Transit

Is the City’s New Ferry System Expansion Plan Full of Holes?
June 27, 2016

Is the City’s New Ferry System Expansion Plan Full of Holes?

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The new city-wide ferry system, scheduled to launch in summer 2017, has been lauded for creating 150 new jobs and spurring development in places like Astoria where it will shuttle the neighborhood’s transit-challenged residents to Manhattan for the cost of a MetroCard swipe. But will an unrealistic time frame and poor management choices and planning cause the Mayor's ambitious ferry plan to run aground? Maritime industry insider Tom Fox explains his concerns in an op-ed for Crain's.
What could possibly go wrong?
Poll: Will Phase One of the Second Avenue Subway Open on Time?
June 22, 2016

Poll: Will Phase One of the Second Avenue Subway Open on Time?

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New Yorkers have learned to take deadlines and budgets from the MTA with a grain of salt, and the Second Avenue Subway may be the worst offender since it was first proposed all the way back in the 1920s. But the past couple years have restored some hope; in April 2015, it was announced that Phase I of the project was 82 percent complete and on track for its December 2016 opening, and last summer the MTA even went so far as to say the entire line could open sooner than originally planned. But yesterday the Post reported that there's a good chance the Second Avenue Subway won't be finished on time, blaming construction crews not showing up for work. This has put inspections behind schedule, and therefore "the agency has only completed 67 percent of the testing and needs to do another 1,100 checks by October."
What do you think this means for the deadline?
The MTA Joins Forces With Arup Engineers to Build Quieter Subway Stations

Artist’s impression of one of the Second Avenue subway’s 16 new stations

June 16, 2016

The MTA Joins Forces With Arup Engineers to Build Quieter Subway Stations

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While the New York City subway system has improved by leaps and bounds since the days of squealing graffiti-covered, crime-riddled trains, stations are still an unpleasant reality. Between the grime, stench, heat and noise of oncoming trains (which in turn makes it impossible to hear indecipherable, possibly important announcements), by the time the actual train shows up we've had our share of city cacophony. The good news is that an engineering firm is working with the MTA to create the amazing possibility of quieter subway stations, Wired reports. The challenge of quieting the din lies in the fact that a subway station has to be "incredibly strong, graffiti-proof, soot-resistant, human bodily waste-resistant,” according to Alex Case, an architectural acoustician with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. This indestructible infrastructure by nature creates an echo chamber that amplifies the racket. Engineering firm Arup has been hired by the MTA to improve the acoustics of the new Second Avenue line, the first phase of which–a stretch of track that lies 10 stories below the Upper East Side–is scheduled to open this December, with 8.5 miles and 16 new stations on the way when the line is complete.
Find out how they're doing it
Developer Wants to Erect the World’s Tallest Free-Fall Ride Atop Penn Station
June 15, 2016

Developer Wants to Erect the World’s Tallest Free-Fall Ride Atop Penn Station

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Observation decks boasting panoramic city views have been to date the way to add a "thrill-seeking" element to new developments, but here's a new proposal that really wants visitors to throw their arms up in excitement. As the Daily News first reports, two Brooklyn developers want to turn the top of Penn Station into the world's tallest free-fall tower ride, an idea that would be developed alongside all the renovations planned for the outdated transit hub. "Halo," as it would be called, is the work of AE Superlab and would rise an incredible 1,200 feet from the roof of Madison Square, or be tacked onto the back of the adjacent Farley Post Office, which is slated to be converted into a waiting hall to support expanding station. And in addition to Halo's towering height (to put that 1,200 feet in perspective, the Empire State Building is 1,250 feet at its parapet), the ride's 11 cars would boast adjustable speeds. Cars could be modified to move as quickly as 100 miles per hour giving it a top-to-base free fall of about six seconds.
find out more here
Design Teams Propose Inflatable Tunnel, New Train Lines As Solutions to L Train Shutdown
June 15, 2016

Design Teams Propose Inflatable Tunnel, New Train Lines As Solutions to L Train Shutdown

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Among the proposals gaining steam to mitigate the imminent L train shutdown are the East River Skyway, an aerial gondola system that would run along the Brooklyn waterfront and into Manhattan, and a car-free 14th Street. But the Van Alen Institute wanted to open the brainstorming to the wider public. As part of their "L Train Shutdown Charrette," this past Sunday, six interdisciplinary design teams who were selected as finalists presented their creative and fanciful proposals, including everything from a floating inflatable tunnel to an all-access transportation pass called Lemonade Line. The winning design "Transient Transit – Revitalizing Industrial Infrastructure" comes from Kohn Pedersen Fox and Happold Engineering, who propose utilizing Newtown Creek for a water shuttle and the LIRR freight tracks for passenger service.
More on the winner and some of the notable honorable mentions
LaGuardia Airport Overhaul Will Cost More Than $7B, Cuomo Releases New Renderings
June 15, 2016

LaGuardia Airport Overhaul Will Cost More Than $7B, Cuomo Releases New Renderings

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Since Governor Cuomo announced his plans last July for LaGuardia Airport's long-awaited revamp, the price tag has been set at $4 billion, but yesterday at a groundbreaking for the project, that number rose to a whopping $7 billion, reports The Real Deal. Alongside Vice President Biden, the Governor explained that phase one, which includes the replacement of the Central Terminal Building (Terminal B), will carry the $4 billion cost, while the redevelopment of Delta's Terminals C and D will require another $3 billion. And that's not all; the new AirTrain and 24-hour ferry service will require even more funds. Aside from the updated cost estimates, Tuesday's affair also brought new details and renderings.
See them all here
Construction on LaGuardia AirTrain Kicks Off This Afternoon
June 14, 2016

Construction on LaGuardia AirTrain Kicks Off This Afternoon

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Earlier this month, it was announced that work on Governor Cuomo's $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport would begin this summer, and today NY1 reports that a groundbreaking ceremony for the new AirTrain (part of the overall modernization plan) is taking place this afternoon. It will span 1.5 miles along the Grand Central Parkway, connecting with the 7 train and Long Island Railroad at Willets Point. A 2015 estimate put its cost at $450 million.
Find out more
Local Governments Say State Law Gives MTA Too Much Zoning Freedom

Construction at Hudson Yards, where the MTA says it worked with local elected officials

June 8, 2016

Local Governments Say State Law Gives MTA Too Much Zoning Freedom

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New Yorkers know all too well that the debt-ridden MTA is constantly on the hunt for ways to raise funds, most of which, like fare hikes and toll increases, come straight out of our pockets. But the Wall Street Journal brings to light another, less direct way the agency may be looking to boost revenue. Under a provision in the state budget, the MTA would be exempt from local laws and zoning regulations when developing property. For example, a new apartment building on MTA-owned and -leased land "could be exempt from local property taxes and not contribute to the cost of services for the new residents." Local governments are concerned that this stipulation would lead to build-happy developers seeking out MTA property to bypass typical local reviews.
READ MORE
$4B Overhaul of LaGuardia Airport to Begin This Summer, New Renderings
June 2, 2016

$4B Overhaul of LaGuardia Airport to Begin This Summer, New Renderings

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When Governor Cuomo revealed details and flashy renderings for his planned $4 billion overhaul of LaGuardia Airport, he assured New Yorkers "It’s not a plan; it’s not a sketch; it’s not a dream; it’s not a vision—it’s actually happening." And he wasn't kidding; LaGuardia Gateway Partners, a public-private partnership formed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, announced yesterday that they closed on the deal to develop a "replacement to the maligned LaGuardia Airport's Central Terminal Building and operate the new facility through 2050," according to Crain's. With work expected to kick off this summer, Curbed has also uncovered a few new renderings of the plan.
More details ahead
POLL: Could China’s Street-Straddling Bus System Work in New York?
June 1, 2016

POLL: Could China’s Street-Straddling Bus System Work in New York?

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At the 19th annual Beijing International High-Tech Expo, China flexed some of its public transportation prowess by debuting a model of a proposed bus system that would hover over vehicular road traffic, straddling existing highways. Dubbed the "Transit Elevated Bus," the radical idea has been kicked around for several years, but now the WSJ reports that China will be building a trial run of the system in its Hibei province later this year. While here in the U.S., we are still scavenging for mass transit dollars and desperately trying to convince politicians that adding more lanes to highways does not actually relieve congestion, China may literally leap above and beyond U.S transport planning if these "air buses" come to fruition. The engineers claim each bus could hold more than 1,200 commuters at a time and travel up to 40 miles per hour. Additionally, construction would be one-fifth the cost of a subway line and could be completed in a single year.
Should we consider a similar plan for NYC?
The NYC Subway Accounts for 100-Percent of the Nation’s Transit Growth, Says New Study
May 31, 2016

The NYC Subway Accounts for 100-Percent of the Nation’s Transit Growth, Says New Study

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Although the NYC subway system may be hemorrhaging money, unable to turn a profit despite annual fare increases, expanded services and a slew of other measures, there is one thing that it can gloat about. According to a just-released annual report from the American Public Transportation Association (h/t New Geography), the New York City subway accounts for ALL of the transit increase seen in the United States between 2005 and 2015. In the last decade, subway ridership has ballooned nearly a billion trips, while transit systems outside the New York City subway saw a loss of nearly 200 million riders over the same period. And if current figures are any indication of what's to come, this trend will only strengthen. As 6sqft reported in April, NYC subway hit 1.7 billion annual trips, the highest since 1948 when ridership was at its peak.
more details here
MTA Flaunts Future Subway Map With Second Avenue Line
May 27, 2016

MTA Flaunts Future Subway Map With Second Avenue Line

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Perhaps in an attempt to distract disgruntled riders from looming shutdowns and never-ending delays, the MTA has released a new subway map that features stations along phase one of the Second Avenue line and the reinstated W line to Astoria. The former isn't planned to open until December (which, as Gothamist notes, we'll believe when we see) and the latter November, but if you were stuck on a sweaty platform this morning, this eye candy is surely a welcome treat.
See the full map here
Governor Cuomo Finally Approves MTA’s $27B Capital Plan
May 25, 2016

Governor Cuomo Finally Approves MTA’s $27B Capital Plan

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Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, notorious for their icy relationship, have been squabbling for well over a year about the MTA's $27 billion, five-year capital plan. Last October, they reached an agreement where the state would contribute $8.3 billion and the city $2.5 billion, neither of which would come from increasing taxes. Seven months later, the Daily News reports that Albany has finally approved the plan, which covers track and station repairs, new train cars, new high-tech buses, a MetroCard replacement, the Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access project, and, of course, the beginning of the Second Avenue Subway's phase two into East Harlem.
More details ahead
Empire State Gateway Plan Stretches Twin Suspension Bridges from NJ to Queens
May 23, 2016

Empire State Gateway Plan Stretches Twin Suspension Bridges from NJ to Queens

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Just two months ago, the state allocated $70 million for early engineering work on a new Hudson River tunnel, part of the larger $20 billion Gateway project to fix the crumbling, century-old tunnels that currently carry New Jersey Transit and Amtrak trains under the Hudson River. Despite the move forward, a traffic consultant from Delaware thinks he has a better idea. NJ.com shared Scott R. Spencer's proposal for twin suspension bridges that would stretch 3.5 miles from New Jersey, across Manhattan at 38th and 39th Streets, and in to Queens. He believes the plan, aptly titled the Empire State Gateway, would be a much quicker solution to the current transportation woes, with one bridge taking about five years to complete versus 20+ years for the tunnels. Spencer's idea, however, would also cost $20 billion, and as Untapped points out, would cast quite the shadow over Midtown (not to mention the countless approvals and variances it would require).
Get all the details this way
The History of the Roosevelt Island Tramway
May 17, 2016

The History of the Roosevelt Island Tramway

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In honor of the Roosevelt Island Tramway's 40th anniversary today, we've pulled this wonderful piece on the history of the high-flying gondola system from our archives. Commuting in New York City, whether for work or pleasure, is rarely an enjoyable experience. However, for some tourists and lucky city dwellers, the Roosevelt Island Tramway provides a delightful, high-flying travel alternative to the standard, and sometimes miserable, modes of NYC public transport. Running across the East River, this aerial tramway brings commuters to and from Roosevelt Island and Manhattan’s Upper East Side, and has carried over 26 million passengers since opening in 1976. It is one of the few forms of mass transit in New York City not operated by the MTA, but it still costs the same as the bus or subway and can be paid for with your NYC metro card. Like most things in our historic port town, both the tramway and the commute between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island has a history, and this one includes bridge elevators, high-rise rescue missions and French ski lifts.
More on how the Roosevelt Island tramway came to be
Map Mashup: The NYC Subway System Gets Re-Stylized as The London Tube
May 17, 2016

Map Mashup: The NYC Subway System Gets Re-Stylized as The London Tube

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Pretty much everyone can appreciate a good map, and many of us are downright obsessed. Then there’s Cameron Booth, who has devoted a serious amount of his time to interweaving maps to transit systems all around the world with one another. The Portland, OR-based (by way of Syndey, Australia) graphic designer tweaks and reimagines the world's city transit maps on his blog; Booth has also helped test and create map apps for cities throughout the world. You could think of it as a way to travel everywhere at once, while not leaving home (as long as you stay within the bounds of this virtual transit system). Booth has tried his hand at versions of the transit systems of Paris and Portland, major U.S. highway routes and Amtrak train maps, and it’s both a graphic delight and an eye-opening way to see how cities’ transit systems get you from point a to point b. Take, for example, his project that combines the London tube diagram with the New York City subway system map.
Get a closer look at the maps
Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Gets a New Website With More Details and Images
May 13, 2016

Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar Gets a New Website With More Details and Images

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Friends of the Brooklyn Queens Connector launched a brand new website yesterday, revealing not only more images of how the streetcar could fit in with the various neighborhoods it would serve, but also the names of the developers, transportation experts and civic organizers involved in pushing the lightrail project forward. As listed on the site, members of the advocacy group include former MTA head and mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, big names hailing from the likes of Tishman Speyer, Steiner Studios and Two Trees Development, and a number of local groups, including the Fifth Avenue Committee, Industry City and DUMBO BID. According to DNA Info, over the next 16 months, the committee will attempt to get additional neighborhood groups and residents along the streetcar's 16-mile route involved in the city's public planning process, which in turn should drive more support and funding.
More photos of the Connector this way
Why Do Subway Conductors Always Point After Pulling Into a Station?
May 12, 2016

Why Do Subway Conductors Always Point After Pulling Into a Station?

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If you've ever been able to tear your eyes away from your targeted entry point when the subway doors are about to open, you might've noticed that every time a train pulls into the station, the conductor is pointing out his window at something. And believe it or not, he isn't calling out the crazy person screaming on the platform or gesturing to his fellow employees in the booth. This is actually a required safety precaution. Halfway down every subway platform is a "zebra board," a black and white-striped wood panel that's meant to line up perfectly with the conductor's window, signaling that all cars are at the platform. "Because opening the doors without a platform to step onto is such a serious concern, conductors are required to point at the sign every time to show that they've stopped at the right spot," Mental Floss explains.
Find out more this way
L Train Shutdown: MTA Will Decide in Three Months Which Way to Make Riders Suffer
May 6, 2016

L Train Shutdown: MTA Will Decide in Three Months Which Way to Make Riders Suffer

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The MTA announced at a town hall meeting Thursday night that they would "decide in the next three months at most" on the final details for the planned Canarsie Tunnel work to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that would halt L train service west of Bedford Avenue, according to DNAinfo. The agency is considering two options: shutting down service for that portion of the line completely for 18 months, or having partial service that would give only "one in five passengers service to Manhattan" (or 20 percent of current service) and last up to three years.
Find out more about your hellish subway-less nightmare choices
East River Skyway Proposal Gains Steam, Would Only Cost Riders $25/Month
May 4, 2016

East River Skyway Proposal Gains Steam, Would Only Cost Riders $25/Month

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With public meetings about the impending L train shutdown beginning this week, much of the conversation is centered around alternate ways to shuttle people between downtown Manhattan and Brooklyn. One solution is the East River Skyway, an aerial gondola system that would run along the Brooklyn waterfront and into Manhattan, bringing commuters over the river in just 3.5 minutes. The proposal from Dan Levy, president and CEO of CityRealty*, first surfaced in 2014, then referencing the Brooklyn development boom that will bring tens of thousands of new residential units to the borough in the coming years. But now with a possible years-long shutdown of the L, along with skyrocketing subway ridership, the Skyway is drumming up support from investors, DNA Info reports. Levy told 6sqft, "We've completed some preliminary engineering and design work around the cars and the stations and how they could meld with their respective locations — and more broadly the city skyline. Given their high visibility we want to be context sensitive." He also revealed that, although the project would cost up to $134 million (per estimate from engineers), an unlimited monthly pass would cost only $25.
READ MORE
VIDEO: A Visit to the ‘Creepy’ Depths of the ‘90s Subway Finds Some Things Haven’t Changed
May 3, 2016

VIDEO: A Visit to the ‘Creepy’ Depths of the ‘90s Subway Finds Some Things Haven’t Changed

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Here’s a video that drops a subway token on the dark ages of 1990, when the city's underground transit system may have been a little “creepy,” but buses still took forever. While our ideas of what’s merely unruly (afterschool hordes) and what’s downright dangerous (the NYPD, eek!) may have been changed by the intervening years, it’s interesting to note the things that have stayed the same (capacity crowds on the Lexington Avenue line). Our host, a Fonzie-meets-Geraldo-esque Newsday columnist by the name of Ellis Henican, skims the surface of the many, many things that are going on below it in the city’s subway tunnels of the day, including ghost stations, locked restrooms and more.
Find out what's changed, what hasn't and what's still creepy
Website Launches for New City-Wide Ferry, Win a Free Annual Pass
April 29, 2016

Website Launches for New City-Wide Ferry, Win a Free Annual Pass

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The new city-wide ferry system is on schedule to launch in summer 2017, and ahead of that launch, the ferry service, which will be run by the San Francisco-based Hornblower, has launched their new website. Visitors can find out about the ferry, and, more importantly, enter to win a free annual pass. Winners will be announced when the service launches next summer. The site features updates, public meeting info, maps and schedules, and postings for more than 150 jobs that will be created by the new service.
Find out more
Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’

Rendering for a proposed new MSG by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

April 27, 2016

Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’

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Moving MSG to make room for a bigger, better Penn Station train hub would be really expensive and probably not a good idea, according to a new report by transit think tank Rudin Center for Transportation Policy. Commercial Observer reports that the just-released study outlines the concern that moving the arena would come with a price tag of over $5 billion, take, like, forever, and would generally "become an urban planner’s worst nightmare." The study refers to the proposed overhaul of Pennsylvania Station and the idea of extending it to the post office off Eighth Avenue as well as suggestions by urban planners for relocating MSG.
So what's going to cost so much?
How Long Should You Wait For the Subway Before Giving Up?
April 20, 2016

How Long Should You Wait For the Subway Before Giving Up?

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To wait or not to wait, that is the question that engineer Erik Bernhardsson answered in his recent analysis of the MTA's real-time API. In his post titled NY Subway Math he determined that if you're in a hurry, you should only wait for a train to arrive for 11 minutes (h/t Technically). At this point, the chance that there's a serious delay begins to rise. As he notes, "The interesting conclusion is that after about five minutes, the longer you wait, the longer you will have to wait. If you waited for 15 minutes, the median additional waiting time is another 8 minutes. But 8 minutes later if the train still hasn’t come, the median additional waiting time is now another 12 minutes.”
More on the conclusion
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