Late Clear

8 hours ago, Jay-Oh said:

I've ran into multiple school car TSS' on the road recently.
So yes.

Lots of refreshers going on also.

15 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Although I was a PM guy from your numbers I see the problem. For my interval, the 1500 Dyre,  it was 27 minutes (local) to Mott, 5 minutes to 125th St and 12 minutes from 125 to Grand Central. That's one heck of a ridership increase from 2007-8 or so.

Yup and no remedy to easing congestion on the Lexington Line such as CBTC.  Even southbound gap fillers @ USQ are responsible for a tremendous amount of congestion. 

55 minutes ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Is the  actually scheduled to take 55 minutes from Dyre to Grand Central these days ? The running time to Bowling Green from Dyre Avenue pre-ATS, pre-NTT, was 55 minutes according to my work program, my C/R , my T/D , and my rabbi who wrote the  line schedule we used back then. Such is progress I guess. The split on weekends used to be 27 minutes from Dyre to the Concourse and 26 minutes from there to BG on weekends for a 53 minute runtime. Wow, what a change. Perhaps some people see why I take some NYCT stats like the Trip Planners and ridership numbers with a healthy grain of salt. Just my opinion. Carry on.

It's the ridership.

5 is about 27 minutes Southbound Dyre to Mott (express E180 - 3/149) then another 27 minutes to Grand Central.  

That's on the AM tour.

On 3/31/2020 at 12:16 AM, Collin said:

I think they will use extra single unit R62A's for the A division once the remaining redbird work cars go away.  Once the R262's come in, I think they will replace the R32 work motors (except R127 and R134) with R62A's.

Most likely  and retrofit them with a diversion valve so they can go into both divisions.  Makes sense. 

3 hours ago, MarkGuy said:

I don't really see it as "enhanced training" at all, especially given I've done these moves more times than I can count already and they don't prep me for the road-which is where the real training begins, according to what some have posted here.

 

Extra training, yea tho. But not the training i really need when we go into passenger service solo.

Honestly you never really get the right type of training for passenger service.  Train operation is very subjective.  

You post mainly to learn the line and interlockings, not to perfect your operation.  It takes years to be remotely confident, don't let anyone's ego fool you.  

Don't let this stress you out.   

42 minutes ago, Mtahopeful121986 said:

I mean be optimistic the list hasnt even  reached 2000 people yet. They probably extend the exam a year or so hopefully

I have a feeling all civil service tests will be extended, not just this one.  

 

3 hours ago, MarkGuy said:

 

Personally, I see this as a huge detriment for us, because while you do get some types of transfers, they are very few and far in between (least that was my experience my first time as yx.)

That's going to be a huge detriment because we're spending time away from regular operation at higher speeds, and the worse it'll get the longer this drags out. I feel that this should be on a case by case basis (those who only have a day or so of road posting to finish) to put us on the road incrementally. The days a lot of us are missing are utterly pointless, because they're days on lines we already posted repeatedly.

I do also wonder if they'll make us do schoolcar again if this lasts long enough as well.

Honestly as long as you're on the payroll, all this is to your benefit.  

Think of it as a enhanced training.  I know it may not seem like it. 

On 3/27/2020 at 10:58 PM, Moody said:

I totally agree. 

 

Also so many people in the mta will retire because of this, and I know for a fact theres many people planning on retiring before this pandemic even happened. Train, busses, conductors, you name it. People will put their papers in as soon as they are able too. 

The jobs will open. Remember this list is the first train operator list in years. Its a slight snag guys. Before you know you will be there. 

Without people to run service for the city then there is no city. People will leave. Things have to get better. The country doesnt move without the MTA. They will get this sorted out. God willing.

Yes it's most likely a giant pause, and eventually when everything is over I suspect they will extend a lot of civil service lists, not just for this title. 

5 hours ago, Embalmman said:

Right from the start we were admonished to go about our lives like we never took this test. I’m 163X and was hopeful on being appointed within the next nine months. However, I’ve been hustling to the best of my ability and was just hired into a job that pays just as good as T/O, with more time off.  Hopefully mTA will extend the list to compensate for the hiring freeze, like they did for the previous T/O list. Stay hopeful, go about life as if you never took the test, keep your mailing address current with 180, and what will be will be

If you're content with the salary you are receiving now and it's in a stable industry I suggest you stick with it.  

Time off is nonexistent on this job and the first 5 years are rough.  

Think about it.  There are many aspects of this job and NYCTA that are different than most civil service titles.  

On 3/1/2020 at 11:54 AM, Nexdup said:

Guess i didn't take the over head into account with hiring a new employee. Sounds like the hiring is over then. I hope this is not the case, i hope they have classes scheduled soon or extend the list. 

Don't get discouraged.  

They'll hire if they have to.  

 

4 hours ago, Nexdup said:

I just finished reading both articles it doesn’t seem as if it was operational titles. It just seemed like another reiteration of what was stated before when we believed a freeze was occurring some time ago. Could you post the line of the memo that stated that verbatim?

Remember it's always less expensive to pay overtime compared to hiring additional employees.  

I surmise the cuts will mostly be in stations now with the roll out of OMNY.   

On 1/31/2020 at 2:20 PM, beanz said:

Road practical done. I'm officially done with schoolcar after Tuesday. 

 

Got project straight talk on Monday and then making up a day of posting on Tuesday (I was sick). 

Congrats, good luck, be safe. 

It's like @mediccjh said, patience is key.  That goes for anything down here.  

New folks seem to be more confident with tech trains but they can be extremely deceiving.  It's hard to put your confidence into blended braking, and you must always exercise caution, especially in wet weather.  

@MarkGuy

You made it this far, you'll be okay.  

12 minutes ago, MarkGuy said:

Thx that helped. Im sure ill eventually get it.

When you wind up road posting, let the trainer do the first trip.  Watch them take brake.  See how they release, observe the station, ask them what they look for when they operate these trains.  

8 hours ago, MarkGuy said:

I hope so, thx! Just that it was my third straight day of screwing up, and I've been trying like hell to improve because we only get a few more days with this equipment before we move to other ones and road posting begins very soon. 

But I'm not quitting. Also, gd luck on your practical!

Nah man relax this is a very difficult piece of equipment to operate.  

People 20+ years aren't comfortable on those trains.  

Same goes with the R62 in the A Division on the 3 Line.

Rough trains.

For anyone who is eligible for this promotion, don't pass this up.  

This is probably the most valuable titles in RTO for future promotions, whether to Train Operator or Dispatcher especially.   

On 12/24/2019 at 10:13 PM, subwayfan1998 said:

These Elevated Lines that Runs Flushing Line and Astoria Line needs to be Demolished and Rebuilt because it is Crumbling very badly.

I think it's too late for that, or any kind of development in terms of expanding rail in NYC.  

The future of public transportation in this city will consist of the addition of dedicate bus lanes and select bus service.  

It has the least amount of impact in terms of construction, no issues with using eminent domain, and cheap and fast to institute.  It's the quickest band-aid solution.   

On 1/1/2020 at 2:40 AM, lodee59 said:

agree!!

Meh I think in this particular institution it's irrelevant.  

Railroad, maybe, but not here.  

I think Andy Byford was disappointed,   I do believe he put on a show for the media because deep down inside he knows there is little hope at this point.  

Honestly.  Let's be realistic.   Enough with the contractors.  Until they make drastic cuts on service including long term suspensions to sit there and get the work done it will never work.   They haven't proven otherwise.  They won't. 

7 line has 20 year old equipment now.  Parts of the flushing line are going on 100 years old.  22 stations terminal to terminal.   Over a billion dollars invested.   It really doesn't run a billion dollars better than it did before.  Major improvement was the additional capacity of the R142a/188 (whatever you want to call it ) over the R62a.  Yes I'm aware you can run a extra service because the run time is shorter now.  

Doesn't look reassuring when you have multi billion dollar capital program but the contractor never tested for snow accumulation.  

 

On 12/15/2019 at 2:53 PM, Jchambers2120 said:

Start my "A" to "B" transfer tomorrow, I'm a nervous wreck lol. 

T/O or C/R?   I know they were looking for C/Rs to transfer over to the B.  

Good luck.

On 12/12/2019 at 11:00 PM, AlgorithmOfTruth said:

I'm completely with you on that. The 62s and 68A's are very likely the best braking trains in their respective divisions. A bit of tweaking and they'll perform even better. However, they are aging, and ultimately, are not compatible with the modern hardware needed for ATO. I believe that's the reason why the  isn't jumping on the idea of refurbishing them—CBTC.

Of course.  But look at this save seconds initiative they have.  All this effort and extra supervision to speed up service and test signals that they've determined are outdated, not working as designed and can't handle the type of service they desire to run. 

They're investing into a handicapped signal system I figured they'd invest in these trains a little bit too.  

I've kind of had enough of the band aid remedies RTO is trying lately.  Supplements are maximized and any incident that happens (which is almost daily) brings everything to a complete standstill.  The IRT is a prime example of that daily, especially on the Lexington Line, Eastern Parkway, and Nostrand Junction. 

On 12/12/2019 at 3:17 AM, Schecter said:

Yeah the new contract is like a slap in the face lirr is already getting way more money than us lirr conductors and lirr train operators... and they're train operators also get to wear street clothes like tf....

They're not train operators they are Locomotive Engineers.   

You can't compare the two titles/crafts.  

Also people look at the money but they have to do 30 years to retire and are subject to a lot FRA that train operator/light rail operators aren't.  Everyone at RTO loves to compare themselves to the railroad and it is far from.  

2 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Is it true that in order to be a T/O now you have to be promoted to do it? 

Not as long as this list is still active

Folks remember RTO can only handle a limited amount of new employees at a time.  

You need instructors to train and yards with equipment to accommodate new classes, as well as supervision down the line.  

This job is not for everyone, but if you're determined, apply yourself, work hard, ask questions, keep a positive attitude, you'll make it.  

Also for anyone getting drafted into the A division, don't be discouraged.  The A division has less equipment, less reporting locations and a easier road to learn.  However the operation is more precise with tighter headway's, smaller stations, and ATS.   Great place to start as a Train Operator.  You can make a move later on in your career if you desire to.  You have 25 years.