Transit

Newark Penn Station is set to undergo a major renovation and NJ Transit wants feedback from riders who travel through the historic terminal. The transit agency will host three virtual public meetings about the $191 million restoration, with the first scheduled for August 9. First introduced by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020, the project includes immediate aesthetic improvements and refurbishment of historic elements, as well as longer-term upgrades to the overall customer experience.
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Iconic New York Harbor sailing experience returns to the Seaport after 9 years

Photo Credit: Mike Szpot courtesy of The Howard Hughes Corporation

August 5, 2022

Iconic New York Harbor sailing experience returns to the Seaport after 9 years

After a nine-year hiatus, the Howard Hughes Corporation on Friday announced the return of Manhattan by Sail to Pier 17. Clipper City Tall Ship, its newly-renovated sailboat that will offer daily specialty sails and private charters, will launch this month. Departing from the east side of Pier 17 at 89 South Street, Clipper City will operate seven days a week, taking four trips a day with an additional late-night departure at 10 p.m.
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Foster + Partners and Epstein to design new $10B Port Authority bus terminal

All renderings courtesy of Foster + Partners

August 5, 2022

Foster + Partners and Epstein to design new $10B Port Authority bus terminal

Plans to replace the dingy Port Authority bus terminal are rolling forward. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Friday announced the selection of two architecture firms to lead the project: Norman Foster's Foster + Partners and Chicago-based engineering and design firm Epstein. Roughly 10 years in the making, the plan involves demolishing the existing station and building a new world-class facility that can better meet passenger demand. The $10 billion project will also help get idling buses off the streets and create new green spaces.
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Transit

MTA unveils new 18-foot ceilings at Penn Station’s LIRR concourse

Photo courtesy of Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

August 3, 2022

MTA unveils new 18-foot ceilings at Penn Station’s LIRR concourse

Let there be light! The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday unveiled the first section of new 18-foot ceilings at Penn Station's Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) concourse. Installed by Skanska/AECOM, the new soaring ceilings consist of lighted panels supported by an inventive structural framing system that allowed work crews to remove "head knockers," aging structural beams that limited the height of passageways within Penn Station, earlier this year.
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Manhattan pol wants to turn lane of traffic on West Side Highway into a two-way bike lane

All images courtesy of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s Office unless otherwise noted

August 2, 2022

Manhattan pol wants to turn lane of traffic on West Side Highway into a two-way bike lane

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine wants to turn one lane of car traffic on the West Side Highway into a two-way protected bike lane. The proposal aims to reduce pedestrian and cyclist congestion on the Hudson River Greenway, the busiest bikeway in the nation, by repurposing one of the highway lanes into a four-mile bike lane between Chambers Street and 57th Street.
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Transit

Image courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office on Flickr

August 2, 2022

NYC speed cameras now operate 24/7

As of Monday, New York City's system of 2,000 speed cameras is now operating 24 hours a day for the first time. Previously the cameras were authorized by the state to operate only on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., missing "59 percent of traffic fatalities" that occurred when the cameras were inactive, according to Mayor Eric Adams' office. The activation of the round-the-clock cameras aims to reduce speeding and prevent dangerous driving. Drivers going more than 10 miles per hour over the posted speed limit will be fined $50.
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Amtrak launches direct service from NYC to Burlington, Vermont

Photo Credit: Amtrak / Hello Burlington

July 29, 2022

Amtrak launches direct service from NYC to Burlington, Vermont

For New Yorkers looking for an escape from the city without dealing with traffic or chaos at the airport, Amtrak on Friday launched new train service from New York City to the city of Burlington, Vermont. The scenic trip takes around 7.5 hours and travels through the Hudson Valley, Green Mountains, and along Lake Champlain, with new stops in Middlebury and Ferrisburgh-Vergennes before ending in Burlington, a small city with New England charm and vibrant culture. It's the first time since 1953 that Amtrak service will connect New York City and Burlington.
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MTA proposal would expand cell phone service and Wi-Fi to entire subway system

Photo by Philip Ho on Unsplash

July 27, 2022

MTA proposal would expand cell phone service and Wi-Fi to entire subway system

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Tuesday plans to expand cellular service and Wi-Fi throughout the entire subway system. While commuters have been able to use their mobile devices at all underground subway stations since 2017, the proposed project would bring cell connectivity to all tunnels between stations and in above-ground stations. The MTA estimates it would take 10 years to turn the subway system into a fully digitally connected network.
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NYC Ferry’s reservation-only ‘Rockaway Rocket’ offers direct service from Wall Street to the beach

Rockway Line NYC Ferry on Sunday, April 08, 2018. Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office on Flickr

July 20, 2022

NYC Ferry’s reservation-only ‘Rockaway Rocket’ offers direct service from Wall Street to the beach

New York City will launch express weekend service from Lower Manhattan to Rockaway Beach on Saturday. NYC Ferry's "Rockaway Rocket" will run on summer weekends from Lower Manhattan to the Rockaways and cost passengers $8 each way. The shuttle pilot program is an effort by the city to raise revenue and increase ridership and is part of a broader overhaul of the ferry's fare system.
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Transit

NYC increases ferry fare, but offers discounted rides for low-income New Yorkers

New York City's ferry system will soon be cheaper to ride for some New Yorkers, but more expensive for less frequent riders. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday revealed phase one of the city's new "NYC Ferry Forward" plan—a new fare system aimed at making the ferry more equitable and reducing the system's huge public subsidy. Beginning in September, low-income New Yorkers, seniors, and people with disabilities can purchase a single ferry ride for $1.35. The price of a single trip will increase from $2.75 to $4.
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Hoboken approves transit-oriented mixed-use project on the waterfront

All renderings courtesy of LCOR

July 11, 2022

Hoboken approves transit-oriented mixed-use project on the waterfront

After 15 years of delays, the plan to revitalize the southern end of the Hoboken waterfront is officially moving ahead. Mayor Ravi Bhalla on Thursday signed a redevelopment agreement that paves the way forward for Hoboken Connect, a mixed-use development that includes new office space, housing, and public open space near the transit hub Hoboken Terminal.
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City underreported NYC Ferry costs by $224M, according to audit

The inaugural NYC Ferry ride with Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2017; Photo © 6sqft

July 7, 2022

City underreported NYC Ferry costs by $224M, according to audit

The city agency that operates New York City's ferry system failed to report nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in expenditures during Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration, according to a new audit released by City Comptroller Brad Lander on Wednesday. The 50-page audit says the Economic Development Corporation spent $758 million on ferry operations from July 1, 2015 through December 31, 2021, but only reported $534 million. The report also details tens of millions in unnecessary expenses as a result of the agency's "poor financial management."
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Hudson River rail tunnel project moves forward as NJ, NY reach agreement

Photo courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.

July 6, 2022

Hudson River rail tunnel project moves forward as NJ, NY reach agreement

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York and Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey announced Tuesday that they've agreed in a Memorandum of Understanding that they would split the local portion of the cost of the long-stalled Gateway Project's Hudson River tunnels, the New York Times reports. The agreement on who would pay the $14 billion tab for the project's first phase is a step ahead in one of the nation's most ambitious infrastructure plans.
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NYC is putting the last ‘Redbird’ subway car up for auction

R33 #9075 on display at Queens Borough Hall; Photo via Wikimedia

June 23, 2022

NYC is putting the last ‘Redbird’ subway car up for auction

Here's a chance to own a piece of New York City history. The city's Department of Citywide Administrative Services is selling the last remaining "Redbird" subway car, which was in use from the 1960s until it was retired in 2003. The historic subway car is now up for auction online, with a starting bid of $6,500.
You can own an NYC icon

June 23, 2022

MTA pledges to make 95 percent of subway stations accessible by 2055

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a class action settlement agreement to make 95 percent of currently inaccessible subway stations accessible to those with disabilities over the next three decades, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday. Currently, just 27 percent of the New York City subway system, including Staten Island Railway stations, are fully accessible to riders with disabilities. Under the agreement, which still requires court approval, the MTA will make accessible 81 stations by 2025, another 85 stations by 2035, another 90 stations by 2045, and the last 90 stations by 2055.
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You can buy the Pride rainbow heart decals that adorn NYC subway cars

Photo: Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit

June 14, 2022

You can buy the Pride rainbow heart decals that adorn NYC subway cars

Happy Pride Month, New York City. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been showing off its Pride logo decal on select subway cars since they rolled out the design in 2019. The heart-shaped decal was created as part of “50 cars for 50 years after Stonewall,” marking the historic event's 50th anniversary.
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Delta’s $4B Terminal C opens this weekend at an all-new LaGuardia Airport

Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

June 2, 2022

Delta’s $4B Terminal C opens this weekend at an all-new LaGuardia Airport

Gov. Kathy Hochul and The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced Wednesday that the $4 billion Delta Air Lines Terminal C will open at LaGuardia Airport on June 4. The opening means the all-new $8 billion LaGuardia Airport, the nation's first new major airport in a quarter-century, is nearly complete. At nearly twice the size of the one it replaces, Delta's new terminal boasts up-to-the-minute technology, New York-centric concessions–and an impressive collection of new public artworks by well-known local artists referencing the Queens neighborhood's rich immigrant history and cultural diversity.
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MTA’s East Side Access project renamed ‘Grand Central Madison’

Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr

June 1, 2022

MTA’s East Side Access project renamed ‘Grand Central Madison’

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's long-awaited 700,000-square-foot East Side Access Project will be renamed "Grand Central Madison." The project, which brings Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal, will increase LIRR service systemwide by 40 percent during morning peak service and significantly increase reverse peak service. Grand Central Madison is expected to open in December.
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Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

Photo by Jenna Day on Unsplash

May 26, 2022

Subway ridership almost at 90% of pre-pandemic levels in NYC’s working-class neighborhoods

Subway ridership has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in New York City's working-class neighborhoods. During the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's monthly board meeting on Wednesday, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in most working-class neighborhoods throughout the five boroughs, subway ridership has climbed back up to 70, 80, and for some, 90 percent of pre-pandemic ridership levels. But in the city's major business districts, subway ridership remains way below pre-Covid-19 levels.
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MTA and James Beard Foundation partner to bring New Yorkers to local restaurants

Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim on Flickr

May 23, 2022

MTA and James Beard Foundation partner to bring New Yorkers to local restaurants

New Yorkers may seem to need no encouragement to visit the city's bounty of local restaurants, but independent eateries could use a boost after Covid restrictions kept everyone at home. DineAWAY is a joint effort by the MTA and the James Beard Foundation to get residents and visitors to explore New York City's local restaurants and neighborhoods via subways, buses, and commuter rails. DineAWAY sweepstakes offer fabulous foodie prizes like dinner at favorite restaurants and VIP tickets to food festivals.
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Nick Cave’s vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ subway station mosaics capture the energy of Times Square

All photos courtesy of MTA/Trent Reeves, unless otherwise noted

May 17, 2022

Nick Cave’s vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ subway station mosaics capture the energy of Times Square

Two new mosaics by the artist Nick Cave were unveiled in Times Square on Monday, completing a permanent artwork and marking the largest mosaic project in New York City's subway system. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's public art program, the artwork, titled "Each One, Every One, Equal All," features Cave's wearable sculpture works "Soundsuits" translated into 4,600 square feet of colorful mosaic. The new artwork is part of a larger revamp of the 42nd Street station, including a new entrance and upgraded mezzanine level.
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NYC subway ridership hits highest level since start of Covid

Photo by Jenna Day on Unsplash

May 10, 2022

NYC subway ridership hits highest level since start of Covid

Ridership on the New York City subway reached a new pandemic-era milestone last week, the Metropolitan Transporation Authority announced. On Thursday, 3,497,122 riders swiped into the system, surpassing the last record set during the pandemic in December 2021. While the new record is a positive sign for the city's recovery, Thursday's ridership is still well below the 2019 weekday average of 5.5 million straphangers.
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Here are NYC’s new Open Street locations for the 2022 season

Queens’ 34th Avenue was recognized as one of the best Open Streets last year; Courtesy of Alfresco NYC

April 28, 2022

Here are NYC’s new Open Street locations for the 2022 season

More than 300 blocks will be closed to cars for pedestrian use as part of the city's 2022 Open Streets program, the Department of Transportation announced last week. This year's program--considered the largest of its kind in the country--has expanded to include 21 new locations, with a total of 156 locations throughout the five boroughs. All of the open streets will be active by the summer of 2022.
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The Q70 bus to LaGuardia Airport will now be free year-round

Photo by Tdorante10 on Wikimedia

April 27, 2022

The Q70 bus to LaGuardia Airport will now be free year-round