SUBWAY - Random Thoughts Topic

[Via Garibaldi 8]

As I was saying (posted accidentally in another thread), it's being reported that Sarah Feinberg is set to be nominated as the Chairwoman of the  and will shed her "interim" label. The CEO role will go to Janno Lieber, currently Chief Development Officer.

[paulrivera]

I wonder who's going to head NYCT now...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

16 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

I wonder who's going to head NYCT now...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Pay Foye is leaving the  ... https://www.newsday.com/long-island/transportation/foye-stepping-down-as-mta-chair-1.50271473

[R10 2952]

21 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

IDK if it ever happened post GOH but the cars that became the GOH redbirds have ran on the

 

 

 

Not my photos credit goes to nycsubway.org. 

 

11 hours ago, paulrivera said:

This is the closest thing I found on Google to a modern day redbird on the . I can't verify it's authenticity.

 

10 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

That photo is real, it's an R17 on a fan trip IIRC. 

Yeah, what I had in mind was Redbirds in revenue service on the  post-GOH; they never appeared there once, not even for service changes, but there were folks years ago on SubChat who kept insisting that it happened sometime in the '90s.

As I said, there don't seem to be any photos of it having ever happened, so I'm convinced it was just a rumor. 

[R10 2952]

6 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

As I was saying (posted accidentally in another thread), it's being reported that Sarah Feinberg is set to be nominated as the Chairwoman of the  and will shed her "interim" label. The CEO role will go to Janno Lieber, currently Chief Development Officer.

6 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

 

Her leadership does not inspire confidence; she's a complete puppet, without any independent thought of her own.  Cuomo's father also had ego issues as governor, but at least Ravitch and Kiley were competent appointees, not hapless cronies.

[paulrivera]

29 minutes ago, R10 2952 said:

As I said, there don't seem to be any photos of it having ever happened, so I'm convinced it was just a rumor. 

I distinctly remember riding an R62 (not an R62A) on the  once (and only once). It was over 20 years ago, and I think it only happened that one weekend day I just so happened to be riding on a train. I also remember riding a WF R36 on the  as a one-off too around the same time period.

If there ever were any redbirds on the  line, it may have been something like a weekend loaner or some sort of short-term equipment shortage.

[R32 3838]

1 hour ago, R10 2952 said:

 

Her leadership does not inspire confidence; she's a complete puppet, without any independent thought of her own.  Cuomo's father also had ego issues as governor, but at least Ravitch and Kiley were competent appointees, not hapless cronies.

this is what happens when idiots vote with their emotions, they voted for coumo and now he's straight up destroying the .

[R10 2952]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

I distinctly remember riding an R62 (not an R62A) on the  once (and only once). It was over 20 years ago, and I think it only happened that one weekend day I just so happened to be riding on a train. I also remember riding a WF R36 on the  as a one-off too around the same time period.

That sounds about right, the  and the  were known to swap equipment for weekend work back then, as did the  and the . 

31 minutes ago, R32 3838 said:

this is what happens when idiots vote with their emotions, they voted for coumo and now he's straight up destroying the .

Either emotions, or they simply didn't have the courage to vote against him in the primaries.  

[bobtehpanda]

Anyone know how big the maps in the trains or station platforms are?

[Trainmaster5]

I want to shift gears a bit and ask a question of my fellow members. I've been reading the business pages for the last year as well as the  website. It appears that the  is down about 40% in subway ridership compared to pre-pandemic times. If those numbers are correct where is this clamor for " full service" coming from in many threads ? What, exactly, do some people mean with that term ? I'm well aware of instances of number manipulation by the agency through the years but somewhere there's a serious disconnect between some posters experiences and the "official" numbers. The economy is on the upswing in many places but no one expects those numbers to reach the pre-pandemic numbers in the future. This is the consensus of the business community in the area. Those that do the actual hiring and payroll calculations. The subway ridership numbers have been declining for almost a decade, IIRC. Does anyone actually believe that the bean counters are going to ramp back up to pre-pandemic service for less ridership if the business community in the CBD's don't forecast the need ? I'm just asking a question and looking for some honest feedback. Carry on.

[R32 3838]

34 minutes ago, Trainmaster5 said:

I want to shift gears a bit and ask a question of my fellow members. I've been reading the business pages for the last year as well as the  website. It appears that the  is down about 40% in subway ridership compared to pre-pandemic times. If those numbers are correct where is this clamor for " full service" coming from in many threads ? What, exactly, do some people mean with that term ? I'm well aware of instances of number manipulation by the agency through the years but somewhere there's a serious disconnect between some posters experiences and the "official" numbers. The economy is on the upswing in many places but no one expects those numbers to reach the pre-pandemic numbers in the future. This is the consensus of the business community in the area. Those that do the actual hiring and payroll calculations. The subway ridership numbers have been declining for almost a decade, IIRC. Does anyone actually believe that the bean counters are going to ramp back up to pre-pandemic service for less ridership if the business community in the CBD's don't forecast the need ? I'm just asking a question and looking for some honest feedback. Carry on.

 

As the city goes back to normal, More and more people are taking the train so full service should be back by July. the is already full service. the is supposed to go full service by july. Ridership won't be back to pre pandemic levels but some lines mainly the lines that get high ridership have become crowded. But it won't reach pre pandemic levels as some people are sticking with working from home and the high crime rate is also playing a big factor. I think by the end of 2022 or 2023, they will figure out if they are going to reduce or keep the current full service once everything is back to normal.

[R10 2952]

2 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

I want to shift gears a bit and ask a question of my fellow members. I've been reading the business pages for the last year as well as the  website. It appears that the  is down about 40% in subway ridership compared to pre-pandemic times. If those numbers are correct where is this clamor for " full service" coming from in many threads ? What, exactly, do some people mean with that term ? I'm well aware of instances of number manipulation by the agency through the years but somewhere there's a serious disconnect between some posters experiences and the "official" numbers. The economy is on the upswing in many places but no one expects those numbers to reach the pre-pandemic numbers in the future. This is the consensus of the business community in the area. Those that do the actual hiring and payroll calculations. The subway ridership numbers have been declining for almost a decade, IIRC. Does anyone actually believe that the bean counters are going to ramp back up to pre-pandemic service for less ridership if the business community in the CBD's don't forecast the need ? I'm just asking a question and looking for some honest feedback. Carry on.

Some people are definitely living in fantasyland if they expect ridership to bounce back to what it was anytime soon, but I think there are many others who have recognized that ridership will remain depressed for quite some time, as you have.  I've seen the writing on the wall for over a year now- the coronavirus situation erased all rebounds made since the '90s virtually overnight, and people are once again looking down on public transit as unclean and unsafe, even if some (but not all) of those claims are overblown.  Me personally, I think we'll be back to mid-to-late '80s levels of service frequency when the dust settles, or possibly worse. 

Edited June 9, 2021 by R10 2952

[Missabassie]

On 6/8/2021 at 12:28 PM, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

....Could see this coming a mile away.

21 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

 

Her leadership does not inspire confidence; she's a complete puppet, without any independent thought of her own.  Cuomo's father also had ego issues as governor, but at least Ravitch and Kiley were competent appointees, not hapless cronies.

Progressive move, and little else.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

18 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

I want to shift gears a bit and ask a question of my fellow members. I've been reading the business pages for the last year as well as the  website. It appears that the  is down about 40% in subway ridership compared to pre-pandemic times. If those numbers are correct where is this clamor for " full service" coming from in many threads ? What, exactly, do some people mean with that term ? I'm well aware of instances of number manipulation by the agency through the years but somewhere there's a serious disconnect between some posters experiences and the "official" numbers. The economy is on the upswing in many places but no one expects those numbers to reach the pre-pandemic numbers in the future. This is the consensus of the business community in the area. Those that do the actual hiring and payroll calculations. The subway ridership numbers have been declining for almost a decade, IIRC. Does anyone actually believe that the bean counters are going to ramp back up to pre-pandemic service for less ridership if the business community in the CBD's don't forecast the need ? I'm just asking a question and looking for some honest feedback. Carry on.

I'll explain why. The City has been aggressively pushing to re-open and trying to get businesses to get their employees back in the office. I have been working from home for over a year, and continue to have the option to work from home 24/7 and come in as I wish whenever I need to, which is what I continue to do. Every week when I do come to my office (I travel primarily off-peak since I can), I see more and more people out and about in Midtown, office workers in particular. The coffee shops I frequent now have lines with office people like you did pre-pandemic. JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and many of the other big banks and financial institutions with a New York presence have all said that they are bringing their employees back in the coming weeks if not sooner, and more employers are looking at September for re-opening. One of the main issues we have now is that many people are driving into Manhattan or elsewhere to get to and from work. It is something that many of them LIKE, and the fear is that they won't want to give it up anytime, esp. if they are only coming in a few days a week. That means ongoing ridership loss for the  for what could be years to come, and it would make their financial situation even worse. The  has struggled to provide what service they do have scheduled, both on the bus and subway side, and this has infuriated many riders, as they are sacrificing and trying to take mass transit.

Furthermore, the  was given billions of dollars to mitigate any potential service cuts, so there is no reason for them not to bring back full-time service.  Without a fully functional  , the City stands to lose BILLIONS of dollars in tax revenue, as well as face productivity issues and other problems, so this is extremely important on many levels. I have been exchanging correspondence with the  and we are supposed to chat via phone soon regarding some service requests. One thing that should be noted is when you lose riders to other means (be it car, bike or what have you), you often times don't get them back, so this is a crucial time for the  to act aggressively, from hiring more bus operators and train conductors, to doing everything possible to address their ongoing issues with having to cancel service. It has become so bad that some lines are seeing almost all of their service cancelled overnight or having gaps of almost two hours on lines where there is hourly service. That's simply not acceptable.

  

15 hours ago, R10 2952 said:

Some people are definitely living in fantasyland if they expect ridership to bounce back to what it was anytime soon, but I think there are many others who have recognized that ridership will remain depressed for quite some time, as you have.  I've seen the writing on the wall for over a year now- the coronavirus situation erased all rebounds made since the '90s virtually overnight, and people are once again looking down on public transit as unclean and unsafe, even if some (but not all) of those claims are overblown.  Me personally, I think we'll be back to mid-to-late '80s levels of service frequency when the dust settles, or possibly worse. 

The reality is there is some truth to both complaints regarding the system being unclean and unsafe. I know many females who currently do not feel safe at all taking the subway. I'm 6'4", and a male, and even I have had my head on a swivel when I've taken the subway the few times that I have during the pandemic. If I was a female, I would definitely not feel comfortable taking the subway. We have a mental health crisis in the subway system, which the de Blasio administration has failed to address, and pretending that there isn't a problem is not going to bring back riders who have been attacked, stabbed or pushed onto the subway tracks, something which has become an almost daily occurrence.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[trainfan22]

Got an R46 with good A/C today, always nice when that happens, especially on a day like today. Humidity was brutal today!

[Trainmaster5]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

I'll explain why. The City has been aggressively pushing to re-open and trying to get businesses to get their employees back in the office. I have been working from home for over a year, and continue to have the option to work from home 24/7 and come in as I wish whenever I need to, which is what I continue to do. Every week when I do come to my office (I travel primarily off-peak since I can), I see more and more people out and about in Midtown, office workers in particular. The coffee shops I frequent now have lines with office people like you did pre-pandemic. JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and many of the other big banks and financial institutions with a New York presence have all said that they are bringing their employees back in the coming weeks if not sooner, and more employers are looking at September for re-opening. One of the main issues we have now is that many people are driving into Manhattan or elsewhere to get to and from work. It is something that many of them LIKE, and the fear is that they won't want to give it up anytime, esp. if they are only coming in a few days a week. That means ongoing ridership loss for the  for what could be years to come, and it would make their financial situation even worse. The  has struggled to provide what service they do have scheduled, both on the bus and subway side, and this has infuriated many riders, as they are sacrificing and trying to take mass transit.

Furthermore, the  was given billions of dollars to mitigate any potential service cuts, so there is no reason for them not to bring back full-time service.  Without a fully functional  , the City stands to lose BILLIONS of dollars in tax revenue, as well as face productivity issues and other problems, so this is extremely important on many levels. I have been exchanging correspondence with the  and we are supposed to chat via phone soon regarding some service requests. One thing that should be noted is when you lose riders to other means (be it car, bike or what have you), you often times don't get them back, so this is a crucial time for the  to act aggressively, from hiring more bus operators and train conductors, to doing everything possible to address their ongoing issues with having to cancel service. It has become so bad that some lines are seeing almost all of their service cancelled overnight or having gaps of almost two hours on lines where there is hourly service. That's simply not acceptable.

  

The reality is there is some truth to both complaints regarding the system being unclean and unsafe. I know many females who currently do not feel safe at all taking the subway. I'm 6'4", and a male, and even I have had my head on a swivel when I've taken the subway the few times that I have during the pandemic. If I was a female, I would definitely not feel comfortable taking the subway. We have a mental health crisis in the subway system, which the de Blasio administration has failed to address, and pretending that there isn't a problem is not going to bring back riders who have been attacked, stabbed or pushed onto the subway tracks, something which has become an almost daily occurrence.

I fully understand the problem the  as a whole faces. The problem, as you allude to, is the WFH folks and the loss of LIRR ridership in particular. Even with all day off peak fares in effect I, personally, don't see a mass return to the past. As you rightfully point out it's the revenue loss itself that I fear is going to lead to a continued downward spiral of the whole agency's survival  in the long run. Maybe the ESA project can convince some of my Suffolk County neighbors to return to the old commuting patterns. My concern is more focused on the NYC residents and the local mass transit bus and subway problems. Thanks for sharing your point of view. It's frustrating to an older generation member to see service cancellations, especially on the bus side, because we didn't have that sort of problem even in the pre  era. Carry on.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

8 minutes ago, Trainmaster5 said:

I fully understand the problem the  as a whole faces. The problem, as you allude to, is the WFH folks and the loss of LIRR ridership in particular. Even with all day off peak fares in effect I, personally, don't see a mass return to the past. As you rightfully point out it's the revenue loss itself that I fear is going to lead to a continued downward spiral of the whole agency's survival  in the long run. Maybe the ESA project can convince some of my Suffolk County neighbors to return to the old commuting patterns. My concern is more focused on the NYC residents and the local mass transit bus and subway problems. Thanks for sharing your point of view. It's frustrating to an older generation member to see service cancellations, especially on the bus side, because we didn't have that sort of problem even in the pre  era. Carry on.

As a MNRR rider, I can tell you right now that I don't take the railroad nearly as much as I could. While I work from home, I do commute to Manhattan while "working from home" to run errands or what have you because why not? lol The frequency of service quite frankly sucks right now, and usually means me getting to the station by car if I don't feel like walking the 15 minutes or so to reach the station. Making all stops for $7.25 plus whatever the cost is to reach the station by car each way is not at all appealing to me, as service is still hourly mid afternoons. I'll take it sometimes on weekends, but even then not as much, as I do not have the semi-express trains to choose from more times than not that I used to have, so if they want to see any sort of normalcy, they'll need to up the service to what it was. It's simply not worth the cost otherwise, and people will continue to drive.

Edited June 10, 2021 by Via Garibaldi 8

[jon2305]

The  service is hot trash today. Its been a while since I've rode this line but man, smh. Just felt like I needed to rant about it.

[Calvin]

Last night, before midnight as a to South Ferry from Dyre Av on the   line. The will use its old 2018 schedule between 9:10 PM until 10:00 PM with extra trains from Dyre Av to prepare weekend work from the Clark St tube work that happened today. 

Example: the 9:14 PM that ends at E.180 St was extended to Bowling Green yesterday night, later going back to the Bronx around 10:20 PM.  While around 10:30 PM, one of the trains end at E.180 St to go out of service. 

http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/t5cur.pdf

Edited June 12, 2021 by Calvin

[randomnewyorker23]

I have never understood as to why Aqueduct Racetrack on the  only has 1 platform and only Manhattan bound trains stop there, it just seems pretty pointless to me.

[Q43LTD]

Does the  have a code for South Ferry now on the 142's or it still says Chambers St and then switch to a  ? 

[danielhg121]

12 hours ago, Q43LTD said:

Does the  have a code for South Ferry now on the 142's or it still says Chambers St and then switch to a  ? 

It has a code for South Ferry. I was on it yesterday, however the announcement is wonky as it runs local south of 42nd Street and switches over to the local track right before 34th Street. It was making all local stops but the announcement said "This is a South Ferry bound  express train..."

[Q43LTD]

10 minutes ago, danielhg121 said:

It has a code for South Ferry. I was on it yesterday, however the announcement is wonky as it runs local south of 42nd Street and switches over to the local track right before 34th Street. It was making all local stops but the announcement said "This is a South Ferry bound  express train..."

Oh, the irony

[Wallyhorse]

On 6/13/2021 at 8:18 PM, randomnewyorker23 said:

I have never understood as to why Aqueduct Racetrack on the  only has 1 platform and only Manhattan bound trains stop there, it just seems pretty pointless to me.

That's because there never was a good spot to put a platform on the southbound side at the racetrack since the Aqueduct-North Conduit Avenue station is also essentially on the property and you could exit on the southbound platform there and walk back a short distance to get to the track.

The racetrack station actually served as a terminal for many years for Aqueuduct specials and I believe was a holdover from the days when that was the LIRR.   The old JFK Express  used to also stop there on that platform in both directions.

I would now be looking to over in the area where the "express" tracks were at the racetrack look to build an island platform that can serve both southbound trains (with an overpass to the northbound platform) as well as serve when needed as a short-turn terminal for the and any future special trains for the racetrack/casino.