7 train turns 100 today

From LIC Post:

To commemorate the first trip from Grand Central Station in to Queens on April 21, 1917, Access Queens and the New York Transit Museum will hold a commemoration with several speakers, followed by a ride on the 7 train from Grand Central to Corona, on Friday afternoon.

The commemoration ceremony will kick off at 1 p.m. and there will be several speakers who will talk about the impact the train has had on the city and what’s needed in the future. The ceremony will take place on the Flushing-Bound Platform on the lower level at Grand Central.

The centennial ride will leave Grand Central around 2 p.m., which is the exact time that the first 7 train to go in to Queens left Grand Central 100 years ago.

Hopefully service doesn't get suspended as it did earlier this week. That would be pretty embarrassing.

Police finally arresting panhandlers

From NBC:

A woman panhandling with a newborn near Grand Central Station was arrested yesterday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggressive panhandling, authorities said.

The arrest is the first after the I-Team aired a series of exclusive reports that found the woman and others may be involved in a coordinated scheme to exploit their children -- and state officials vowed to take action.

MTA police arrested the woman, Caselina Margel, after a city outreach worker pointed her out as she begged for money on the street while holding her two-month-old son.

East Side Access Project faces further delay

From the Times Ledger:

The already long awaited day that Long Island Rail Road trains finally pull into Grand Central Terminal has crept even further into the future along with a higher price tag.

Craig Stewart, senior director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Projects Plan, said the massive project is again over budget and once more running late.

In remarks before an MTA committee Monday, Stewart said the cost of the East Side Access, now estimated at $8.3 billion,“ could cost more” and he expressed doubt the latest completion date could be met.

The East Side Access was originally estimated to be a $4.3 billion project with a completion date of 2009. The latest date for the trains to start rolling underneath the East River had been 2019.

4 year delay for LIRR project

From Eyewitness News/AP:

NEW YORK -- It now appears Long Island Rail Road trains won't be stopping at Grand Central Terminal until 2019.

That's the word Tuesday from Joseph Lhota, the chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Lhota made the revelation at a meeting of business leaders on Long Island.

The MTA is building a new tunnel under the East River to allow LIRR trains access to Grand Central. Now, all LIRR trains go to Penn Station, on Manhattan's west side.
Lhota says there have been problems tunneling underneath a rail yard in Queens. The MTA has brought in experts from Europe to help with developing a plan going forward.

The project has been delayed several times. Earlier estimates were for it to be completed by 2015.

Bloomberg still seeking legacy

From the Daily News:

RACING TO put his stamp on midtown before his third term expires, Mayor Bloomberg’s administration is fast-tracking a plan to transform the zoning near Grand Central Terminal.

The target area for the rezoning would be bound by Fifth and Third Aves. and stretch from E. 39th St. north to E. 59th St., several official and private sector sources said.

The objective is to allow for developers to knock down aging, too-small-for-the-big-time buildings and construct ultramodern towers — the bigger, the better.

“This is something that Bloomberg would like to finish before leaving office,” said a leading business official who was told about the plan but asked not to be identified because its specifics have yet to be formally proposed.

“This would be a linchpin of his legacy.”

Van Bramer wants to spend $250K on yuppie shuttle

From CBS New York:

The MTA is facing some backlash for rejecting a plan that might have eased weekend disruptions on the 7 line.

Plenty of commuters have voiced their complaints regarding the fact that the 7 Train will be screeching to a halt every week through April.

“Most of my friends live in Manhattan, so it’s making me spend more in cab fare to get in and out of the city. The next 11 weekends I have plans almost every weekend in Manhattan, so it’s going to cost me a lot more money, or a lot more time to get in,” Catherine Hart, of Long Island City, told CBS 2′s Jessica Schneider.

Queens City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer decided to take action and said he got approval to use $250,000 in city funds to pay for a shuttle bus from Vernon Boulevard Station to Grand Central.

“I said let’s talk about alternatives. Let’s think out of the box. The community has been asking for a shuttle bus service,” he told Schneider.

However, the MTA said no thanks and came up with its own plan.

Some people, however, do agree with the MTA. They wonder if it’s worth it to spend $250,000 in tax payer dollars for a non-essential shuttle bus to Grand Central.

MTA: Texting underway

From NY1:

City transit officials are investigating the case of a worker who was caught on cell phone video texting while driving the train.

The straphanger who shot the video says it happened at about 8:45 a.m. today on a 7 train that was headed from Woodside, Queens to Grand Central Station.

In the video, the motorman is seen using his mobile device and not keeping his eyes on the above-ground tracks. He then looks behind at the rider with the camera and then stops operating the mobile device.

A city transit spokesman said in a statement, "MTA New York City Transit has an absolute, zero-tolerance policy against texting, cell phone use or handling any type of mobile device while in a crew cab. The incident is under investigation and once identified, the train operator will be removed from service pending the disciplinary process."

2010 ... or 1984?

Looks like the attempted takeover of our minds is now in full swing. These ads are on the steps of Grand Central.
Suzannah has more.

Delay in plan to link Penn and Grand Central

'GRAND' LIRR LINK STALLS
By TOM NAMAKO, NY Post

The mammoth $7.2 billion project to extend the LIRR from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal is not on track to make its February 2015 deadline, according to a new MTA consultant report.

Chronic delays with four contracts put the completion date "under pressure," said the firm McKissack and Delcan.

And delays cost money, transit advocates warned yesterday, saying the federal government won't provide any more than the $6.2 billion already approved for the project.