QM1to6Ave

9 hours ago, Cait Sith said:

Whatever that is deemed to be too much info or whatever, hit the report button and we'll take a look at it. Us mods and the admins aren't around all the time to look at everything on this site, but the reports notify us.

And as for the second part. It's not just forums where information is going around like wildfire, its places like Facebook/FB Messenger, Discord groups(which has become extremely popular among these teenage fans), facebook groups and more. And I do have to side with @R32 3838on the statement that employees do tell these kids sensitive information in various places on the internet, as a lot of these kids always try to make friends with employees for their own gain(which is especially true on Instagram).

Social media, and the internet as a whole has become a hunting ground for information for these kids, not just transit forums like this one.

That is very interesting...you always hear about adults who groom kids to trick them into being abused and whatnot, but these kids sound like they are "grooming" the adults and manipulating them! Pretty scary.

1 hour ago, Peter Dougherty said:

At yesterday's NTSB conference they stated that the light train had the brakes and motors cut out in the front five cars; the R62As here are arranged in two 5-car units to make up a train.  The front half of the train was rolling essentially like a shopping cart; no motor, no brakes, just being pushed and stopped from the 5-car unit behind. It was said that there were two employees at the head end looking out the front, ostensibly relaying signal and track information to the train operator who was in the 6th car of the train and making control inputs from there.

It's highly doubtful that the local track's home signal (X-288) would have been showing anything but a stop indication at this point for at least two reasons: A conflicting/crossing movement was lined in front of it, and the block was occupied. The very design of an interlocking is to prevent this precise thing, by displaying a stop indication, enforced with a trip arm. With the lead car's brakes cut out, getting tripped would have had no effect. As such I strongly doubt the signal system or the tower/OCC operator(s) would have any blame at all. I hope there were platform cameras recording to capture the light train's actions; that will be absolutely key, in my opinion.

To me, it all comes down to why that train was in the station at all, and even if it was authorized to be there by supervision, did it stop at the home signal? If it did, why did it move with the signal still displaying a stop indication? If it didn't stop, why didn't it stop if there were TWO crew members observing the road ahead, both radio equipped, both presumably with the ability to issue a stop command to the train operator 300 feet behind them.

Another question I have is if the A division road channel on the radio was clear at the time or congested, and whether the crew was operating on that road channel, or the train-to-train "talkaround" channel. The transit system's radio system infrastructure is essentially a holdover from the 1960s only with more modern radios. I don't know where the road channel's transmitting antenna is located for that section of track, but it's entirely possible that if the train crew was operating on the talkaround channel and the dispatcher-to-train (road) channel was also transmitting at the same time and with enough power, a stop command might not have been easily heard. With FM radios, whoever has the loudest signal wins and that's what the receiver captures; it would override a weaker signal underneath it. Granted this is a stretch, and wild speculation on my part, but as somewhat of a radio expert, I can tell you I've seen this situation occur many, many times, where a simplex transmission is missed because a repeater or a different and stronger simplex transmitter keys up at the same time; the weaker signal is not received. If the STOP command was given and the channel was congested, it's possible the train operator never received the command. But that still doesn't answer the question of why it didn't stay stopped at the home signal.

Thank you for that summary!

10 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

when we cut out the brakes on a train, the trip cock does nothing. 

Ahh, thank you! This may sound dumb, but what does "cutting out the brakes" mean exactly? The train can still be stopped.manually, right?

I don't understand how one of the two trains wasn't stopped by a red signal 

1 minute ago, Kingsbridgeviewer382 said:

Maybe? Best case scenario, it's just the flooring that got bent and can be replaced easily. Worst case scenario, the frame is too damaged for a repair to be feasible. Either way, that 5-car set (2411-2415) is going to be out for quite a while.

Yeah, they won't even be able to touch it for a long time while the investigation is underway. I wonder if NTSB gets involved here.

Jesus, I don't remember seeing pictures like that in a while. I'm confused as to what happened exactly--sounds like a work train hit the train and then the derailed from the impact (or from crossing over a switch from the impact?). I'm sure details will come out, but that is really scary.

I'm guessing stop arms don't stop work trains that cross red signals?

On 12/31/2023 at 6:53 PM, KDGallagher said:

Eagle team really can't do anything. 

 

MTA really don't care. I drive in the bronx, might as well make these routes sbs, believe it or not more people would pay for the bus. 

I've started seeing NYPD TB cops (usually a sergeant and 2 officers) join the Eagle Team at the M15SBS stops (usually the one on 29th st). Theoretically, it would help, but in reality I see the eagle team halfheartedly check tickets, and if someone slips by, NYPD watches them walk away. It's  a total joke. 

It's scary to see in that video that at least one of them has an MTA vest and hat, and look old enough that they could pass as real employees 

But if that McCollum guy was able to get away with breaking into MTA property over and over, I have little faith they can stop a group of determined morons like these

6 hours ago, IAlam said:

Maybe because this is mainly a CS issue but I was so used to fareboxes being broken I was hesitant to start using OMNY. But now it seems the other way around. The farebox almost always works and it’s the OMNY reader that’s broken, but I’ve yet to see it happen at a route for another depo until now.

It's even more prevalent on SBS routes, where one reader might be broken but others work at other doors

On 12/26/2023 at 1:20 PM, IAlam said:

This is a first for me, got on the QM5 and the OMNY reader didn’t work so I got a free ride. 😁

I've had quite a few like that...OMNY readers are definitely more glitchey than fareboxes. One day last week i caught the same bus to and from the city, and omny reader was broken both ways

What's going on with these political protests at/outside Grand Central and Penn Station every other night? My coworkers complain bitterly about how difficult it is to get to their trains, and some of them are quite scared of the protestors (they've shown me some pretty crazy videos of doors and windows getting smashed). MTA PD and NYPD seem to just watch but not really intervene from what I can tell.

1 hour ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

 

Sounds like NST wanted a faster ride to Manhattan. Will there be more QM1/31 to cover the "inner zone"?

I wish! 

4 hours ago, Robert Spire said:

I think it is cover for the MTA to continue to insist on other cuts. So when the public hearing comes around they'll walk back this cutback and keep other cuts. 

I hope so! I already wrote to my (mostly useless) representatives to push back. Maybe one will answer if I'm lucky. 

18 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

 

How much "advertising" do they need to do? The service almost markets itself, with large buses that are kind of hard to miss.

Well, considering how many people in Manhattan try to get on the buses thinking they are locals, the message doesn't seem to be crystal clear...I frequently hear people at the Queens bus stops asking other passengers "that bus goes to manhattan? When? How much does it cost? 

How does all of this affect depots/union issues? Is there an internal plan for how this all gets divided up amongst the depots and unions?

10 hours ago, Ex696 said:

So the portion of Union Turnpike closer to the subway has higher express bus ridership than the section further from the subway? Interesting, definitely not what I expected...

Yup...I think it's a population density issue...there are a lot more houses and apartment buildings the further west you go on Union Tpke. Plus, a lot of people choose to live in that area with the expectation that they will work in Manhattan since it is not that far away.

Plus the Q46-->subway is so slow and packed, that a fair number of people opt for the Exp bus. Unfortunately, they do not do nearly enough advertising of the Exp bus. Esp with congestion pricing, they need to start advertising it more, and even creating off-peak reduced fares to entice people to try it out.

If I'm reading the Union Tpke Exp bus changes correctly:

They walked back the most egregious cuts (weekends and midday), and will have both the QM1/31 and QM5/35 continue to serve Union Tpke west of 188th St

BUT, the QM6/36 will still be cut west of 188th street.

I don't understand why they are so insistent on cutting the West of 188th street service! That is where a majority of ridership comes from, even on the QM6. The QM6/36 will now basically be private service for North Shore Towers.

With congestion pricing, I really don't understand why they would reduce options, especially if congestion pricing should theoretically be reducing traffic overall, which means that the time savings on the QM6 would not be needed.

How much time and money was wasted on those ridiculous plans (there was the Q46 that would go all the way down 108th Street, and all those crazy renumbered routes with T's and all sorts of nonsense)?? 

On 12/9/2023 at 12:46 PM, mikecintel said:

I have called MTA to see when the Metro Card machines to be taken away and the rep that I spoke with she stated Feb 20,2024 and that will be when ALL OMNY machines will be in all 472 subway station.  So that means the Metro Vending Machines will be taking away then.  That is strange because in 2 months they will have it in all subway stations?  MTA is very slow at doing things so I am kind of surprise what she told me that. Then she transferred me to OMNY support.  I asked that same question and the supervisor said it will be in 2024 but "we don't have a set date" when the OMNY machines be in all subway but it will be "by mid 2024" it will be in all subway stations.  Then I said then why did the rep said Feb 20,2024 and he said that "We PLAN to have it all out on by then".  Then he said after all the OMNY Machines are at 472 you can still use the Metro Card for "some time" and then it will be all OMNY. I even asked when will there be a 30 day cap for the monthly and he said "we did not roll out that yet" but we will "mirror" the Metro Card 30 unlimited day.  Then  I asked him will it be like how the 7 day cap is and he said we don't know because it is not rolled out yet.

Feb 2024 is not the middle of 2024.  I also asked the OMNY supervisor when the Reduce Fare OMNY physical calls will be mailed out.  I said the last time i called they said before the end of 2023 and now he said "we don't have a set date when we are going to mail out the Reduce Fare OMNY physical card" BUT it should be the next couple of weeks before the end of 2023.  Then she said if it is not in December then it will be in 2024.  I can't believe I don't have a straight answer.

They are so incompetent. No one can stick to any schedule at the MTA

16 hours ago, Railfanner Jake said:

9095-9096 finally in service. Leading west on an 8 car set. Last 9090 series pair awaiting is 9093-9094

Finally!

3 minutes ago, GreatOne2k said:

42 St Shuttle would be the 0

 

https://new.mta.info/sites/default/files/2019-06/t0cur.pdf

Thanks!

4 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

So, when you’re new with transit, you are “extra extra” or “XX” and can be assigned anywhere in your division. 
 

being a B division Conductor, that means every single line save for the shuttles.

i now have enough seniority to pick to be assigned down to working “extra”.

aside from the two divisions, the subway is broken down into five districts.

District 1: 0,1,2,5

district 2: 3,4,6

district 3 (B division South): B,D,N,Q,R,S,W

District 4 (B division North): A,C,H,J/Z,L,M

District 5 (Queens): E,F,G,7

(don’t ask me about the 7, I don’t know exactly why it’s lumped in with the QBL… operationally it’s crewed by district 1)

 

anyway, once you are high enough in seniority, you can pick to be assigned to just one of the districts in your division. This is “extra list” or “XL”. So that means, starting next month, I will only be working on the A,C,J/Z,L or M.

i will no longer have to go to the bronx.

i will no longer have to go to Stillwell Avenue.

i will no longer have to go to 179/hillside.

I will not longer have to work on R68/As.

Awesome, congrats on making it this point, just in time for Thanksgiving!!

(Also, what is the "0" in District 1 referring to?)

7 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

cha cha cha cha cha!

I got XL No-orth!

cha cha cha cha cha!

 

Sorry, I'm in a good mood. no more running all over town like a maniac. carry on. 

Cool, what's XL North?

6 minutes ago, 7-express said:

Yeah it just seems like they need to add in an additional authentication step that verifies that you have a valid account linked to a particular card and then another type for customer support to view all transactions.  Doesn't seem like rocket science but it will probably take a while for them to rebuild since it wasn't originally specced out and will need to go through many levels of testing and validation before being rolled out again.  I don't expect to see it back till the end of next year if I was a betting person.

So irritating!

11 hours ago, Calvin said:

6074 at LGA has its external mirrors placed back. I wonder if the new mirrors that was on this unit before did not work out well as expected. 

Might have been the plan all along if it was just a temporary test

13 hours ago, MHV9218 said:

Total political favor appointment like everyone else in this crooked administration! Ydanis has no clue about anything.

I can't understand a single word Ydanis has ever said

9 hours ago, mikecintel said:

Hmmm I have to see when I fully use the OMNY card and use the machine to reload my money on my OMNY card do I get an email or not.  Right now I will buy the OMNY cards and I will still use my Metro Card because the OMNY still doesn't have 30 days monthly which I need.

Unless you are paying cash to reload the card, the autofill option through the website is great. Works very well and I never need to think about it