QM1to6Ave

On 7/25/2022 at 4:53 PM, Bill from Maspeth said:

Call Control Center and be governed by their instructions.

What would USUALLY happen is one door would by keyed open by the crew on the cars that has platformed in the front section of the train.  The conductor opens the rear section normally.  The train usually continues in service and picks up a TSS enroute with the t/o being interviewed by the TSS determining if the t/o is fit for service or not.  The TSS would operate the train a few stops to check the brakes.  But in this case since the incident happened on the structure with likely wet rails, the train will stop a lot differently with dry rails underground. 

Interesting, it seems like a liability risk to let the T/O continue in service until s/he picks up a TSS for the interview further down the line. God forbid the T/O is having a stroke or is drunk or something, another accident could occur in the meantime. I'm surprised they don't have to wait for the TSS to arrive on the scene

3 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Not sure, but Prevost is ceasing to manufacture at that factory after this year.

https://www.busandmotorcoachnews.com/prevost-to-end-new-york-manufacturing-operation/#:~:text=Prevost will end manufacturing commuter,Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

LOL, yeah, that about sums it up

7 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

No idea, but I'm guessing the  thought it was a good idea to have it this way. I'm on a new one now. It displays the mask reminder and alternates between other ads and the approaching stops.

It's amazing how many glitches are in these new systems. Are we the first major system to use them?? I can't imagine that these same issues haven't occurred in other transit systems.

2 hours ago, IAlam said:

Don't the drivers have a light on their dash still? I thought the reason it was eliminated was because the drivers didn't need the big sign in the front where there's a stop request light on the dash that's supposed to light up.

I believe I have seen some sort of "stop requested" section of the B/O's dash light up when someone pushes the button. The issue for me is that there is no audible ding/"stop requested" verbalization on a lot of Prevosts, and if the screens aren't showing "stop request", you don't know if A- the button is working or B- if the B/O actually saw the alert appear or not. The ding and audible "stop requested" at least makes it more likely the B/O becomes aware of the stop request.

1 hour ago, NBTA said:

Bus 3354 got into an accident. Everyone’s okay, but the cops chased and caught 2/3 of the assailants who ran into the bus (I would know cause I was on it, I’m okay too).

What happened??

2 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Another driver out on Staten Island was caught doing this. Not sure if it was the same driver or not, but during rush hours, I've been getting complaints about this one driver not making any pick-ups stops along 23rd St on the SIM10. This is the second time I have heard of such an incident. Occasionally dispatch may have drivers skip stops to get back on schedule, but some drivers are taking it upon themselves now to just do as they please on quite a few lines.

Previously, it was a bus operator that pointed it out to a passenger and said, "Look at this guy". This leads to other buses being packed as in standing room only and tons of complaints from riders, and rightfully so. The issue is sometimes passengers aren't even aware because the drivers change their signage to "NOT IN SERVICE" or skip parts of the route, then go into service further along the route, so you have to really be paying attention. I told you about that QM6 driver a few years ago.

I would get him every Sunday morning, either at 36th & 6th or 42nd & 6th. Well one Sunday I'm waiting at 42nd & 6th and I see a bus with CP stickers on it with a NOT IN SERVICE sign up around the time that this guy should be at my stop, so I make a mental note of bus# (I actually still remember the # - 3214, as he always had that bus) keep BusTime open in desktop mode to see if anything pops up because nothing is coming and now I'm going to be late because the QM6 is only once an hour, so now I'm pissed because I have to re-arrange everything including my pick-up from the express bus, so suddenly I see the bus on BusTime, the same number on 57th St by 3rd Av. He had skipped all of the stops. I took screenshots immediately and reached out with all of the details. Next week I got him again and I didn't say anything because I know he had been read the riot act. He kept looking around trying to figure out who it was that complained. I got off at Chevy Chase and Union Turnpike and again said nothing. That's the way I do it now. Keep my phone out and take photos if necessary and send them in with my complaint, this way they can't deny what happened.

Yeah, I've had B/Os see me get passed by and tell me to report the other B/Os because it upsets them too

47 minutes ago, lornaevo said:

As a BO I totally understand your frustration. This happens a lot even on local lines and the operator who’s following gets an earful from the customer. Happened to me yesterday. I got yelled at for being late, even though I passed my leader to keep the line moving. Something needs to be done. 

Jeez, that's terrible!

Apologies to @lornaevo and any other CP B/Os on here who are good, hardworking folks trying to do their jobs properly, but...

I am FED UP with these CP express B/Os and their bulls*it games of turning off their destination signs and skipping stops. Once again, it happened today in the rain during morning rush hour to Manhattan. B/O of bus 3399 on the QM35 is about to get a complaint. B/O turns on "next bus please" even though I see lots of open seats as he goes by, and he purposely moves into the passing lane so there is no chance of flagging him down. What an a**hole. 

I don't know where these guys get the balls to do this, but it has been consistent since the start of the pandemic. I'll never forgive them for all the times I got passed by while trying to get to my jobs at the hospitals during March-April of 2020. If not for @Via Garibaldi 8 it would be even worse. And they all still take up the first seat with their personal property as if they are entitled to the seat.

1 hour ago, Kamen Rider said:

Well, tomorrow is the day… we’re set loose. Posting time is here.

14 lines, 14 days.

What I mean is what I said. I’m a rather literal kinda girl. 
 

the plastic that surrounds the metal pins that’s transfer the current were melting. I had to give it a rather good yank to ge my end off the third rail.

Damnn!!! Well, good luck on the road!!

2 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

So… today was … something else.

 

we report to PS 248 at 7AM. They bunch us into a class room, all 20 B division people from my induction group.

 

first sign this was going to be “one of those days” was an unfamiliar face. Long story short a miscommunication on the A division side resulted in on of thier guys ended up at pS248 instead of where his class was in the Bronx. He was allowed to join us for the day.

 

We spent all day calling the poor man “A Division Guy”.

 

so it’s 7AM… we’re all waiting… and waiting… and waiting… turns out one of the our instructor TSS got picked for a Random and was over at the MAC.

 

she didn’t get back till about 9:30.

 

we were supposed to be doing the jumper cables at 38th street yard, so we walked over to the D train at 25th avenue.

we’re waiting for the northbound D when the TSSs figure “we should call 38th, make sure they know we’re coming.”

 

only to be told the yard is under a GO and third rail power is off for two weeks.

So they diced “screw it, let’s just do it in Coney Island Yard”.

so we go to the other platform to get the D to CI, and then take the N to 86th to use the back entrance to the yard.

we’re crossing over between the platforms at Stillwell Avenue when we notice someone hanging caution tape on the top of the stairs to the N.

 

turns out there was another GO in our way…

 

we ended up taking the shuttle bus, who was nice enough to drop us off at the yard entrance.

we cross the yard and spend a good half an hour at the crew room waiting.

we are brought back outside and led to a train. Turns out it was “other than head car operations”.

the TSSs figure “let’s just use this train and bring the cables here.” We sat there a while; to the point many folks were nodding off.

 

they take us off the train and back to the tower for more waiting before we get told to take an hour for lunch.

 

come back and finally get to use the jumpers… which procced to melt in our hands.

 

and all of this was filled by a three hour long anti-terror lecture.

 

nothing quite like ending a long, physically exhausting day with an emotionally exhausting topic about the world we live in…

Pretty concerning that the right hand doesn't seem to know what the left hand is doing...I'd hope for better communication! And what do you mean the jumpers melted in your hand LOL?? That sounds terrifying!

16 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Haven't been posting here lately, but we've been busy. I had an interview with Fox 5 News that aired last Wednesday night regarding a bus stop loaded with garbage that we're trying to get moved. We also had another Zoom meeting on the Queens Redesign for feedback. We may do a walk through along the QM10 for people concerned about losing their bus stops and service. We've also been talking with the  about the new bus operator shields that block the aisle in the event of an emergency among other things. 

Excellent work as always!

On 6/24/2022 at 10:59 PM, 7-express said:

Looking through the MTA board books for this month, it looks like 161 out of 257 of the Prevosts for MTA Bus.  They also have an open procurement for 250 more additional express buses for MTA Bus.

They won't need them if they push through all the proposed cuts in queens...

39 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

The whole thing is stupid. Needed to make a stop after I got my express bus in, so I jumped on a local bus from Columbus Circle. Old man gets on. Maskless driver immediately notes that the guy needs to be behind the white line. I said if he is so about going by the book, he would have his mask on.

HA! Can't make this sh*t up

24 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Total BS. There is NOTHING definitive about any implementation. They don't just implement it. It has to be voted on by the Board and they are still taking feedback. Wrong of her to spread misinformation like that.  Spoke with the  by phone today and via e-mail. They are not in any time crunch to get this done. They were aggressively looking to implement the redesigns with the previous lesdership.

HA! This lady seemed kooky, so I am glad to double check her announcement lol

I had a B/O on the Q46 (same one I also posted about in the QUeens Redesign thread) who kept yelling at people to stand behind the white line, even though the black tape over the original white line was coming up so it was hard to tell which white line was the "correct" one. THis made me think, when are they gonna go back to the original while lines already? It doesn't even make sense, since the first seat is unchained now, so you can be sitting in front of the new white line LOL

I had  B/O on the Q46 today who announced that the Bus Redesign will go into effect in April (she literally announced it over the PA so that "ya'll can do yo homework because them bus stops gonna be changin'). Any one know if there is truth to that? Haven't seen it officially listed anywhere.

6 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

There is also a similar plan for the Hudson Line, with two stations (one around 62nd Street and one at 125th Street), but it is not as far in the process to my understanding.

Cool! It makes sense, since Amtrak already goes to/from Penn Station using the existing Hell Gate tracks. I remember years ago posting on here "why can't MNRR theoretically use Amtrak's track to go to Penn Station?" and one of the MNRR employees on here was like "well, it's impossible because we aren't taught how to operate that track" and I was like "well, why can't they just teach you that and get you all certified?" LOL

6 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Yes, service on New Haven Line is planned to NYP, they will also build new Metro North stations in The Bronx on the route between New Rochelle and Penn station.

 

https://new.mta.info/project/penn-station-access

Thanks!

Potentially dumb question, but was there ever a plan with ESA to have MNRR go to Penn Station?

The QM5/6 to Queens on Saturday evenings are consistently more filled than I've ever seen...tonight, the 10:00 pm QM5 had 25 people on it, and in the past few weeks (except Memorial Day Weekend), the 9:30 QM6 had 30 people. And of course they want to cut down on the weekend service now that people are using it more heavily SMH

22 hours ago, bobtehpanda said:

So, normally the way these kinds of projects work is that the funding requests to the feds also include a plan of service and how it is going to get paid for. To some degree, this plan has to be followed, otherwise Uncle Sam gets testy that you didn't build and operate what you said you were going to, and they demand their grant money back.

That being said, ESA blew out its budget 3x, so who even knows? But technically these expenses have been known for years and are supposed to be budgeted for in advance. Operations is, thankfully, a place where the budget can't blow out 3x, unless the MTA somehow hired 2x ghosts for every employee they actually hired.

Ha! Don't give the MTA amy ideas now, especially with the "1 in 3" hiring rule

9 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I just took a look at the M14 schedule out of curiosity. They must cut some trips unofficially because there is no way that anyone should be waiting 40 minutes for that bus during the day, which I once experienced. The amount of M14D trips can be two or three for every one, but the M14A is still scheduled to run most of the day every ten minutes or less. I've experienced something similar with the M34 where there was no bus (the M34 runs poorly compared to the M34A) and I just decided to walk since I was only walking a handful of blocks. 

Oh yes, the M34 is hot garbage. The waits for that bus are unbelievable sometimes (I've had that for both the 34 and 34A).

On 6/1/2022 at 10:01 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

Why don't you use the routes and see for yourself? I don't understand all of these posts with people proposing to "fix issues" when they have never used the lines. Both branches are necessary because of how isolated those parts of Lower Manhattan are. I know because I had to travel to them from my office for meetings regularly pre-COVID. I usually went by car, but on occasion, depending on the exact location, I have used the M14A and M14D. I forget which one, but one line was very unreliable and the waits could be quite long. I think that's what led me to eventually going by car unless I wasn't in a rush.

My usage of both lines was before they put in the bus only sections though, and I can say that the 14th St section from my experience moved very well the times I used it. I am not sure what could be done to address any of the issues south of 14th St though. 

I rode it frequently for a time before covid, after they installed the bus only sections, and it moved nicely and was pretty consistent. Limiting the traffic made a big difference

2 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

Care to elaborate ? Even though they claim that it’s a draft I, personally, don’t think they are going to change much in their final planning. I wonder how this compares with their borough bus redesign plans? My take. Carry on.

Good point. These new timetables look like service increases overall, while the Queens bus redesign is a glorified service cut. I get that some of the LIRR changes are confusing, but overall seems like a win. Its definitely making me consider moving from Queens to LI (this isn't tge only reason, of course, but it sweetens the deal) 

I'm curious, as I read about all the upcoming increases in LIRR service because of ESA (which is now apparently called Grand Central Madison), where is all the extra cash coming from to pay for service increases when ridership is down since the pandemic, and all the express buses are getting cut (excuse me, I mean "right-sized" as part of the redesigns)? This is making me want to buy a house out on LI, since that will apparently be a better commute 2 years from now than trying to get to the city from Queens.