Tuesday, June 20, 2017

The Penn Station blues

From the Wall Street Journal:

Diverted passengers who face a grueling commute this summer because of rail disruption at New York’s Penn Station deserve discounted tickets on the Long Island Rail Road, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday morning.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Suffolk County board member later suggested such a discount could be up to 15%.

As Mr. Cuomo made his suggestion, during a news conference at Penn Station, the head of the MTA, which owns the LIRR, told a committee of the agency’s board in lower Manhattan that the MTA will withhold regular payments it makes to Amtrak for use of Penn Station and that the MTA will send Amtrak a bill for costs incurred by the disruption.

Amtrak, which owns and operates the Midtown Manhattan terminal, will reduce weekday rush-hour service into and out of the station beginning July 10. The outages are needed so that Amtrak can carry out extensive repair work to rails and switches following two low-speed derailments earlier this year.


From NY1:

City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer is not mincing words when it comes to his opinion on the MTA's plan for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) riders this summer.

“I think it is ridiculous,” he said.

This week, the agency announced it would cancel or divert close to three dozen rush hour trains into and out of Penn Station while Amtrak does emergency track work. That means more LIRR trains originating or terminating at stations in Brooklyn and Queens, including Hunterspoint Avenue in Long Island City. Passengers there would then either take a ferry or transfer to the 7 train.

“To take Long Island Rail Road users and divert them to the 7 train is stupid,” Van Bramer said. “We know the service is unreliable as it is.”


From NY1:

A State Senator from Queens says taxing the rich is how to fund repair work at Penn Station.

Senator Michael Gianaris says his bill would require millionaires in New York to pay a three-year temporary state income tax surcharge. It would apply to those living in any county where the MTA operates.

Gianaris says it would generate close to $2 billion dollars for the MTA every year.

Hotel taxes would also see a new $5 fee on top of the already existing tax in the city.

14 comments:

JQ LLC said...

A transit discount, what a novel idea. Is it too late to give one to the poorest commuters so they can buy food and be slightly less rent-burdened.

What's Jimbrowski so miffed about? Doesn't he like the over funded and under served ferry service? What about all those Shitibike stations? I guess taking those developer bribes to turn his district into a setting from Blade Runner is going to anger his base.

As for taxing the rich, no fucking duh. But. It's. Too. Late to save the worst fucking transit system in the universe. With this neoliberal asshole running the state who needs all the cash from these billionaire donors he needs their filthy lucre to keep the moneyed establishment democrat machine "resistance" to get re-elected and also their chosen candidates for state senate seats. So Genaris' proposal is going to be blown off.

Anonymous said...

The only thing ridiculous, or should we say scandalous, is increasingly reckless and inept handling of our infrastructure by the machine politicians as they divert revenue streamS to build their political base at the cost of endangering society.

The millions of illegals in this country that siphon off jobs from Americans and send money that could be used to renew our infrastructure back to their homelands (as their numbers drive up the cost of housing) create a burden on the economy. They are the party's future, and this group have benefits and programs tailored for them which are from diverted revenues of capital projects and infrastructure maintenance.

Now the pols want to compound things by taking the railroad away from professionals like Amtrak to and give it to party hacks.

When you hear the likes of Van Bramer and Gianaris pandering to the Roman Circus you know the jig is up. GET THEM AWAY FROM ANYTHING WHERE THEY CAN DO MORE DAMAGE!

Let Trump withhold money until they spend it as they should - to improve the lives of American citizens rather than squander it on building the party base with law breakers.

Anonymous said...

Aaaaaw, the poor Long Island Rail Road riders need a fare discount because of the situation at Penn station.

How about a fare discount for the users of the 7 line which serves a large swath of Queens and is always breaking down or being shut down due to similar problems the LIRR is experiencing?

How about some of our local politicians standing up and telling Cuomo, the wannabe president, that life can be tough for all commuters and not just those who happen to reside on Long Island?

Again the city residents will get screwed while the suburbanites will be fawned over for using our city to earn a living.

Anonymous said...

James Oddo is worse than Cuomo. James Oddo cries about how Staten Island is forgotten when the white parts of Staten Island have better public transit than a lot of Queens. Plus he thinks that the whiter parts of Staten Island deserve better resources than anywhere else in this city too and the dope from Park Slope is ready to pander to him.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, I avoided 5+ LARGE potholes this morning. Cops took 3+ hours to respond to a traffic accident/ complaint about illegal activity in my neighborhood. NYC schools are horrendous. City won't come to trim a city tree with a large dead branch that hangs over my house. Can I get a discount on the taxes I pay?

Sat on a bridge for 20+ minutes- can I get a discounted toll?

No. Because NYC does not give discounts for crappy service. They make the services crappy, the public accepts it, the service gets crappier, more people move in, the service almost breaks down, they raise taxes, don't fix anything, and we still take it! Until the larger masses decide that living in a city that does not care about you and will do anything to make your life worse is not worth it and starts moving away, nothing will be done.

Gary W said...

A fare discount, is about as dumb an idea as the lawsuit against the LIRR. Pensions still need to be paid, healthcare, salaries, benefits still need to paid, maintenance and upkeep must continue. But lets take more money out of the system for short term feel good solution to let the proles think we give a shit about them. And in a year they'll hit us with rate increase.

Shut it down at midnight and start it back up at 6 in the morning. It's time to admit we are a second rate city with a third rate transit system(But look the busses have Wi-Fi!!) and the worst political class in the country. Do the maintenance in the overnight, clean the stations, clean the trains. And we all might have a better commute.

Anonymous said...

Until the larger masses decide that living in a city that does not care about you and will do anything to make your life worse is not worth it and starts moving away, nothing will be done.
------------------------------------------
and move to heroin alley? industrial blight? redneck Trumpland?

the hipsters are moving to NYC for a reason.

no, you need to go after the tiny handful of people making life miserable for the rest of us:

the politicians.

Anonymous said...

YOU NAILED IT, Last Anonymous! It's the corrupt, intolerant extremist minority of 'KLEPTOCRATIC, KAKISTOCRACY-PLUTOCRACY' that is obliterating life, lives and livelihoods for all New York City and New York State residents, where I now feel like a prisoner in my OWN F**KING BACKYARD——and, where illegal immigrants now have rights and privileges funded by MY and YOUR taxes that We, The People OURSELVES don't even have—but, PLENTY OF TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! It's time for another massive TEA PARTY right now, like nothing else!

I live in Queens AND in the West Village, where I am fortunate enough to own more than one home. Well, no good deed goes unpunished: Every time I have to use the Cross Bay bridge, it's almost $4.00 each way——and, THIS is a bridge that is intra-Queens County (that used to cost $0.10 per trip, and shouldn't cost ANYTHING at all), it feels like I am forced to bribe a foreing copy just to cross a bridge that connects my own backyard (much like paying off a cop in China, where corruption is even worse than it is right here in the 'UNITED STATES of AMNESIA and ENTERTAINMENT)!

What happened, terminal shitheads Ulrich (a/k/a Derelict Dullrich!), Ass Wipe Addabbo and giant, stinking elephant turd Michael Miller (who lies, cheats and steals——easier than he breathes)??? EARN YOUR F**KING PUBLIC SALARIES FOR ONCE IN YOUR USELESS LIVES!

Now, good place to start cleaning the scourge of depravity (that continues to ruthlessly infect and destroy Queens——like the Zika Virus and Legionaires' Disease COMBINED!), would be to immediately IMPEACH these empowered idiots (and worthless, common street thugs!), all three of whom are the very reason for why sticker shock, and New York's entirely hyper-corrupt, entrenched, establishment-rigged, two-party-machine-failed system exists in the FIRST F**KING PLACE, as they now DEVALUE not only honesty itself——but, an entire borough of fed up, disgusted and languishing constituents' like me, whose lives are only getting worse by the hour BECAUSE of THESE arrogant cowards, and bought henchmen of epic, humanitarian (and ecological) fail!

IMEACHMENT is not a legal process, 'SHEEPLE,' but a POLITICAL process that can be executed immediately! And, to quote President DONALD J. TRUMP, regarding his statement last year about politicians: ❝They're ALL no good❞ (and naturally, he is right)!

So, what is everyone waiting for, then, when you can BANISH THEM ALL——FORTHWITH——and, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY?!?

Anonymous said...

why do people that take the pols on always sound unhinged to the point that you think the pols themselves are doing it so that people that take the pols on sound, well, unhinged!

Anonymous said...

YOU NAILED IT, Last Anonymous! It's the corrupt, intolerant extremist minority of 'KLEPTOCRATIC, KAKISTOCRACY-PLUTOCRACY' that is obliterating life, lives and livelihoods for all New York City and New York State residents, where I now feel like a prisoner in my OWN F**KING BACKYARD——and, where illegal immigrants now have rights and privileges funded by MY and YOUR taxes that We, The People OURSELVES don't even have—but, PLENTY OF TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION! It's time for another massive TEA PARTY right now, like nothing else!

I live in Queens AND in the West Village, where I am fortunate enough to own more than one home. Well, no good deed goes unpunished: Every time I have to use the Cross Bay bridge, it's almost $4.00 each way——and, THIS is a bridge that is intra-Queens County (that used to cost $0.10 per trip, and shouldn't cost ANYTHING at all), it feels like I am forced to bribe a foreing copy just to cross a bridge that connects my own backyard (much like paying off a cop in China, where corruption is even worse than it is right here in the 'UNITED STATES of AMNESIA and ENTERTAINMENT)!

What happened, terminal shitheads Ulrich (a/k/a Derelict Dullrich!), Ass Wipe Addabbo and giant, stinking elephant turd Michael Miller (who lies, cheats and steals——easier than he breathes)??? EARN YOUR F**KING PUBLIC SALARIES FOR ONCE IN YOUR USELESS LIVES!

Now, good place to start cleaning the scourge of depravity (that continues to ruthlessly infect and destroy Queens——like the Zika Virus and Legionaires' Disease COMBINED!), would be to immediately IMPEACH these empowered idiots (and worthless, common street thugs!), all three of whom are the very reason for why sticker shock, and New York's entirely hyper-corrupt, entrenched, establishment-rigged, two-party-machine-failed system exists in the FIRST F**KING PLACE, as they now DEVALUE not only honesty itself——but, an entire borough of fed up, disgusted and languishing constituents' like me, whose lives are only getting worse by the hour BECAUSE of THESE arrogant cowards, and bought henchmen of epic, humanitarian (and ecological) fail!

IMEACHMENT is not a legal process, 'SHEEPLE,' but a POLITICAL process that can be executed immediately! And, to quote President DONALD J. TRUMP, regarding his statement last year about politicians: ❝They're ALL no good❞ (and naturally, he is right)!

So, what is everyone waiting for, then, when you can BANISH THEM ALL——FORTHWITH——and, WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY?!?

Anonymous said...

why do people that take the pols on always sound unhinged to the point that you think the pols themselves are doing it so that people that take the pols on sound, well, unhinged

you need to go after the tiny handful of people making life miserable for the rest of us:

the politicians.

Anonymous said...

Just extend the 7 to Briarwood

Anonymous said...

New York is too expensive, bus, rent, food, can't make ends meet, gotta leave

Anonymous said...

Aren't hotel taxes already so high here that people are staying away?

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