NJT era ran in the black with P.A.Y.E. like a bus. With less frequent LRV's and POP, farebox recovery became 30%, and it was not from addition of the the lesser used Broad Street branch. It makes sense on SIR where there is no fare collection at all, except for the 2 northern most stations. But to add roving fare inspectors, hopefully with sidearms, on the subway merely to catch the minority of passengers who jump turnstiles, would never be cost-effective.

They really snubbed the former BMT Eastern and Southern Divisions in Brooklyn and Queens, though they did the IRT and IND to Euclid. Red haired stepchildren Crosstown, recaptured BMT Culver, Lefferts, and the Rockaway operation also left to last.

Thus far they have essentially skipped over almost all the ex-BMT, except for Manhattan.

Why does the Bronx take precedence over Queens and Brooklyn ?

If poor enough to be unbanked, they may also be too poor to have a Smartphone and pay for Data. I have plenty of senior relatives who love their Jitterbug dumb phone, and if given a Smartphone, wouldn't know how to use its features, and will never got on-line with it.

An OMNY-only card does make sense for those who don't have a bank account, nor a credit card, or simply don't want to the risk of flashing their debit or credit card around in public. MTA cannot require you to have a bank account or smartphone to use the system.

Because we run for the convenience of passengers not dispatchers. We are running trains not monorails. If they cannot merge two 10-minute services together without delay, they need to go. W4th would be an easier transfer for people than Essex to get to the F train.

What if the D ran local up 6th Avenue on weekends so that the M could relay at West 4th ? That would be an easier transfer to get to midtown, with little impact on the operating budget, perhaps one more train set. 96th Street is a long ways up, and they would also have to dispense with OPTO. That's all expensive.

I don't know about rollout, but as for public acceptance, hard to say with ridership down 90% for 3 months.