A Brooklynite's Adventures with the MTA

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The MTA and its pathetic projects.

Hello folks,

 I am deeply sorry for not posting a new blog for a long time. The last few weeks of my semester were absolutely crazy, but now that it is over I’m back in the swing of things.

 As the title indicates, today I will discuss how the MTA’s severe number of misjudgements effects the whole system, and also all of us regular commuters that ride the rails.

 As you may or may not know, the MTA is always doing construction work, carrying out projects and publicising new projects that they claim will improve the system. The largest example of a current project is the entire CBTC fiasco on the L, along with major construction on certain subway lines and other projects that may or may not really be a good thing.

 First off, I’ll talk again about CBTC. In my previous blogs, I have discussed why it is a total failure of a project and makes service worse. CBTC was implimented to eliminate human error on train operations, so it should make the line run more efficient, allowing for more trains to run on the line, and the trains can now run closer to each other. However, CBTC does not work well at all, so on top of human error, you know have a computerized system that makes errors and malfunctions on a constant basis, so now you have double the amount of errors, and this is the reason why the L is always full of delays and other dilemas.

  Besides this fact here, CBTC is also a very, very expensive project. The entire L had to be re-done, which meant that new signals had to be installed, wiring replaced, new wires were put in place, sensors were placed on the trackbeds, new rolling stock cars are needed, plus the actual computerized system itself along with many other components that are needed for CBTC to work. The entire system itself along with the construction work to place the system on the L took a long time to happen and cost a very large amount of money, on top of the fact that the R-143’s and the R-160’s cost just about half a million dollars per car (that means on set on the L cost the MTA just about 4 million dollars). Also, the entire CBTC project has been in the works for at least eight years, and is still continuing to be worked on.

 With this entire CBTC project, millions and millions of dollars have been wasted on something that just does not work, and the MTA can’t seem to figure this out. They just believe that computerized systems are the solution to fixing the system, but these computerized systems are too expensive, do not work, and add to the amount of delays instead of eliminating them. And to show how confident the MTA is with these systems, they plan on testing CBTC on other lines, and as of this week, the began to recieve the newest fleet of subway cars. These cars are supposed to be able to operate without a conductor, and now they are going to be tested on the L, which is quite fantastic. So, for those of you who take the L, watch out, because now I’m sure service is going to get even worse when these new cars are placed on the L.

  On top of CBTC, another well known project that the MTA has is to extend the 7 from Times Square to the Jacob Javitz center. In my opinion, its not gonna happen unless the MTA wants to shut down service on the A,C and E as they extend the 7. What a lot of people don’t know is the real reason why this project really can’t be done besides the honchos of the MTA changing their minds every two seconds. Underneath the Southbound platform of the A,C and E at 42nd st., there is an abandoned lower level station. This lower level station was rarely used when it was opened, and has been abandoned since the 1970’s, and as of now, there are no interlocks that can have trains run through the 42nd st. lower level.

  The real reason why the 42nd st. lover level station is due to competition. The portion of the A that runs under 8th Avenue was built in 1932, and at the time, the subway system was not incorperated, so it was basdically a competition to knock off service on the other companies lines. The A line is part of the IND service, and since the IND was the only city owned portion of the subway system at the time that was owned by the City of New York, the lines were strategically placed to eliminate lines on the IRT, and the 7 is one of the IRT lines. So, when the IND built the 42nd St. station on the A, it placed the lower level station at the same exact level as the 7. The IND owners realized that the IRT might extend the 7 line, so they built that lower level 42nd st. station to block future extensions of the 7.

  To actually extend the 7, the city would have to shut down service on the A,C and E, and take out the lower level station and somehow keep the upper level tracks and platforms in place in order to extend the 7. Such a feat is nearly impossible, would be too costly, and imagine what would happen if there is no service along 8th avenue? And for those of you that do take the 7, the next time you’re at the Times Square station, walk towards the west end of the platform and look down the tracks. You will see that after where the train stops, you will see some trackway that continues and ends at a wall. That wall happens to be one of the outer walls of the abandoned 42nd st. lower level station.

  Lastly, the other project I will talk about is the fiasco with the entire 2nd Avenue subway. Previously, there used to be elevated lines along 2nd and 3rd avenues in Manhattan, and they were both owned by the IRT. However, the city, since 1929, planned to put a subway line underneath second avenue due to many complaints about too much noice from the elevated lines, plus don’t forget, the city was trying to eliminate IRT lines. So, construction work has actually been done underneath second avenue since 1929. It didn’t last for long for the original phase due to a lack of funds and severe flooding issues. Later in, in the 1940’s and 1950’s, the second and third avenue El’s were dismanted in Manhattan, which meant that the only lines serving the Eastern side are the Lexington Avenue lines.

  It did not take long for people to realize what was going on. Ever since the second and third avenue El’s went, the Lexington Avenue lines have been severly overcrowded with no relief in sight. So, once again, in the 1960’s, construction work started again on the second avenue line, only to face the same problems as back in the late 1920’s and the early 1930’s, and it stopped. In the 1980’s, work was attempted again when the 63rd st. IND tunnels were built (that is where the F runs between the East Side, Roosevelt Island and 21st Cambridge). The 63rd st. tunnels actually have portals to connect with the second avenue line if it ever gets built.

  As of recent times, construction began for the fourth time underneath second avenue. It is still going on and off, and now it seems like this line might actually be completed. However, in my opinion, if the second or third avenue El’s were still here today, there is no need for a subway line underneath second avenue. Maintaing an elevated line costs a lot less than buidling a line underground, especially with the inflation rates these days. Plus now, with the construction starting again, some people have to vacate their dwellings, and the city has to help them to find a new place to temporarily live in. But, if the second or 3rd avenue el remained opened, then all the city had to do is to maintain it, and who knows how much money the city could have saved, and this money could be used in other areas that need improvement around the city.

 So there you have it folks. MTA projects can be benefiicial, bust most of them have proved to be useless, a waste of time, and a gigantic way of throwing money out the window. IF the MTA can actually realize what needs to be done to improve the subway system and learn from past mistakes, I’m sure our subway fares would be lower, and the MTA could have more money to actually do projects that are needed.

  Take care folks in the meantime, and tomorrow I shall talk about the accidents and the incidents of the MTA.

 Thank you for reading my blogs!

 Yours truly,

 BrooklynBrightliner55

A train of thoughts while riding the F and E today.

As you spend time riding the rails,

    And you feel like water trapped in a pail.

There is no need to despair

    Cause after all, isn’t life fair?

As the day goes on and thoughts rush in your head,

     You will see lights of green, yellow and red.

Choose lights of green,

     And behold! You will be shown sights of beauty seen and unseen.

Choose lights of yellow,

     And your mind will be as calm as the sea and rather mellow.

Choose lights of red,

     You’ll find yourself in thoughts of sorrow and dread.

Many of your thoughts will tell you, what is there to say?

      Haven’t I made this time spent a total waste of a day?

But Heaven forsake thoughts such as those!

       For your mind will be ridden of dreary woes.

But after all is said and done, and you may be feeling lonely,

       Fate will help you find a love that is truly the one and only.

2001-2008: How The R-143’s, the R-160’s, and CBTC made the L from one of the best lines to a total disaster.

Good evening folks,

     Sorry for the delay in not posting up a new entry. Some things came up last minute but I’m glad to be back here today.

     As the title indicates, today’s the day where I’ll explain the reason why the L is always riddled with delays and bad service, and why the MTA basically ruined the L.

     The L is one of the most important lines in New York City. It connects with the A,C,E,F,V,N,Q,R,W,J,M,Z,G,1,2,3,4,5 and the 6, and also with the LIRR. A very large amount of commuters ride on the L on a daily basis, and many businesses along the line depend on it for their respective costumer basis, especially in Manhattan and North Brooklyn (that is Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick). When I was younger, the L was a very realiable line, and its rolling stock consisted of R-40’s, R-40M’s and the R-42’s. Unless something occured, you would not have to wait for the L, the trains would not be so crowded to the point that you would have to wait for 5 or so trains to pass by before you can fit on one, and you also had a very reliable fleet of cars to serve the line. But when the new millenium came around, the L went from the cream of the crop down to a joke.

   Back in 2000, the MTA decided that it wanted new technology cars to serve on BMT lines, and they figured to use the L as an experimental line. Before, on the L, train operations were based solely on time tables, signal blocks and the locations of trains on the line. But, the MTA came up with a “brilliant” idea to make the L run “better and faster”, and a way to “add more trains to the line without causing delays”. The way this new “technology” would work is that sensors are placed on the track bed, and these sensors can tell how fast a train is going, where the train ahead of it and behind it is, and also help control signals to keep the trains at a decent distance apart. This new “techonology” was dubbed as CBTC, and as a good friend of mine puts it, he says that CBTC should stand for Catch Bus to Canarsie, and to me, it should stand for Collasally Bad Transit Creation.

   So, besides CBTC, new cars were needed that can work with CBTC. Because of this, the MTA orderd the R-143’s, and placed them on the L. These cars are able to work with the sensors that CBTC uses, and have many new computer components that are supposed to make these cars run more efficiently, be quieter and help to make the L run better. But let me put it this way folks, combining CBTC with the R-143’s made the service on the L as quick and efficient as an airport with no runways.

   CBTC, if it were to work correctly (the odds of that are higher than the chance of you winning the lottery, finding $100 on the street, getting married, recieving a pay raise or a promotion and winning an oscar in the same day), is supposed to have every L train be six minutes apart, and also tell you how long it will be until the next train arrives that the station where are you waiting. But, as I said, good luck with that. At any given time, you will see that every L train is not 6 minutes apart, but sometimes you can wait 20 minutes and then have 6 trains right after each other. And as for the issue of signs in stations telling you when your next train will arrive, for a vast majority, those do not work. During a lot of trips on the L, the signs would indicate things such as:

1. The L train is somewhere around 50 minutes away from arriving when it is pulling into the station.

2. The station’s PA system would indicate to commuters that there is an L train arriving on the 8th Avenue or Rockaway Parkway bound track when the train is ten stations away.

3. These signs flash zero minutes when the train is supposed to arrive at the station, but sometimes you still wait another ten minutes or so.

4. I have also seen cases as when the train gets closer to the station I am in, the time that I have to wait for it keeps on rising and rising until the train arrives.

   When the R-143’s came out, the MTA boasted about the new advances in the cars, especially with the computerized equipment, and also claimed that these cars are easier to repair, cost less to repair, and will also cut down on the costs on repairing the rolling stock of the subway system. But, as for the way the MTA operates, all of those statements that they made are basically as correct as somebody that gets every question wrong on a test. First of all, you can see that I have mentioned these cars having computerized parts. Its as plain as a bagel with no cream cheese, butter nor jelly on it, when you have cars with dual mechanical and computerized components, not only do you need people to work with the mechinical aspects, now you will need technicians to deal with the computerized parts, and any technician that deals with computers will not recieve a low pay wage. Now since the MTA needs two sets of repair personnel, how in the world is that possibly going to mitigate the costs of car repairs? Unless the MTA uses after-market parts and use expects a genie to magically do the repairs, these cars are NOT cheaper to repair.

   The second issue with the R-143’s, besides costing almost half a million dollars a car and being more expensive to repair, is the fact of how well these cars run. The R-143’s are still facing computer issues. For anyone that has regularly used the L, you will see that the signs don’t work at all or half the sign is blank, the fact that the recorded announcements come on out of nowhere, and there is the fact that these cars have a computerized system to announce the train stops, but on many days, the computer is sometimes ten or more stops off from where the train actually is.

   The third problem I have with the R-143’s is that they still have issues with the propulsion and brake systems. I have been on sets of R-143’s where the brakes go off by themselves, or, when a train is stopped at a station or a signal, the brakes will not disengage. This is caused by either a computer malfunction, or the fact that the parts of these cars are not very reliable and sometimes decide to stop functioning out of nowhere. Also, these cars have had many cases of propulsion problems, which causes them to run slowly or to get stuck for a given time.

   So, there is some info about CBTC and the R-143’s. And how here is the spiel about the R-160’s.

   The R-160’s are the newest cars of the fleet, have “better technology” compared to the R-143’s, and are also CBTC compatible. These days, the R-143’s and the R-160’s compose the fleet of the L, which made the line worse off compared to when the R-42’s ran along with the R-143’s. The R-160’s, so far, are even worse off than the R-143’s. The R-160’s have been facing some major propulsion and break problems, and have also had issues with the gear boxes cracking. Because of the issue with the gear boxes, the MTA has had to halt the order of the R-160’s until a solution can be created to deal with the issue of the gear boxes.

   The other main problem with the R-160’s is their computer systems. These computers are worse than the R-143’s, and they are even cost more to repair compared to the R-160’s. And with both of these cars, if the computers aren’t working well, that means the entire car will not be in great shape. Basically, both of these cars are the worst ones out in the system, even though they are the newest ones, costs a lot of money to repair, and any line that uses these cars, you will see that service has gotten or will get worse in a short period of time.

   So there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed this entry, and can see that technology is not always the best solution to problems, especially for the MTA!

  Take care until the next update folks!

   Yours truly,

   BrooklynBrightliner55

   P.S. I shall discuss more about CBTC in a future blog that will pertain to all the projects the MTA desires to complete and the many past decisions that have come back to haunt the MTA.

Today’s the day you’ll learn about ITOS

Good evening folks!

     I hope your week has been going well so far. And I’m happy to say that for my research, I have developed another hypothesis that I have begun to test as of Monday this week.

     So for today, I have decided to talk about what I have dubbed as ITOS, (which stands for Incompetent Train Operator’s Syndrome), and how rampant it is in the New York City Subway System.

    Train operators play a very crucial role in how the subway system operates. They are in charge of operating their designated train safely and efficiently, and they “try” their best to keep their train on schedule. But, for them to keep their train on schedule, that occurs as often as when a solar and lunar eclipse will occur on the same day. Also, if something bad were to occur, these train operators have to communicate with the passengers on board and if the trian needs to be evacuated, then these train operators have to make sure the passengers get out safely.

    Even though these train operators are in charge of operating trains, sometimes their lack of knowledge, the amount of errors of judgement they make and the safety rules they ignore scares me. As I have mentioned before, errors in judgement can add up to delays for whichever train the train operator is on and for the trains behind it. Besides that, sometimes train operators seem to forget how to control their designated train while there are track workers present, which can easily jeopardize the operations of these given track workers. On top of that, their lack of knowledge can also prolong events, such as the times I have been on trains that are stuck due to an incident occuring and the train operator has no clue where the train is.

   First, I’ll talk about their lack of judgement in areas of track workers. When track workers are present, they post yellow warning lanters on underground trackways, and post yellow flags on outdoor lines (if you take a look at the picture I have of that 7 train pulling into 61st/Woodside, you will see yellow flags placed on the track around the area of the track workers.) When a train reaches the are where these flags or lanters are, the train operator needs to blow the horn on the low pitched note and keep the train rolling under 15 Miles Per Hour. I have seen cases of when the train reachers the first set of flags or warning lanterns, the train operator doesn’t even notice them, keeps the train rolling at its current speed, and does not blow the horn, and sometimes they have realized that there are track workers present until three-for hundred feet after where the lanters or signals are. This definately poses a serious safety threat to the workers, and these workers in this given situation face a higher risk of getting run over by the train.

    When the last car of the train will clear the area of the workers, a green flag or lantern is placed to tell the train operator that is now safe to have the train operate at normal speed. But sometimes, the train operator will accelerate the train before it reaches that green flag or lantern, and this also presents a danger to the track workers.

   The second part of ITOS deals with when situations occur. It is crucial that train operators pay full attention to what they are doing, what is going on, and where the train is. When an incident occurs on the rails, train operators are needed to report on what is going on, what has occured, and the location of his or her given train, but in some cases, this does not happen. I have seen cases where an incident occurs, and the train operator has no clue where the train is stopped, which is quite sad, and it takes longer for line managers to figure out where exactly every train is located. For instance, there was a night where I was on the E train, and it got stuck behind an F train, and the F train could not move due to a broken rail ahead on the track. The line manager called the train operator on the E, and she could not figure out where the train was until the conductor of the train came and had to explain to her how to tell the managers of how to tell the true signal post location of the E. The scary part of this is when somebody becomes a train operator, he/she must be trained as a conductor first, and then go through more training to become a train operator, but it seems like the training goes in through one ear and flies out of the othe ear.

   The third part of ITOS has to do with errors committed while operating a train. When a train operator keeps making errors, that tells me that he or she is not very qualified for the job, forgot some things that he or she learned, is not very confident about their job, or they just don’t care about what happens and just do their job to collect their wages. The other factor or ITOS is that the MTA uses train operators to train other train operators. If you select train operators that are just plain pathetic when dealing with operating a train and you use them to train others, then these new train operators will also pick up this lack of knowledge and then they won’t be good at their job. Basically this concept just like a cold. or a virus. Some train operators perform poorly and suffer from ITOS, and their lack of skills effect new train operators, and this keeps on spreading ITOS throught the system.

   The fourth part of ITOS deals with a lack of concern for what is going on and the condition of the train. As mentioned previously, some train operators are very careless about what occurs, and it can show in other ways. There have been many times that I have seen trains that have a headlight that is not working, and I tell the train operator that a headlight is not working, and they don’t even realize this. Well people, there are portions of tunnels that have very little to no lighting, and if one of your headlights isn’t working, then how are you going to be able to see the full track and tunnel area? Unless you are superman or superwoman, you will not be able to see everything, and sometimes there might be debris on the track or somebody that decided to take a walk on the track or something else, and you will not be able to spot this. And one thing I’ll never forget is one time when I was on the E, I tell the train operator that one of the headlights is out, so when the train pulls into Queens Plaza, the trian operator comes out of the cab, opens the front door, and kicks the pannel where the headlight is, and then returns into the cab. If kicking something was able to solve the problems of the MTA, then a lot of commuters should wear boots or shoes that come with steel-toed fronts and do a lot of serious kicking.

   So there you have it folks! I hope you enjoyed this entry about ITOS, and something needs to be done to get rid of this syndrome since the MTA keeps on saying it needs to improve subway service!

  Until my next update, take care folks!

  Yours truly,

  BrooklynBrightliner55

  P.S. I almost forgot, soon I will try to post a soundbite of a set of R-32’s with burnt motors so you folks can hear what a burnt motor sounds like.

An update for a manic monday

Good evening folks!

   I hope all of you who are reading this entry have had a good weekend. I’m glad to say that baseball season is now into full swing, and my project shall be in full swing in the not to distant future.

  Today I have decided to talk about a couple of more aspects of my project, which is the overall conditions for the rolling stock that the MTA relies on, and a couple of more social aspects of my project, since I happen to be a sociology major.

  So, I’ll discuss some more social aspects about my project. As mentioned in previous entries, the main reason why I am doing this project is to show all of those who rely on the MTA’s subway lines to get to places how the MTA really works, and how poorly run its operations are, plus the fact that the MTA is quite good for saying one thing and doing the complete opposite. A recent example of this for those of you that have not heard about this is the fact that the MTA said it would improve bus and subway service once it can get a fare hike to take place, and as soon as fares went up, now they are saying that improvements will have to be delayed due to a lack of funding from real estate investments. In my opinion, if and when these “improvements” occur, there will be a whole array of new problems that they MTA will have to address.

   As in any large bureaucracy, there is a good chance for corruption and mismanagement, and this is occuring all over the MTA. Everytime they decide that they need a fare hike, I have noticed that subway and bus service magically gets worse so it seems like more money is needed from us regular commuters to improve service, and once the MTA hears too many complaints, they magically find a very, very large amount of surplus money out of the blue, and to me, this makes me believe that the MTA has at least more than two sets of books for their so called budgets.

  The other large problem with their bureaucratic MTA is there mismanagement. Here in New York City, a lot of us rely on the MTA’s bus and subway service on a daily or near daily service. But, since the MTA is not very keen of what they do, their misjudgements really effect us. Delays cause people to be late to where they have to go, and that can lead to lower productivity in businesses. Delays cost money since they usually have to work overtime when there are delays, which increases the overall payroll for the employees, and then the MTA will say its short of money for its projects. But in a social manner, if the MTA keeps on allowing mismanagement to occur, it is not good for society. Lost productivity, being late to important appointments and functions, students and faculty arriving late to school and overspending definately effects how New York City functions. Also, I have noticed by talking to people that have moved into New York City, that they try their best to avoid neighborhoods that does not have very reliabe service provided by the MTA, and since realtors have noticed this trend, that leads to residents that choose to live near subway lines with better service to pay a significantly higher amount of rent, which leads to gentrication of neighborhoods, and usually means that working class people are forced to move out since they can no longer pay for the increasing rents surrounding lines with better service.

  So there is some more insight for that part. Now let’s talk about the rolling stock for the subway lines.

  As of now, the oldest cars in service are the R-32’s, and the newest ones are the R-160’s. The MTA loves to complain about the older rolling stock (which is now the R-32, the R-38, the R-40, the R-40/R-40M and the R-42). They think, just because these cars are older, that they are not very reliable and need to be replaced by cars that have computerized techonology. But to me, that’s not always the case.

  Any subway line that has steep grades along its course, whether it be from going over a bridge (especially the Manhattan Bridge), will effect the perfomance on the cars, especially on very crowded trains. These steep grades force the motors within the trucks to work harder, and a lot of times, especially for the trains that continually run over the Manhattan Bridge, this causes for motors to be burned out, especially in the R-68/R-68A’s. Burnt motors are not so bad, but too many burnt motors can shorten the mean distance a car can run before it needs some maintanance. What doesn’t help in the case of the burnt motor syndrome is that the MTA is not intelligent enough to really realize that the R-68s-R68A’s are the heaviest cars in the fleet (they weight about 94,000 pounds each without passengers), and practically the entire fleet of these cars run over the Manhattan Bridge on the B,D,N and the Q. So that is the reason why the R-68/R-68A’s have the highest percentage of burnt motors per train set. I have seen some of these sets where there are 8-10 burnt motors on the train, which tells you something there, and shows you that the age of a car, in most cases, does not effect how well it runs, but rather how these cars are treated.

    Today, as I took the E train from its Eastern part in Queens into Midtown this afternoon, it must have been a set of R-32’s that were frequently run over the Manhattan Bridge, or were used on lines with very steep grades in the tunnels that connects lines between boroughs. The train set that I was on has 8 burnt motors, and these motors were burnt to the point that they sounded like a combination of motors for an R-32, R-46 and a R-68 at the same time, and while the train was running through the 53rd street tunnels, the lights flickered on and off as if this was a set of R-33 Worlds Fair cars. But this is really not due to the age of the R-32’s (Aka the Brightliners), but rather where these cars are ran and how they are treated. And, just to show you, the R-32’s were built between 1963 and 1965, and the R-68’s were built from 1987 to 1989, showing you that in the case of burnt motors, age is not an issue.

   Most importantly, I have noticed something with the operations of the older fleet. The MTA keeps data sets on what the average is of what particular subway car runs before a failure. For the older cars, this average magically decreases when the MTA desires to obtain newer cars, and once they get their newer cars, that average for the mean distance before failure increases again. That spells out that the MTA is using preferred maintanance towards new cars, is rigging the numbers for the mean distance travelled before failure, keeps chaging its mind on what car failure is, or is just doing this to trick the public so that people will think it is necesarry to obtain new cars.

  So that is it for today! As time moves on, I shall discuss how the R-68/R-68A’s are costing taxpayers a lot of money, tell you more stories about the MTA’s mismangements, what the data for my project is showing, and how train operators that are not so good at their jobs are effecting the operations of the New York City Subway System besides have poor management over them, and how train operators that are not prudent about their job are also effecting the quality of subway cars.

   As mentioned before, you folks are more than welcome to send me questions or comments to my email address, which is BrooklynBrightliner55@gmail.com

   Take care folks until my next update!

   Yours truly,

   BrooklynBrightliner55