kosciusko

It's not mandatory, I took the test but I ended up getting into my top choice without submitting my scores. Depends on the school you're tryna go to.

sure pal, sure...

I know I tend to defend criminals but I think that graffiti is really stupid, these people need to get a life. I knew a serious graffiti artist back in HS and he would always try to justify by saying "it's about sending a message to the authorities man" or "it's about creating public art for everyone to enjoy, man." When in actuality these people just paint their hideous tags on public buses, bathrooms, vans, etc. At least people like Banksy and Julian Beever are trying to create an interesting and thought provoking image with their art, which is a respectable thing to do, but three grown men spraying "JABATO" onto the side of a subway train is just really lame.

true, but I think the rights should extend to people working as government employees.

This makes me angry to read. I've had countless c/rs close doors on me but when suddenly it happens to DeBlasio, it's an issue. I'd also like to add that if the conductor did it intentionally in protest of DeBlasio it should (imo) be considered an act of free speech and protected by the first amendment.

The categorizations of "commuter rail" and "rapid transit" are idiotic to you? I don't follow. These are distinct and separate systems which provide different services. Turning MNR into a Subway-Commuter rail chimera isn't the way to bring transit to the Bronx. We should be investing money in giving these commuters the services that they need, not just pushing them onto MNR.

I don't get the hate for the countdown clocks, I've only encountered a broken clock once so far, at 7 ave in Manhattan. Obviously they're not going to be accurate down to the second, it's a approximation based on a bluetooth chip that's been slapped onto the train.

Yes there literally is.

Again lowering fares to make the MNR more accessible to Bronx commuters is great, I think we should do that. Bronx commuters at Fordham can already take advantage of the existing frequent MNR service to GCT if plan they their commutes. Keep in mind that MNR only gets people to Grand Central, where they need to use the already overburdened to get to their final destination, and I'd be willing to bet that a non-insignificant amount of Bronx commuters are better off taking the or to their jobs. Norwood to Bryant Park is only about 45 minutes with the express. Expanded MNR service isn't the way to irrigate the 3rd Ave. transit desert, what we need is an actual subway. If you're going to go through all the effort (and money) of lengthening the stations, therefore disrupting service on the Harlem and New Haven line, and buy the extra equipment needed to run rapid-transit style service, why not build a good SBS or even *gasp* an LRT? By having the 3rd Ave commuters pile onto the already crowded MNR trains you're not only screwing them out of the transit service they actually need, but you're also doing it at the expense of the millions of Metro North commuters who have no other option other than driving.

If you axed skip-stops to increase frequencies on Bronx stations you would be doing it at the expense of the suburbanites who currently rely on the railroad on a day-to-day basis. It's about squeezing the max amount of people on a train, or whether or not these trains are empty. Metro North exists to provide commuter rail service for people living outside of NYC. That's what the schedules are designed for, that's what the stations are designed for, and that's what the equipment is designed for. Like I said, I'm all for lowering the in-city fare, but I think re-arranging the schedules and stopping patterns to serve what will always be a minority of the railroad's users is a poor decision which could have some real consequences (increased car traffic, more crowds on xpress busses, etc). I can't speak for the Hudson line, but on the Harlem line, the Bronx stations (with the exception of Fordham, which is an express stop) are way too far and few between to be of any real benefit to people who live there. Tremont, Melrose, and Botanical are within walking distance to the , and Wakefield and Woodlawn are even closer to the stops. Additionally, the aforementioned stations can only hold 4 cars, and some can only hold two. They wouldn't be able to handle the crowds of a rapid transit service.

http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/docs/2016 MNR RIDERSHIP REPORT APPENDIX.pdf 2016 MNR ridership summary here for those interested.

How do the shuttle trains turn at Myrtle-Wyckoff? Last time I checked there was no switch there. Do they just reverse up the entire line?

I think you're getting hung up on the legroom detail, legroom isn't the problem. The problem is that the MNR trains are already full. The vestibules by the doors are already packed pretty tight during peak hours, and even on some off peak trains there are people who have to stand. I've even seen people squatting in the aisles on some rush hour trains (generally the conductors don't allow that but some do).

Thanks for clearing up the GCT conga-line, I wasn't aware that it was an operations issue. Crowding, is another story. You can't pack people into MNR trains like you can on Subway trains, keep in mind that the m7s and m3s are 85' long with only two doors, and the crew needs to be able to move freely and unimpeded throughout the train in order to collect fares. The cars aren't designed to be able to handle large volumes of people that you would see on a rapid transit service. Especially at stations like Tremont and Melrose where only two cars can fit into the station.

This is especially true for the Harlem line Bronx stations, where the platforms can only accommodate a maximum of 2-4 cars