rbrome

Why are people so concerned about signals on this line? If it's going to be simplified to basically just two tracks, each with one train going back and forth, with no chance of any trains ever even sharing any track in normal operation, (unless I have the proposal wildly wrong?!)) what exactly is the benefit of CBTC or UWB? I mean this line barely needs any signals at all. It should absolutely be automated, but advanced (read: expensive) signal tech seems completely unnecessary. 

On 7/24/2019 at 6:07 PM, WestFarms36 said:

Its already been stated, anything using Metrocard today, will transition to OMNY in the period of 2020-2022.

OK, sorry. I looked back quite a bit and couldn't find that. Thanks. 

What about AirTrain?

The R211 are a good starting point in terms of wider doors and more digital signs inside. So start with that. 

Hi-res, full-color LED signs on exterior. This kind of tech (same as Times Square jumbo-trons) is actually pretty good and cheap now. No reason not to use it. LCDs aren't bright enough for exterior use. 

Exterior side displays mounted above or next to windows, instead of blocking the upper half of a window. 

Exterior-mounted sliding doors (Like JFK AirTrain, London Tube, etc.) allowing more interior space and much larger windows. 

Inside, keep the LED-based ceiling/end displays, but LCD strip maps (so much more useful info you can display) and LCD system maps, updated in real time to show both planned and unplanned service changes. 

Stainless steel inside and out. Clean and sleek. (None of this tacky blue outside and garish yellow inside.) 

Open gangways. 

6 hours ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

Maybe its because your card was already set up on Samsung Pay before OMNY started. You have to delete the card and reinstall it. 

That should not be necessary. 

16 hours ago, RestrictOnTheHanger said:

So I tried OMNY twice today with Samsung pay. Both times on the first tap it said "Tap only one card". Anyone else get this error with Samsung Pay?

Try Google Pay. 

2 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

Will this be a tap on/ off deal or no

No. It will work exactly like a single-ride Metrocard. You just tap your phone (or smartwatch, or contactless credit/debit card) instead of swiping. 

On 4/22/2019 at 6:11 PM, TheNewYorkElevated said:

They're working now? Cool, I'll try it out whenever I pass through there. 

BTW, are there any plans for the general public to get their hands on an OMNY card if they don't have a phone or debit/credit card? 

They are not yet enabled for the general public.

At the end of May, they will be enabled so that anyone can use their own NFC-enabled phone (Apple Pay or Google Pay) or contactless debit/credit card. Full fare, though; no passes nor discounts. This is basically just a trial phase of the trickiest part of the technology. 

Only in late 2020, once the readers are system-wide, will they roll out OMNY cards for the public. Until then, MetroCard remains the primary fare product. 

I've noticed that instead of the black/blue "TEST PHASE ... COMING SOON" screen, some readers now display a yellow "METROCARD ONLY" screen, with an icon for a traditional mag-stripe MetroCard. Nothing happens when you try to use these readers; the tap function seems to be turned off completely. 

...whereas the ones that say "TEST PHASE ... COMING SOON" do seem to be enabled for certain kinds of internal testing. When I try my phone it does respond, but it doesn't work. I get this error message: 

On 4/10/2019 at 2:32 PM, Enjineer said:

I know it's Cuomo colors, but I have to say that paint scheme really looks sharp. It's amazing how even a little paint in the front can add so much character to the car

Personally, I hate it. I think it looks visually... messy. One navy or yellow stripe could look nice, but both is too much. It looks tacky to me. Stainless steel looks sleeker to my eye.

It's even worse on the inside. All the blue and bright yellow on the inside of the public R211 mock-up gave me a headache. I'd much prefer white and stainless; it looks far cleaner, brighter, and more relaxing. 

Also, stainless doesn't need to be repainted every few years. I suspect these stripes are going to look like garbage 10 years in. MTA will probably realize that paint is more trouble than its's worth and go back to stainless, like SEPTA did recently with its BSL (orange line subway) cars. 

They're rolling this out pretty quickly already. They seem to be putting one reader at one turnstile per entrance. Blank plates are already being replaced with lit-up tap screens at places like Fulton St. 

22 hours ago, East New York said:

Plug-type doors would only work here if the platforms were modified.

Not if you design it correctly. 

On 1/19/2019 at 9:30 AM, T to Dyre Avenue said:

Looking at the picture of the R211 side panel has me thinking those are going to be some of the narrowest side windows on a post-WW2 subway car fleet we’ll see. They have to be due to the wide entry doors.

 

This really bugs me. The windows keep getting smaller. Why? There's enough above-ground trackage that customers certainly would appreciate a little light and a view. The MTA should care. Wy can't we have modern plug-style doors that allow double the windows, instead of huge, opaque door pockets?

11 hours ago, m2fwannabe said:

For the first weekday since their November introduction, there were Zero of 32 R-179's on the .  Several on J and Z though.

Reported for various technological boo-boos.

Lots and lots of R-32's plus some R-46's out there, though!

Yep: 

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-r179-mta-train-car-20190108-story.html

20 hours ago, m7zanr160s said:

So...don't have open gangway trains because of homeless people... Not cool at all. Not all homeless smell so bad that they stink up an entire car. And if they do, they have to be removed, that's a health hazard.

Yes! Thank you. If homeless people prevent open-gangway trains, (a premise I don't accept, but just for argument's sake,) then the way forward is addressing the homeless people problem, not giving up on a vastly better train design that adds necessary capacity. It's amazing to me how often New York (and American) exceptionalism is expressed as a defeatist attitude. Come on. We can do better. 

1 hour ago, Jemorie said:

Now that they established that the  shutdown will not happen at all whatsoever, what would be the point of still going along with increasing , , , and  service? Because that's what I've been hearing from some of my friends at school (who are also railfans) all day long.

No, not "at all whatsoever". They'll single-track on nights and weekends, for up to 20 months. That means one train every 20 minutes. Have you been on the L any recent night or weekend? I have. It's frequently packed. There will absolutely need to be some capacity added elsewhere to make up for this serious service degradation. 

5 hours ago, m2fwannabe said:

...not to be seriously considered until the homeless and/or hygiene (odor) problem can be mitigated or eliminated somehow.  Good luck with THAT one.  It's beyond NYCT's ability to control.

Man, I just don't get this argument at all. Every other major city around the world has homeless people on metro trains; NYC isn't unique that way. Those cities have open-gangway trains. It's not a problem. If anything, it's better because it's easier to move away from the smell. 

5 hours ago, m2fwannabe said:

... While visiting R-211 folk I also asked about status of the R-211T (i.e. prototype "gangway" or "snake" train) and was informed its still just something to try.  Likely not to be seriously considered until the homeless and/or hygiene (odor) problem can be mitigated or eliminated somehow.  ...

That may just be the personal opinion of those employees, then, because that's certainly not how Cuomo and the MTA have positioned it. From Cuomo's press release: 

"Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today unveiled the design features of 1,025 new and reimagined subway cars – including vital enhancements to the exteriors and interiors of regular cars, wider doors, as well as the addition of up to 750 “Open Car End” designed-cars, which will reduce wait times and increase capacity." 

"The MTA anticipates that out of 1,025 new cars, up to 750 will feature an Open Car End designed. The Open Car End design replaces the door between cars with an accordion-like connector in order to create longer, open spaces, allowing for greater passenger flow movement and increasing capacity in the process. These cars have become an international standard: in London 31 percent of cars will be Open Car End by the end of the year; in Paris the figure climbs to 37 percent; and in Toronto to 56 percent."

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-unveils-design-reimagined-mta-subway-cars-and-details-ambitious-plan-enhance

Keep in mind that the whole 1 line tunnel through the WTC complex is new. The old one was destroyed in 9/11. More info on that and the temporary supports here: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/08/nyregion/08subway.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin

On 12/13/2018 at 12:09 PM, N6 Limited said:

I notice that the station is on a "bridge" over the Path Train Station, how did they pull that off?

It was not always there. For the years between 9/11 and when construction started on the new WTC, it was supported by temporary supports directly under the tracks; no "bridge". There were articles and even some documentary segments on it. I'm sure you can find photos somewhere. That's definitely not what holds it up now. 

You can see the giant steel truss on the sides that currently holds it up. It's exposed. It's pretty, but also structural. 

I don't know the details of the new construction step-by-step. But I do know that just building things in the order that they did cost an extra $1 billion. They built the plaza before the station, and that meant building things in a much more complicated and expensive way than the usual ground-up method. Look up articles about the insane $4 billion cost of the transit hub, and you'll find discussion of this. I'm sure supporting the 1 line through all of that was a big part of the cost. 

1 hour ago, Lawrence St said:

I don't like CBTC because it relies on computers instead of human hands. While it works great for the  and because they're isolated, it won't work for the others because of the complexity. 

You're saying that 100-year-old technology is better suited to a very complex system than modern computer technology? That doesn't even begin to make sense. 

The old signal system relies on (mechanical) parts that are inevitably prone to wear and breakdowns, something we've all experienced. CBTC is solid-state, which can be far more reliable (when designed correctly) and can include self-diagnostic features so problems can be identified and fixed much faster. Ideally the MTA would move to 100% CBTC as quickly as possible, and benefit from vastly improved reliability overall. 

It's nice to see tangible progress on this.

I wish the gangway were wider. 

22 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

I also wonder if the reason the countdown clocks are B div style is cause the IRT ones aren't made anymore or they used a different contractor.

That's a keen observation. Is that a first in the system?

I went. It's nice, except half of the north wall seems to be just... wallpaper? I hope that part is temporary. 

On 6/11/2018 at 4:00 AM, Porter said:

This might be the only underground station with the main ticketing 'mezzanine' a floor below the platform and tracks. Yes, there are platform-level portals, but the large main entrance and ticketing area (with access to both platforms) will be on the lower concourse level overlooking PATH Hall.

The Cortlandt St station on the , also part of the WTC Transit Center, is also configured this way.