To Alleviate Crowding on Subways Employers Should Stagger Hours

Joe Lhota, the returning Chairman of the MTA, has recently suggested that seats be taken out of subway cars to increase their capacity.  Does Mr. Lhota care about elderly, handicapped, and pregnant people?  How many times has he ridden in a jam packed subway?

Here is an idea that would not cost any money.  Can companies encourage their employees to work staggered hours?  Why does everyone have to work from 9 – 5?  If the heavy commuting time could be spread out, crowding can be alleviated.  The MTA could start an advertising campaign to encourage this.

It is Only One Day – So Far So Good

I have used this blog on many occasions to complain about transit delays on my way to and from work.  Today I was pleasantly surprised that there were no delays for me on Day One of the “Summer of Hell”.  In my general blog, I politely criticized Governor Cuomo and the media for using this expression and creating unnecessary anxiety among commuters.

I was afraid that my Northeast Corridor trains on NJ Transit would experience delays getting in and out of Penn Station, but it didn’t happen.  Hopefully, the planning for the repair of the tracks was done right.  It is being done during the summer when many customers are on vacation.  Let’s hope that the delays will be minimal during this summer.

Hopefully Planning by Amtrak, NJ Transit and the LIRR will Minimize Inconvenience This Summer

I guess since I haven’t written anything in this blog for a while, it means that there haven’t been any major delays lately.  True, but this may mean quiet before the storm.  Amtrak announced that between July 10 and September 1 there will be three tracks closed at New York Penn Station to allow for maintenance that should have been done years ago.  Hopefully, this will not mean big delays for commuters.  Over the summer ridership is somewhat lower since at a given point in time many people are on vacation.

NJ Transit has released its schedule for this period.  Fortunately, none of the trains that I usually take have been canceled.  All Midtown Direct trains will terminate in Hoboken compelling passengers to NYC to take the PATH from there.  Many LIRR trains will terminate at Hunter Point Avenue forcing commuters to NYC to change for the #7 train.  This will affect me since it may create overcrowding.  The #7 train is jammed packed as it is.

Let’s hope that the plans made by Amtrak, the LIRR and NJ Transit will minimize the inconvenience caused by the track repairs.

 

One Reason to Hate the Select Bus Service

If you watch this video, you’ll see that this man is outraged since he lost money in the machine as he was trying to buy a ticket to get on the Q44-SBS.  I hate it when you run for a bus, buy your ticket, and then the bus pulls away.  Also, you buy a ticket for the Q44-SBS and then a Q20 pulls in first and the driver won’t accept your ticket.

Luckily, I avoided a Big Delay in Penn Station This Evening

My commute from Newark to New York Penn Station was pretty much normal today, but as I was riding on the #7 train an announcement popped up on my cell phone saying there was a big delay in Penn Station.  New York Daily News report.

Anyway, the only three things in this world are certain:

1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Train Delays

There will be train delays, the only thing in question is where and when they will occur.  Today, I was lucky and missed it.

Christie and Trump (The Dynamic Duo) – Making Us Late Again

Since Amtrak is a Federal agency, Trump is in charge. Christie heads New Jersey Transit. Together, they are making us late again.

Since I was Off For Good Friday I Avoided Chaos at Penn Station

Thank goodness I was off from work yesterday as I missed the chaos in New York Penn Station caused by an NJ Transit train stuck for 3 hours in the tunnel followed by a stampede caused by a false report of an active shooter.  It turned out that the Amtrak police used a stun gun to subdue a disruptive customer.  I don’t know the circumstances behind this, but I can certainly understand passengers’ frustrations.  I likely would have missed it since the train was disabled about 3 PM.  I would have taken PATH to get to NYC from Newark.

What’s next?  Thank goodness, I will be retiring at the end of 2017 and will never again ride NJ Transit.

Report in the Asbury Park Press

Report from CNN

Delay on the Newark Light Rail This Morning

Today there was a significant delay on the Newark Light Rail.  Over the years this train has been very reliable, so this delay was unusual.  It turns out that there were overhead wire problems on the line.  So instead of having two tracks available, there was only one.  When I got to the stop at Penn Station, there was a large crowd of people waiting.  Since only one track was available, the light rail had to run as a shuttle from one end to the other.  Thus cars ran only once every 20 minutes.  When a car came, it was jam packed and finally made it to the Warren Street Station. I was only 20 minutes late.  I could have walked up the hill from Penn Station to NJIT, but things worked out.

I’ll give NJ Transit credit this time as there were several customer service representatives providing information.

Two Penn Station Derailments in Two Weeks

Here we go again!  At about 9 AM an NJ Transit train derailed in New York Penn Station causing 5 minor injuries, but create havoc for thousands of commuters including me.  Fortunately for me, I was already at work when the accident occurred.  By the afternoon rush, there was only limited service in and out of Penn Station, so I took the PATH home.  I will have to do the same tomorrow morning as full service will not yet be restored.

Complete story in USA Today

Aggravation on the 3 Train This Morning

On my long journey to work, have a very short trip on the 1, 2, or 3 train one stop from Times Square to 34th Street on 7th Avenue.  Almost all of the time it takes no more than 2 minutes to make this connection to NJ Transit.  Today it was stuck for 20 minutes between the stations.  What was the problem?  SIGNAL PROBLEMS.

I think there should be a Nobel Prize for Engineering awarded to anyone who can permanently solve the signal problems on subways and commuter railroads.