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After 58 years of service, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has now retired every single one of its remaining “Brightliners” (R-32 subway cars). Known for their shiny corrugated stainless-steel paneling, the Brightliners bid New York City farewell earlier this month, before they were taken by rail to be scrapped in Ohio. — Fast Company
A majority of the cars were retired over ten years ago, when more than a 1,000 of the R-32s were dumped in coastal areas in Delaware, New Jersey, and Georgia to establish artificial reefs. The plan was meant to boost recreational fishing, which at the time generated billions in state and federal... View full entry
A long sought train connection between Brooklyn and Queens may finally become a reality, as New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced she wants to "take an old, unused, 14-mile-long right-of-way and create what we're calling the Inter-Borough Express" during her State of the State address Wednesday. — Gothamist
The project would repurpose an existing freight rail line that runs through Brooklyn and Queens, starting in Bay Ridge and stretching to Astoria. The route would run through neighborhoods currently not served by rail transit, including Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush... View full entry
Get set for delays on many subway lines and bus routes. At least 1,000 workers for the MTA are out sick with COVID as the omicron variant continues to surge throughout New York City. With those absences, there will be subway and bus delays across the city as commuters return to work and school Monday. — Pix11
Amidst the rapid spread of the omicron variant, the MTA has suspended service on the B, W, and Z lines, the express service on the Number 6 train in the Bronx, express service on the Number 7 train in Queens, and partial suspension of the A train in Far Rockaway, Queens. View full entry
The transit agency that oversees New York City’s subway, buses and two regional commuter rails will postpone fare increases for at least six months and defer drastic service cuts now that it anticipates receiving billions of dollars from the federal infrastructure bill, officials said on Monday. — The New York TImes
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that the newly-enacted $1 trillion infrastructure bill signed by President Biden today would allow the state and the MTA to avoid harmful price and service changes. The influx of money comes as the MTA is aggressively trying to lure back ridership, which... View full entry
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest U.S. mass-transit provider, is running on borrowed time, facing budget and revenue challenges as federal aid is set to tap out in 2025, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, said in a report Tuesday. — Bloomberg
The announcement comes on the heels of a rough summer for the MTA, which is only now seeing its ridership climb past 50% of pre-pandemic levels as it weighs a controversial congestion pricing plan that would add $1 billion in revenue a year beginning in 2023. Interim boss Sarah Feinberg... View full entry
New York City is moving forward with its plan to install the country’s first-ever congestion pricing law that would tax vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street in an effort to raise money and reduce traffic in the heart of a city that’s home to more than 8 million people. ... View full entry
The transit situation on Thursday in New York City remained paralyzed, with service on more than half of the city’s subway lines disrupted, commuter rail lines running limited trains, and Amtrak canceling service on a major corridor. — The New York Times
Wednesday night’s flooding caused New York City to issue a travel ban usually reserved for major winter storm events. The storm also inundated large sections of major highways in Philadelphia and impacted operations at Newark Liberty International Airport. The New York subway hasn’t seen a... View full entry
A Supreme-wrapped subway train has been added to the New York City MTA. This marks the second major collaboration between the two, following their 2017 MTA MetroCard release. Looks like Supreme is linking up with NYC & MTA again. This time full wrap on subway trains @DropsByJay @snkr_twitr @J23app... View full entry
Subway systems around the world are struggling to adapt to an era of extreme weather brought on by climate change. Their designs, many based on the expectations of another era, are being overwhelmed, and investment in upgrades could be squeezed by a drop in ridership brought on by the pandemic. — The New York Times
New York is still repairing damages to its subway system caused nearly a decade ago by Hurricane Sandy as the installation of certain protective also lags behind schedule. Coastal cities like New York and Boston are facing nine-digit pricetags as they prepare their populations for climate change... View full entry
Earlier this month, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was closed due to weather. However, a video posted to Twitter of the bridge undergoing heavy winds went viral due to the sights and sounds recorded. Bridges are built to pass strict safety and construction standards and be capable of withstanding... View full entry
Ridership declines across all of the MTA’s trains and buses is becoming “more severe” by the day, the agency’s latest statistics revealed, causing $87 million in weekly revenue losses and raising the specter of more debt and drastic cuts to much-needed long-term repairs. — Streetsblog NYC
Already dealing with financial pressure, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is being hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic, as new ridership data in the latest Annual Disclosure Statement reveals. "Recent substantial declines in ridership and traffic in response to the... View full entry
Michael Hertz, whose design firm produced one of the most consulted maps in human history, the curvy-lined chart that New York City subway riders peer at over one another’s shoulders to figure out which stop they want, died on Feb. 18 in East Meadow, N.Y. He was 87. — The New York Times
In an effort to boost ridership, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, North America's largest public transportation network, formed a committee under the leadership of John Tauranac in the mid-1970s to create a new, more appealing map for the New York City subway system and replace the... View full entry
The MTA pledged Monday to fast-track subway access for people with disabilities by making 66 more stations easier to navigate as part of a new $51 billion, five-year spending plan...The promise comes as the MTA faces multiple lawsuits over the shortage of elevators in the subway system — THE CITY
"Making 66 more stations accessible would triple the number that had been tapped for Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades in the 2015-2019 capital plan," THE CITY reports. The planned upgrades are part of MTA's recently announced $54 billion capital improvement plan. View full entry
New York's public transportation system isn't perfect, but its proper, punctual functioning is critical to the city's existence. Flaws and all, millions of New York natives and visitors log over 1 billion trips on the subway and bus systems each year. On Monday, the Metropolitan... View full entry
More than a decade after New York came close to enacting the country’s first-ever congestion pricing program, it’s finally becoming a reality.
A tolling structure for Manhattan’s central business district (CBD)—roughly defined as the area below 60th Street in the borough—passed as part of the FY2020 budget, as both a means for reducing the traffic that clogs city streets, and introducing a new stream of revenue for the perpetually cash-strapped MTA.
— Curbed NY
"New York’s congestion pricing move may also lead other cities to implement their own traffic surcharges—Boston, Los Angeles, and Seattle are among the municipalities that have been considering it," writes Curbed. View full entry
