GojiMet86

May 25, 2022

The MBB coaches leased from MBTA are on the way out, eventually the Mafersa coaches will be as well. There are still diesel services, it's not 100% electric yet.

Reading the M8s and Shore Line East thread on railroad.net, there are four dedicated M8 sets that are running on the SLE. They have their third-rail shoes removed because of a reoccuring problem on a bridge; it kept ripping the shoes off. So they are just pantograph only for the moment.

May 25, 2022

Over in London, the Elizabeth Line has finally opened!

May 17, 2022

I had the pleasure of visiting Montreal last month, first time visiting. Very cool to have a Francophone experience only 7 hours away from New York.

The STM runs the open-gangway Azur MPM-10 and the older MR-73, and the bus fleet is almost 100% Nova Bus, with the exception of some New Flyer electrics. Most stations are side platforms with some exceptions, and the platforms all have screens that show the next arriving train. The only line I didn't visit was the Blue Line. Trains were frequent and timely, and I did see heavy patronage.

Also got to see the Nova Plattsburgh plant, former MTA X3-45 0023 now running for STC Pierre de Saurel as 7721, and Adirondack Trailway's own X3-45.

IMG_6958 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_6969 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_6970 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_6996 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7000 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7002 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7019 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7023 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7029 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7050 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7082 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7084 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7088 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7090 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7093 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7097 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7098 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7103 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7109 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7120 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7127 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7138 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7139 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7143 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7145 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7146 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7149 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7151 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7152 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7153 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7156 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7166 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7178 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7198 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7205 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7208 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7211 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7239 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7248 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7279 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7288 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7291 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7302 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7314 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7315 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7323 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7411 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7413 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7414 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7431 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7450 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7457 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7467 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7468 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7471 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7477 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7495 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7515 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7531 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7534 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7544 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7545 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7549 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7559 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7568 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7571 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7574 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7578 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7581 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

IMG_7583 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

May 14, 2022

4 minutes ago, VIP said:

Where is this stated? This would mean the would Need R160’s

"In one potential headache for commuters, the construction will snarl nighttime weekend service along the station's three subway lines starting next year.

The station will close entirely between 4 a.m. Saturday and 10 p.m. Sunday for 10 weekends in 2023 and 2024, with 7 trains limited to eastern Queens and N trains running along the R line. Another series of weekend closures will suspend N service within Astoria, and between Queens and Manhattan."

queensboro%20plaza%20elevators%203.jpg?w

May 13, 2022

12 minutes ago, Future ENY OP said:

Proterras were never at Fresh Pond and Grand Avenue does not have the Q58 currently... I think you meant the Q59..

IMG_6356 by GojiMet86, on Flickr

May 12, 2022

I've seen a new structure being built on the sidewalk on Queens Plaza North and 27th Street. I thought that was going to be the elevator, but the article implies that's just a temporary staircase.

EDIT: I take it back. A new apartment tower on the north side will be building the elevator on Queens Plaza North.

Also, for 10 weekends, the (N) is going to run to Forest Hills, while another (N) is running between Ditmars and 39th Avenue, and the (7) will run between Flushing and 74th Street.

For another 4 weekends, the (N) is replaced by shuttle buses to Ditmars, and the (7) between QBP and Vernon, Times Square and Hudson Yards.

May 6, 2022

https://news.yahoo.com/subway-buff-former-nyc-transit-221200799.html

Quote

Subway buff and former NYC Transit cleaner busted for trespassing at Brooklyn train yard

Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News

Wed, May 4, 2022, 6:12 PM

A fired NYC Transit cleaner who loves subway trains was busted for trespassing at a Brooklyn rail yard where he’d gone to take pictures of old subway cars, police said Tuesday.

John Dooley, 32, allegedly drove his Ford Explorer into the 65th St. rail yard in Sunset Park last Thursday and started taking photos.

Two days earlier, the MTA had moved 12 decommissioned R32 Brightliner subway cars, first put on the tracks in 1964, to the yard, which is operated by New York New Jersey Rail, a Port Authority agency.

A source familiar with the investigation believes Dooley went to the yard to get one last look at the trains before their move this week to Ohio on a specialized barge.

Someone working at the yard confronted Dooley after recognizing him from a photo on a notice posted in a lunchroom making clear he is banned from transit properties, police said.

“I’m a New York City employee,” Dooley said when the worker asked him why he was there, according to sources.

Dooley left the yard a short time later. Shortly after he left, police were notified.

Dooley was hired by NYC Transit in 2011 and was fired in 2017 following a number of allegations, including that he had tried to impersonate a train operator, said a law enforcement source.

Dooley had also posted on Facebook and Instagram pictures of himself at transit locations off-limits to cleaners, such as inside the tunnel for the Second Ave. subway line, on a work train and on the tracks, the source said. Dooley was also caught with keys used by train operators, said the source said.

On Tuesday, the NYPD’s Vandals Task Force pulled Dooley over shortly after he drove away from his Bensonhurst home. He allegedly had on him a switchblade and a Taser, train keys and an invalid transit ID card, police said. A drone was found in his car.

He was charged with criminal trespass, weapon possession and possession of stolen property — the train keys.

Dooley was released after his arraignment. He did not respond to a request for comment.

......So that's how he gets those photos on nycsubway.org. I had whispers here and there that he wasn't an employee but was still sneaking into the system. This clears things up.

April 20, 2022

https://abc7ny.com/nj-transit-bus-fire-north-bergen-new-jersey/11773944

FQ0Prs2WYAEmcG-?format=jpg&name=large

NORTH BERGEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Several NJ Transit buses were engulfed in flames while sitting in a parking lot in North Bergen Wednesday afternoon.

A total of seven buses were sitting in the parking lot on 18th Street and Tonnelle Avenue.

News Coper 7 was live over the scene which showed at least six of the buses engulfed in flames.

North Bergen Police said the fire and rescue department is on the scene and working to put out the fire.

So far, no injuries have been reported.

Officials say to expect heavy traffic delays in the area.

April 19, 2022

Great, the last thing the subway needs is to become a high school......

April 10, 2022

Again with this guy?......

April 2, 2022

Local Bus map:

https://new.mta.info/document/79621

Express Bus map:

https://new.mta.info/document/79626

March 30, 2022

Q39 - Good idea to have this line (or maybe another line) cover Vernon with connections to both Queensbridge and Court Square. Almost all riders north and south of Queensbridge were using the Q103 for the station.

Q68 - Can't speak much about the Brooklyn portion of it, don't know enought of the B24. The Steinway portion is fine; I will miss the one-seat ride to 2nd Avenue, it's been very useful over the years.

Q69 - The extension to Hunters Point has been growing on me for a while. It has heavier ridership at Queensbridge than at Queens Plaza, and it still manages to serve Court Square while also serving a growing neighborhood.

Q105 - It manages to combine two lower ridership corridors/bases (the Q102 on 31st Street and the Q101 on Upper Steinway). If Rikers is indeed planned to closed, it'll probably be cut back to 19th Avenue. OR maybe have it (or the Q68) turn left on 20th Avenue and towards the river. The 20/30 minute frequencies do seem in line. I do wonder if it should be extended to Manhattan as a replacement for the Q101, I would think ridership would be the same.

B62 - A service running from Hallets Cove on 21st Street is a good idea, but the B62 is getting really stretched out at this point, might as well have the B32, Q39 via 21st instead, or a new line instead.

March 21, 2022

48 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

This is true, but the flip side of the same coin is that it shouldn't necessarily be the Transit Authority's responsibility for treating the consequences of mental illness, which is sort of what we're talking about here. As a large-scale investment you'd have a hard time convincing me it was a better, more equitable, or more productive use of money than installing ADA access, improving frequencies, repairing stations, etc. It's a moot point given how limited the scope of possible PSD stations is, according to that report (basically everything with platform-edge columns out of the running, so the whole early IRT, and then everything elevated for weight), but sort of an interesting question to consider.

This isn't just a mental health or a crime thing. People do sometimes collapse near the edge for health reasons. There would be significantly less garbage in the tracks, reducing the risk of fires. No shopping carts to screw up sevice. Restricted access to prevent people from entering places they aren't supposed to be in. People would be breathing less rail shavings, which is still a thing. And if overcrowding ever returns, that would dramatically reduce 12-9s. It's not a coincidence that for years the Lexington line saw higher 12-9s than other lines.

This is the same MTA that said a Rockaway revival would be $10 billion, only for someone to dig a little deeper and say it could cost $3B. It's the same MTA that refuses to open closed exits for fear of activating ADA requirements. It's the same MTA that said no to gangways, now the R211s will have them. It takes political pressure (or bullying) to force it to do something. I take the report with a pinch of salt.

It was supposed to try PSDs on the shuttle in 2016 at Times Square, then it was stopped. Then there was supposed to be that pilot on the (L) back in 2017, but it was postponed.

This is the classic MTA M.O. It says it can't be done, until something forces its hand. Then viola, it's there and they get to celebrate their "innovation".

If NYC is ever able to build a completely new subway line, then it really should have PSDs. There wouldn't be an excuse then.

March 21, 2022

1 minute ago, R10 2952 said:

So you're just going to twist my words now, to fit your narrative?

How many ways are there of twisting "idiot-proofing"? For starters, maybe don't exaggerate and write "idiot-proofing" when not all people winding up on the tracks are idiots.

1 minute ago, R10 2952 said:

You know what, I don't need people pigeonholing me into categories that I've never even been in. Fact is, I did raise a legitimate issue about platform screen doors a few pages back:

But if these points somehow make me a NIMBY, a libertarian, or a railfan of all things, then I guess we have nothing to discuss...

This technology is used in dozens upon dozens of transit systems, foreign and domestic, yet you seem to think fire safety just, whoops, slipped hundreds of thousands of people's minds? Do you really think people are that daft about this issue? You don't think people around the world have come up with fire codes, regulations, and enforcements for this?

17 minutes ago, R32 3838 said:

In some cases yeah that's true but not all transit fans think like that. My issue is how it's being done. Instead of investing in more of a standardized way of doing things, They half ass it. I have no issue with the platform doors, My issue is the fact that this is more important than station rehabs. Supthin - Archer looks like a hell hole and other stations are in need of a need a rehab. Times sq on the is the only renovated station getting platform doors.

All of this is just putting lipstick on a pig instead of doing it right.

Getting hung up on why one specific station hasn't gotten one does not mean it doesn't happen.

All signs point to the contrary. Station rehabs have been prioritized over the years, well-done or half-assed, with platform doors being dismissed time and time again until now.

22 minutes ago, MHV9218 said:

Generally speaking, I don't really understand why this is an essential problem now as opposed to any other point in the subway's history. Nothing against PSDs, but seems like a better use of money would be investing in social services and policing that would together reduce the number of people ending up on the tracks in the first place.

That should come out of the city's or state's pocket, not the MTA. It's not the transit authority's responsibility for treating mental illness.

March 21, 2022

1 minute ago, Deucey said:

Vegas did that at a few intersections on the Strip and built bridges to reduce car vs people collisions.

Transit systems around the world put up PSDs to reduce passenger track incursions. Dunno why anyone would be against anything that would reduce delays from someone getting hit by a train, but you do you.

90+ years of people ending up in the tracks, intentional or not, delaying trains, traumatizing workers, etc. If the MTA does wind up doing it, it's fine. More like transit fans getting upset they may not get their photos. As a guy with a big Flickr collection, I'm okay with that.

If it doesn't do it, then it doesn't do it. But any legit reason not to do it should be due to actual physical limitations, not some exaggerated NIMBY-esque libertarian complaint.

About LV, the bridges are really there because the intersections are too busy, wide, and complicated. It's an unfortunate failure of urban planning that cars are over-prioritized over transit, biking, and walking.

March 21, 2022

1 minute ago, R10 2952 said:

Not with this agency you can't; I've been around long enough to see that. With their shitty maintenance practices, screen doors will just become another thing that malfunctions and messes up travel.

As to your second point, it can sound however you want it to; platform screen doors are not going to give the pushers and the jumpers the mental health intervention they need. That's the real solution needed. Otherwise, the mentally deficient will just go somewhere else- they'll jump off buildings, or they'll push people in front of buses and trucks.

And then where does the slippery slope lead? Do we put up barricades on every curbside? Do we start mandating helmets for pedestrians? Do we replace all glass with plastic, and all metal utensils with wood?

Good intentions are the paving blocks on the road to nowhere.

No mention of the mental health of the train operators who have to live with the trauma of having run over a person, excuse me, an "idiot" in your terms, who was shoved into the tracks?

March 20, 2022

1 hour ago, R10 2952 said:

Thank you for bringing up the last two points. Some people on these boards get so hung up on extraneous bells and whistles that they don't think about the bigger priorities. The other day in the news a woman's car got hit by a piece of metal coming off an el.

All these structures in disrepair, but we're supposed to jump for joy at the prospect of idiot-proofing the system with fiberglass screens? Too many folks around here see a falling tree without seeing the entire damn forest fire.

I don't know if you've learned this, but not everything in life is a binary decision. You can have both infrastructure repairs and platform screen doors. Life is never Black and White. You can have both.

Also, preventing people from getting shoved off platforms or killing themselves throughout the years is not just bells and whistles. Nor is that "idiot" proofing. Or are you really implying that all these victims are complete buffons? Because it sounds like that to me...

March 20, 2022

51 minutes ago, Eric B said:

looks nice. But people and things (perhaps deliberately some times) would be getting caught in the space between the train and the screen doors! As much as I think we need them; I don't see how it could ever work!

People and things (perhaps deliberately some times) end up in our subway tracks on the open platforms we have!

Platform doors work fine in dozens upon dozens of other systems in the world. China has a ton of them, and all of those systems are overcrowded. Yet those incidents are very rare. Same in Japan. Same in Paris, which managed to retrofit its oldest line.

Deaths due to screen doors occur much less than what we have had in NY.

How many people have died or gotten injured in American airport shuttles? I can't ever recall hearing about such an incident at JFK.

It can work.

March 18, 2022

I was on 3929 earlier today. Basically all buses have the OMNY pads. But I saw there was an extra device near the driver as well. It has a picture of a walking man (exactly like sidewalk crossing signs). What is that supposed to be?

It looks like a black box with this on it:

March 12, 2022

I noticed that in Sunset Park, over on 39th Street between 9th and New Utretch Avenues, the westbound B35 stop is physically there (lollipop and shelter), but the eastbound B35 stop doesn't physically exist. There were still people waiting at that location and it shows up on Tracker. Anyone know what the deal is?

March 8, 2022

2 hours ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Yeah it happened to me a few days ago. I uninstalled it and installed it back and it worked normally.

I just updated it now, and that did the trick as well.

March 8, 2022

Anyboy having trouble with the Hillman Transit Tracker? I haven't been able to check routes or vehicles.

March 5, 2022

38 minutes ago, CenSin said:

The branching proposal is like taking the worst of each option. Less throughput to/from the airport, less throughput to/from Ditmars Boulevard and Astoria Boulevard, an extra fork/merge for 2 Broadway routes… the only happy campers are those between Queensboro Plaza and 30 Avenue. They would be guaranteed 2 services unless the MTA figures out a way to make an for Astoria.

There's also the issue of how the train is going to run under the Hell Gate approach around 42nd Street. Amtrak gets lower the further away it gets from the river, so by the time it runs over the GCP, it's only some 20 feet above Astoria Boulevard proper, and barely some 40 feet above the GCP. The Steinway Street overpass is 2 blocks west and the 43rd Street one is the next block.

The line is going to have to rollercoaster its way through. Either that, or it will have to climb up and over Amtrak (nope).

It's why extending the line north of Ditmars is the better rail option.