LIRR And MNRR Random Thoughts Thread

[quadcorder]

9 minutes ago, Missabassie said:

Americans are idiots.....

Alternatively... because our government is responsible to the people it governs, whether we like it or not. E.g. China doesn't have NIMBY issues because vocal NIMBYs would be "re-educated." Single-party, totalitarian government is incredibly productive, but at too great a cost.

[CenSin]

3 hours ago, quadcorder said:

Alternatively... because our government is responsible to the people it governs, whether we like it or not. E.g. China doesn't have NIMBY issues because vocal NIMBYs would be "re-educated." Single-party, totalitarian government is incredibly productive, but at too great a cost.

Well, it seems that this is just a matter of opinion. Some people would be all too happy to pay for it. I would reckon that a child who hates veggies would find eating a plate of carrots too high of a cost to get permission to go see a movie with friends, while another one has no issue with it.

I’m not saying China has the right balance, but it’s not as if our own beliefs don’t exact a cost. If we avoid the ruthlessness of China, we too exact a high cost in terms of infrastructure not available for use. I don’t know about you, but why should I wait until I’m 6-feet-under for usable infrastructure to be built with fair-trade labor, organically-fed workers, and kosher construction materials?

[quadcorder]

5 hours ago, CenSin said:

Well, it seems that this is just a matter of opinion. Some people would be all too happy to pay for it. I would reckon that a child who hates veggies would find eating a plate of carrots too high of a cost to get permission to go see a movie with friends, while another one has no issue with it.

I’m not saying China has the right balance, but it’s not as if our own beliefs don’t exact a cost. If we avoid the ruthlessness of China, we too exact a high cost in terms of infrastructure not available for use. I don’t know about you, but why should I wait until I’m 6-feet-under for usable infrastructure to be built with fair-trade labor, organically-fed workers, and kosher construction materials?

We live in a democracy, which means you have to get along with people who don't agree with you. Most people do not accept that cost, and so you don't get your way. Are you willing to work 12 hours a day for little to no pay to construct the infrastructure and then die when it fails? If so, move to China!

[CenSin]

3 hours ago, quadcorder said:

We live in a democracy, which means you have to get along with people who don't agree with you. Most people do not accept that cost, and so you don't get your way. Are you willing to work 12 hours a day for little to no pay to construct the infrastructure and then die when it fails? If so, move to China!

Democracy? How’s that working for the nation so far?

[quadcorder]

1 hour ago, CenSin said:

Democracy? How’s that working for the nation so far?

Just because I do not agree with the actions taken by my government does not delegetimize them, just as I think you are an idiot but would be deeply upset if this forum banned you.

 

Let's get back to railroads.

[Lance]

On ‎12‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 9:13 AM, quadcorder said:

Alternatively... because our government is responsible to the people it governs, whether we like it or not. E.g. China doesn't have NIMBY issues because vocal NIMBYs would be "re-educated." Single-party, totalitarian government is incredibly productive, but at too great a cost.

Alternatively, way too often, it's incredibly easy to just not do something and blame it on NIMBYism, despite the benefits to those in the affected area. I don't think anyone here is claiming that people's feelings and concerns should be ignored when they are potentially affected by a project or whatever. However, they should not be the only voices heard in the process, something that has become more prevalent over the years.

Shifting gears, is there a holiday schedule change on Metro-North this week? This is the second time this week that my train (7:51 inbound from New Rochelle) has been at least ten minutes late with no reason as to why. Since New Rochelle is the first stop, usually the train will layup outside of the station prior to the departure time, which it did by running up the outbound local track at 7:45. Of course, one would think that since it was able to get onto the inbound platform with no delays, right? No. That train stayed on that layup track until 8:05 before crawling across all four tracks to the right one. The conductors didn't even feel the need to explain why they were so late when the train actually arrived early. The one manning the PA system (who must've been a mouse in a previous life given how soft-spoken she is despite me sitting right under the speakers) acted as though nothing was wrong on that regard.

To add insult to injury, the train was two cars short again. I somewhat understand the reduced car situation as it is a holiday week, but after yesterday's near normal ridership (based on personal observations), you'd think this information would be conveyed to the appropriate people to ensure a full-length train runs on this train today, the day after the day after Christmas.

My main problem is with the inability to hold a schedule here despite arriving early. If there's a legitimate reason behind the excessive hold here, I'm all ears. However, to me, it just looks like the "Good Service" curse struck Metro-North and riders are left in the dark to yet another service change. That reminds me, yesterday, the preceding train was about a half-hour late (7:29 scheduled vs ~8:00 actual) with no explanation either. I was not affected by this one (outside of additional passengers), but being the only train that stops at Fordham during the 7am hour, I know a lot of people were annoyed with this one. I'll put up with a lot of nonsense from the MTA, but a lack of communication is not one of those things. Explain why things aren't running as they should and riders will mostly understand. Keep them in the dark  and all you've got is a bunch of angry and annoyed passengers who are just trying to get to work.

I'm actually debating sending a message to the MTA on these delays though I know I will send one if the same thing happens tomorrow.

[paulrivera]

2 minutes ago, Lance said:

Alternatively, way too often, it's incredibly easy to just not do something and blame it on NIMBYism, despite the benefits to those in the affected area. I don't think anyone here is claiming that people's feelings and concerns should be ignored when they are potentially affected by a project or whatever. However, they should not be the only voices heard in the process, something that has become more prevalent over the years.

Shifting gears, is there a holiday schedule change on Metro-North this week? This is the second time this week that my train (7:51 inbound from New Rochelle) has been at least ten minutes late with no reason as to why. Since New Rochelle is the first stop, usually the train will layup outside of the station prior to the departure time, which it did by running up the outbound local track at 7:45. Of course, one would think that since it was able to get onto the inbound platform with no delays, right? No. That train stayed on that layup track until 8:05 before crawling across all four tracks to the right one. The conductors didn't even feel the need to explain why they were so late when the train actually arrived early. The one manning the PA system (who must've been a mouse in a previous life given how soft-spoken she is despite me sitting right under the speakers) acted as though nothing was wrong on that regard.

To add insult to injury, the train was two cars short again. I somewhat understand the reduced car situation as it is a holiday week, but after yesterday's near normal ridership (based on personal observations), you'd think this information would be conveyed to the appropriate people to ensure a full-length train runs on this train today, the day after the day after Christmas.

My main problem is with the inability to hold a schedule here despite arriving early. If there's a legitimate reason behind the excessive hold here, I'm all ears. However, to me, it just looks like the "Good Service" curse struck Metro-North and riders are left in the dark to yet another service change. That reminds me, yesterday, the preceding train was about a half-hour late (7:29 scheduled vs ~8:00 actual) with no explanation either. I was not affected by this one (outside of additional passengers), but being the only train that stops at Fordham during the 7am hour, I know a lot of people were annoyed with this one. I'll put up with a lot of nonsense from the MTA, but a lack of communication is not one of those things. Explain why things aren't running as they should and riders will mostly understand. Keep them in the dark  and all you've got is a bunch of angry and annoyed passengers who are just trying to get to work.

I'm actually debating sending a message to the MTA on these delays though I know I will send one if the same thing happens tomorrow.

There is a holiday schedule this week but it's not supposed to affect the two trains you have mentioned. The 7:22 train from New Rochelle to GCT is the only train that doesn't operate at that hour (there are a few others that don't run but they don't stop at New Rochelle to begin with.)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

18 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

There is a holiday schedule this week but it's not supposed to affect the two trains you have mentioned. The 7:22 train from New Rochelle to GCT is the only train that doesn't operate at that hour (there are a few others that don't run but they don't stop at New Rochelle to begin with.)

 

 

31 minutes ago, Lance said:

Alternatively, way too often, it's incredibly easy to just not do something and blame it on NIMBYism, despite the benefits to those in the affected area. I don't think anyone here is claiming that people's feelings and concerns should be ignored when they are potentially affected by a project or whatever. However, they should not be the only voices heard in the process, something that has become more prevalent over the years.

Shifting gears, is there a holiday schedule change on Metro-North this week? This is the second time this week that my train (7:51 inbound from New Rochelle) has been at least ten minutes late with no reason as to why. Since New Rochelle is the first stop, usually the train will layup outside of the station prior to the departure time, which it did by running up the outbound local track at 7:45. Of course, one would think that since it was able to get onto the inbound platform with no delays, right? No. That train stayed on that layup track until 8:05 before crawling across all four tracks to the right one. The conductors didn't even feel the need to explain why they were so late when the train actually arrived early. The one manning the PA system (who must've been a mouse in a previous life given how soft-spoken she is despite me sitting right under the speakers) acted as though nothing was wrong on that regard.

To add insult to injury, the train was two cars short again. I somewhat understand the reduced car situation as it is a holiday week, but after yesterday's near normal ridership (based on personal observations), you'd think this information would be conveyed to the appropriate people to ensure a full-length train runs on this train today, the day after the day after Christmas.

My main problem is with the inability to hold a schedule here despite arriving early. If there's a legitimate reason behind the excessive hold here, I'm all ears. However, to me, it just looks like the "Good Service" curse struck Metro-North and riders are left in the dark to yet another service change. That reminds me, yesterday, the preceding train was about a half-hour late (7:29 scheduled vs ~8:00 actual) with no explanation either. I was not affected by this one (outside of additional passengers), but being the only train that stops at Fordham during the 7am hour, I know a lot of people were annoyed with this one. I'll put up with a lot of nonsense from the MTA, but a lack of communication is not one of those things. Explain why things aren't running as they should and riders will mostly understand. Keep them in the dark  and all you've got is a bunch of angry and annoyed passengers who are just trying to get to work.

I'm actually debating sending a message to the MTA on these delays though I know I will send one if the same thing happens tomorrow.

What you've described is what seems to happen when trains are cancelled. I've had this happen to me on the Hudson Line previously too, and I agree it is quite annoying, because not only is the train late, it's extremely late, and sometimes it can lead to overcrowding. It's like they cancel a train and they try to have one train act as an "in between" train to get the passengers from the train that doesn't run in addition to the train that normally runs, and as you said, you aren't told what is going on. I think their attitude is it only happens once in a while, so it isn't a big deal. I would file a complaint because it IS a big deal, especially given what they charge. It's not like you get a break from paying the peak fare. You are still expected to have your ticket or show your monthly.  When you're talking about the cost of the fare round trip basically being that of a nice take-out lunch (~$25.00 - rounded from $24 on purpose), then that's when I start to notice.  Every time I think about getting some single peak tickets, I do the following:

If you take the express bus instead of Metro-North this morning, you save $9.25, plus $2.75 for the Hudson Raillink, and with that money, you can treat yourself to a nice little breakfast at the Le Pain Quotidien cart by Park and 48th, and that's exactly what I do. 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Lance]

39 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

There is a holiday schedule this week but it's not supposed to affect the two trains you have mentioned. The 7:22 train from New Rochelle to GCT is the only train that doesn't operate at that hour (there are a few others that don't run but they don't stop at New Rochelle to begin with.)

That actually does explain the high passenger volume I saw yesterday. If the 7:22 was cancelled for the week and the 7:29 was abysmally late, yeah, I could see a normal rush hour crowd on the platform waiting for the 7:51.

26 minutes ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

 

 

What you've described is what seems to happen when trains are cancelled. I've had this happen to me on the Hudson Line previously too, and I agree it is quite annoying, because not only is the train late, it's extremely late, and sometimes it can lead to overcrowding. It's like they cancel a train and they try to have one train act as an "in between" train to get the passengers from the train that doesn't run in addition to the train that normally runs, and as you said, you aren't told what is going on. I think their attitude is it only happens once in a while, so it isn't a big deal. I would file a complaint because it IS a big deal, especially given what they charge. It's not like you get a break from paying the peak fare. You are still expected to have your ticket or show your monthly.  When you're talking about the cost of the fare round trip basically being that of a nice take-out lunch (~$25.00 - rounded from $24 on purpose), then that's when I start to notice.  Every time I think about getting some single peak tickets, I do the following:

If you take the express bus instead of Metro-North this morning, you save $9.25, plus $2.75 for the Hudson Raillink, and with that money, you can treat yourself to a nice little breakfast at the Le Pain Quotidien cart by Park and 48th, and that's exactly what I do. 

See, you live near several of the BxM express buses, so it's not much of a hassle to choose between the bus and Metro-North when one option goes tits up. I don't have that luxury as I would have to travel from New Rochelle to either Wakefield or Co-Op City for the 7 or 11 respectively. For me, the benefit of avoiding the MN hiccup is negated by having to take slow BeeLine buses to connect with those express buses. However, I might take you up on that breakfast spot since it is along my walking path.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

5 minutes ago, Lance said:

That actually does explain the high passenger volume I saw yesterday. If the 7:22 was cancelled for the week and the 7:29 was abysmally late, yeah, I could see a normal rush hour crowd on the platform waiting for the 7:51.

See, you live near several of the BxM express buses, so it's not much of a hassle to choose between the bus and Metro-North when one option goes tits up. I don't have that luxury as I would have to travel from New Rochelle to either Wakefield or Co-Op City for the 7 or 11 respectively. For me, the benefit of avoiding the MN hiccup is negated by having to take slow BeeLine buses to connect with those express buses. However, I might take you up on that breakfast spot since it is along my walking path.

This is true, and just about every bus stop in my area that I use has the Hudson Raillink stop with the express buses, but the challenge for me is whether or not the bus I choose will get me to the office on time. This week has definitely been great.  The bus has gotten me to the office roughly 10 minutes later than what Metro-North would've, and I've been able to leave later given the stop that I chose. The challenge comes during the winter months when obviously it is much more advantageous to take Metro-North (waiting rooms with heat and the trains are usually right on time even when there's inclement weather).

[paulrivera]

As good as Metro-North is when everything's running well (GREAT actually), they always have issues communicating to riders when shit hits the fan.

At least on the LIRR you'll know if your train is cancelled or delayed in advance, especially if you're on their text alert service or on Twitter. Metro-North's text alerts are much more vague, and by the time you find out about a problem, it's already too late to do anything about it in most cases.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

As good as Metro-North is when everything's running well (GREAT actually), they always have issues communicating to riders when shit hits the fan.

At least on the LIRR you'll know if your train is cancelled or delayed in advance, especially if you're on their text alert service or on Twitter. Metro-North's text alerts are much more vague, and by the time you find out about a problem, it's already too late to do anything about it in most cases.

I've had a few instances where I had made my way to the Riverdale or Spuyten Duyvil station, only to have to get back up those damn hills to reach the express bus, because of some mess or another. It's luckily only happened once at each station.  Out of the two, the Riverdale station is brutal going uphill. I don't know how I did it, in the snow nonetheless.  At least from the Spuyten Duyvil station, there are shortcuts via the stairs and you can avoid some of the steep hills.

[NY1635]

1 hour ago, paulrivera said:

As good as Metro-North is when everything's running well (GREAT actually), they always have issues communicating to riders when shit hits the fan.

At least on the LIRR you'll know if your train is cancelled or delayed in advance, especially if you're on their text alert service or on Twitter. Metro-North's text alerts are much more vague, and by the time you find out about a problem, it's already too late to do anything about it in most cases.

The only branch on the LIRR that always see get cancelled or delayed is the Main Line. It's always east of Babylon that get screwed badly while trains at Mineola are always a few minutes late.

[CenSin]

18 hours ago, quadcorder said:

Just because I do not agree with the actions taken by my government does not delegetimize them

Well, your disagreement with other forms of government does not delegitimatize them either. The only right is might. Natural selection in its most fundamental form applies to abstract systems like government. As long as the U.S. government can defend its form of government, it can exist. As long as its government can act to sustain the nation, it can exist.

18 hours ago, quadcorder said:

just as I think you are an idiot but would be deeply upset if this forum banned you.

Is that an ad hominem attack I smell?

Edited December 28, 2017 by CenSin

[quadcorder]

1 minute ago, CenSin said:

Well, your disagreement with other forms of government does not delegitimatize them either. One could argue that the only right is might. As long as the U.S. government can defend its form of government, it can exist. Natural selection in its most fundamental form also applies to abstract systems like government.

Is that an ad hominem attack I smell?

I jest, of course.

[NY1635]

Former LIRR President Helena Williams is now Nassau County Executive Laura Curran's Chief Deputy County Executive. https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/laura-curran-to-be-sworn-in-as-nassau-county-executive-today-1.15673923

 

[N6 Limited]

I took the LIRR from Atlantic Terminal, and I was able to see the Woodside Blvd Station as we zoomed passed it, is there evidence of station entrances on the surface?

[P3F]

On 1/7/2018 at 5:56 PM, N6 Limited said:

I took the LIRR from Atlantic Terminal, and I was able to see the Woodside Blvd Station as we zoomed passed it, is there evidence of station entrances on the surface?

You mean Woodhaven Junction?

[N6 Limited]

2 hours ago, P3F said:

You mean Woodhaven Junction?

Possibly. Is that the only visible abondoned station on the line?

[Dannny]

Rode a M-7 into Manhattan yesterday from Woodside. Nice smooth ride, beats taking the .

[Trainmaster5]

On 1/9/2018 at 9:06 PM, N6 Limited said:

Possibly. Is that the only visible abondoned station on the line?

You'll pass Woodhaven after leaving East New York, eastbound or Jamaica heading westbound on the Atlantic Branch.

[N6 Limited]

8 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

You'll pass Woodhaven after leaving East New York, eastbound or Jamaica heading westbound on the Atlantic Branch.

Oh I didn't realize I said Woodside in my original post , I meant Woodhaven Blvd Station

[LGA Link N Train]

I got a question about the abandoned platform at Hunters Point Av. What was it before it was abandoned and

Sunnyside Yards is a mess in my opinion 

[RR503]

On 1/17/2018 at 2:59 PM, LGA Link N train said:

I got a question about the abandoned platform at Hunters Point Av. What was it before it was abandoned and

Sunnyside Yards is a mess in my opinion 

There is no abandoned platform at HPA. There's only ever been one, and it's still active. If you mean the platform at Arch St., that's part of the shops. 

Wow, astute observation. You got anything more to add?

[N6 Limited]

Why does the Metro North's "intermediate" travel fares include the Bronx, but LIRR only includes Nassau and Suffolk in their "Local Travel" fares, shouldn't they at least include zone 3?