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It's no surprise the Bronx ranks as the fastest-growing county in New York. In the last year alone, plans announced for the South Bronx have included the city's first soccer stadium, a 1,300-unit residential project on the waterfront, a development with Hip-Hop museum and food hall and a $10M revitalization investment from Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Furthering the area's development boom, a study officially launched last week to look at the expansion of Metro-North service East and South Bronx communities, including Hunts Point, Parkschester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-op City.
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Broadway Arcade Railway, 1884, New York Transit Museum, via Wikimedia Commons

August 3, 2018

Proposed ‘arcade railway’ below Broadway would aid 1860s gridlock

Post-Civil War, pre-subway New York City had–surprise–a traffic problem. The number of horse cars and stages that clogged the streets was growing at an alarming rate. Among the proposed solutions was a railway that would be built beneath Broadway, branching out to the east and west at 23rd Street all the way up to the northern tip of Manhattan. The idea was gaining political support, but not everyone was onboard with the idea.
So what happened?

E and F trains masquerading as one another and more weekend subway changes

Photo by FHKE via Flickr

August 3, 2018

E and F trains masquerading as one another and more weekend subway changes

Despite continued work in the Rockaways, E and F train riders share the pity prize for most debilitating service changes this weekend. The E will be masquerading as both the F and R, in parts, and skipping a huge portion of its usual stops, including express stations, while the F will be masquerading as the E (naturally) as well as the A, in parts. This weekend's work also holds particularly unpleasant change-ups for N and R straphangers.
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MTA ‘deeply apologizes’ for announcing N train tunnel closure via Twitter

Photo via Wiki Commons

August 1, 2018

MTA ‘deeply apologizes’ for announcing N train tunnel closure via Twitter

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Monday morning began work on the N, R and D line tunnels running in Brooklyn from 36th Street to 59th Street, causing massive delays. But the agency never told rush-hour commuters, who checked the MTA's website to find it labeled it as "good service" on the yellow lines. Only after about an hour of frustrated tweets directed at the MTA did the agency announce the long-term structural project, via Twitter.
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The city’s first shared electric moped service launches in Brooklyn

Photo via Revel Transit

July 30, 2018

The city’s first shared electric moped service launches in Brooklyn

More than 60 electric mopeds will hit the streets of Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick on Monday, as part of a new ride-sharing program. Developed by Revel Transit, the mopeds are available to anyone with a driver's license and for rides within Brooklyn in Queens, as the Wall Street Journal reported. Through an app, users can find nearby mopeds and reserve one up to 15 minutes in advance. While moped sharing exists in a few other cities, including Berlin and Paris, this is the first service of its kind in New York City.
Roll this way

Transit

July 30, 2018

Cap on ride-hailing services in NYC is a civil rights issue, racial justice groups say

Photo via Wikimedia As New York City prepares to become the first major city in the country to cap the number of vehicles driving for services like Uber, racial justice organizations are rallying against the legislation, calling it a civil rights issue. Groups like the National Urban League and the N.A.A.C.P say the City Council's plan to place a freeze on the amount of for-hire vehicle licenses for one year hurts minority New Yorkers who have trouble hailing taxis on the street. "Some yellow cabs won't even go uptown or to parts of Brooklyn," Rev. Al Sharpton told the New York Times. "If you are downtown they won't stop."
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July 30, 2018

The New York City subway in fascinating facts and figures

When it comes to New York City’s subway system, you may think you know the letters (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,J,L,M,N,Q,R,S,W,Z) and numbers (1 through 7), all too well. But a few of the fun facts and staggering stats that add up to the seventh busiest public transit system in the world might surprise you. From the longest route (the A line is 31 miles) to the world's highest rapid transit station at Smith-9th Streets (it's 88 feet above street level), there are plenty of figures that even the most well-versed New Yorker likely doesn't know.
More stuff you never knew about the subway

‘The New L’ luxury shuttle service promises to solve L train shutdown, snacks included

Photo via The New L Train

July 27, 2018

‘The New L’ luxury shuttle service promises to solve L train shutdown, snacks included

As the doomsday clock ticks down the minutes to the dreaded L train apocalypse–the line is being shut down between 8th Avenue in Manhattan and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn for Hurricane Sandy repairs starting in April of 2019–the powers that be have been telling us to take the bus, take the bus and take the bus or ride a bike. But Gothamist reports that a service called The New L hopes to keep us out of commuter hell by offering ultra-luxe commuter vans with professional chauffeurs at the wheel plus wi-fi, breakfast bars, and phone chargers.
And how much will it cost us?

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This weekend’s subway service changes are comparatively merciful

Photo by Billie Grace Ward via Flickr

July 27, 2018

This weekend’s subway service changes are comparatively merciful

On the heels of a slew of stations closing "temporarily," this weekend's subway agenda is quite reasonable. Still, though, a number of lines will be skipping multiple stops, masquerading as other trains, and running at spaced out intervals – see the full damage below.
It's the most functional weekend schedule in some time

Transit

MTA set to hike fares next year, despite poor service and fewer riders

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials announced Wednesday it will stick with its plan to increase fares and tolls that net four percent in 2019 and 2021 as the agency faces budget deficits in the coming years, the Daily News reported. The MTA said it expects to lose roughly $376 million over the next four years, or $90 million per year, due to a drop in ridership. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a loss of 69 million rides on the city's subway and buses. The fare hike would be the sixth since 2009 when the state legislature approved a plan that included increasing fares every other year.
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Governor Cuomo announces plans for NYC’s next ‘food hall’ at LaGuardia Airport

Photo via Flickr cc

July 25, 2018

Governor Cuomo announces plans for NYC’s next ‘food hall’ at LaGuardia Airport

By Dana Schulz

Shake Shack, Irving Farm coffee, La Chula taqueria--these sound like your typical food hall staples, but this time they're not in a Brooklyn warehouse or a trendy new building, but in LaGuardia Airport. Governor Cuomo announced today the lineup of in-state food purveyors for Terminal B, which will open in phases starting later this year as part of his massive $8 billion overhaul of LaGuardia. When complete, the entire new airport will have a total of 50 new restaurants, shops, and services, many of which will be local small businesses.
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MTA says Uber use is the cause of NYC subway and bus ridership drop

Image: Todd Shaffer via Flickr.

July 24, 2018

MTA says Uber use is the cause of NYC subway and bus ridership drop

According to the Wall Street Journal, the MTA has presented data showing that lower New York City mass transit use numbers matched up with an uptick in taxi and ride-hailing trips. Even as the city's population grows, subway and bus ridership has been declining. New York City Transit Executive Vice President Tim Mulligan explained in a presentation Monday how dips in weekday subway ridership between 2016 and 2017 coincided with increased use of taxi and for-hire vehicles.
An international phenomenon

Cuomo called out for ‘extravagance’ in adding $30M worth of blue and gold tiles to East River tunnels

Image courtesy of The Schreder Group.

July 24, 2018

Cuomo called out for ‘extravagance’ in adding $30M worth of blue and gold tiles to East River tunnels

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reportedly ordered the MTA to spend an extra $20-30 million to add blue and gold stripes–the state's color scheme–to the white tiles that line two of the city's tunnels beneath the East River. According to the New York Post, the already cash-strapped agency was ordered to add the blue and gold details to the white tiles being used to reline the Brooklyn-Battery and Queens Midtown tunnels in Superstorm Sandy repairs, even though the funds are sorely needed for station and other infrastructure repairs. According to a construction exec, “The white tile had already been ordered, but he insisted that [the walls] be in the state colors."
What does the MTA say?

July 24, 2018

MTA to launch 14th Street Select Bus Service to help move 50K more daily riders during L train shutdown

Via Wikimedia The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) have announced that Select Bus Service will be available to riders on 14th Street in Manhattan as of January 6, 2019 ahead of the planned April 2019 L train tunnel closure for repairs to due to damage from Hurricane Sandy. The M14 is expected to become the busiest bus route in the nation during the shutdown, with more than 50,000 additional daily riders expected to move above ground along 14th Street. According to NYC Transit President Andy Byford: "Launching Select Bus Service on 14th Street is a critical part of a multi-faceted service plan to keep thousands of customers moving safely and efficiently as they commute crosstown."
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In 1923, scientists thought flying cars would solve NYC’s traffic snarls by 1973

A 1923 cover of Science and Invention magazine imagined the flying automobile of 1973. Image via Smithsonian.

July 23, 2018

In 1923, scientists thought flying cars would solve NYC’s traffic snarls by 1973

Back in May 6sqft reported on the futuristic, fantastic flying Uber; even in 2018, though it may have wings, so to speak, the idea is still one that belongs to the future. Back in 1923, it was predicted that by 1973, flying "helicars" would be buzzing travelers around New York City and the snarled traffic on the city's roads would be a thing of the past.
It sounds so simple

July 23, 2018

One year and $300M in repairs later, on-time subway rates are still awful

Photo via rhythmicdiaspora on Flickr Despite spending over $300 million on system repairs over the last year, the New York City subway is showing little improvement, with its on-time rate just around 65 percent during the weekday, the New York Times reported. Last summer, after a train derailed at 125th street and left 30 people injured, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. And while the MTA and its chair, Joseph Lhota, unveiled an $800 million action plan to fix the subway, and new NYC Transit Chief Andy Byford later laid out an aggressive plan to modernize the system, the subway's "summer of hell" seems far from over.
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Second Avenue Subway’s next phase won’t be done until 2029

Photo via Flickr cc

July 20, 2018

Second Avenue Subway’s next phase won’t be done until 2029

According to new documents, the next leg of the extension of the Q line to 125th Street that comprises the second phase of the Second Avenue Subway will be done in 2029, the Daily News reports. And that completion date only holds if work is begun on time, in mid-2019, according to the same document from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Federal Transit Administration. The expected phase two completion date is nearly a decade after Governor Andrew Cuomo opened the first section of the project in 2017. That 2029 date refers to the time all construction equipment has left the site; MTA officials hope to begin running trains through the tunnels, bringing vital service to Harlem, in 2027.
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23rd Street and 145th Street subway stations to close for months beginning Monday morning

Photo via Wikipedia

July 20, 2018

23rd Street and 145th Street subway stations to close for months beginning Monday morning

Monday will be a dark day for straphangers: At 5am, the 145th Street 3 station will close through November, the 23rd Street F, M station will close through December, and the Jamaica Center-bound 104th Street J, Z platform will close through January. This compounds the usual slew of service changes and the fact that the M is simply not running this weekend, and the E and F are having a masquerade as one another. In good news, by the MTA's estimates the Avenue U, Avenue P, Avenue N, Bay Parkway and Avenue I Manhattan-bound platforms should be reopening this month.
Compared to the above, the other changes are more palatable

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62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

Via City Comptroller’s office

July 18, 2018

62 New York City neighborhoods lack an accessible subway station

More than half of the 122 neighborhoods served by New York City's subway system do not have a single accessible station, a new report by City Comptroller Scott Stringer found. And out of the 62 neighborhoods dubbed "ADA transit deserts," 55 are in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. In his report, "Service Denied," Stringer details the gaps in accessibility for seniors and mobility-impaired New Yorkers and calls on the state legislature to create a new funding source dedicated to upgrades compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.
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City announces $100M plan to modernize freight distribution infrastructure

Aggregate barge on Newtown Creek. Photo Credit: Mitch Waxman via NYCEDC

July 17, 2018

City announces $100M plan to modernize freight distribution infrastructure

Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced on Monday the launch of a plan for investing in updated transportation options for New York City businesses and dividing distribution among the five boroughs. Freight NYC is a $100 million plan to overhaul the city’s aging freight distribution systems through strategic investments to modernize maritime and rail assets and create new distribution facilities. The plan hopes to create 5,000 jobs as well as a more sustainable and resilient supply chain network.
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Second Avenue Subway eases ridership at 4,5,6 stations by 30%

Photo via Flickr cc

July 13, 2018

Second Avenue Subway eases ridership at 4,5,6 stations by 30%

By Dana Schulz

The MTA has released updated ridership figures for 2017, giving an even better look at how the Second Avenue Subway is growing in popularity and impacting the Lexington Avenue line. By looking at the three comparative stations--96th Street, 86th, and 77th/72nd Streets--we can see that average weekday ridership on the 4,5,6 line has dropped 29.5, 29.2, and 23.6 percent respectively. More impressive is the fact that in 2017, the annual number of riders at the 96th Street station and 77th and 72nd Street stations were almost identical on both lines at roughly 8.5 million. And at 86th Street, the Q station hit 7.7 million riders, still impressive compared to the Lexington line's $14 million considering there are two express trains there, too.
A deeper dive

28th Street 4, 6 station to close through December, and more weekend subway madness

Photo via Wikipedia

July 13, 2018

28th Street 4, 6 station to close through December, and more weekend subway madness

Next week will start with the closure of yet another station for "enhancements." This time, the 28th Street 4, 6 station will be the one to close, through December, while it is "enhanced". Additional bad news this week is that even alternate shuttle buses now have service changes, apparently, with crane operations requiring eastbound 4 shuttle buses to reroute and run via Riverdale Avenue instead of from Livonia Avenue to Thomas S. Boyland Avenue. Also, for those who missed the initial news: the A isn't running to Far Rockaway-Mott Av, and the Rockaway Park Shuttle isn't servicing Broad Channel through September.
The full slate of service changes this way

Transit

July 9, 2018

After years of complaints, MTA removes NYC’s hottest subway car from the 1 line

Photo via Wikimedia Following years of commuter complaints, a subway car without functioning air conditioning on the 1 line is being taken out of service, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said on Friday. Car #1872 has repeatedly been a source of sweaty problems for straphangers, as well as the subject of many angry tweets sent to the MTA. As the New York Post reported, the authority will remove the car and overhaul its systems, including fixing its air conditioner. Heat-related complaints made via social media have increased, with 714 made between April and June, compared to 380 during the same period last year.
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57th Street F station to close through December and other weekend subway changes

Photo by Marko Kudjersk via Wikipedia

July 6, 2018

57th Street F station to close through December and other weekend subway changes