Temporary schedules/timetables have been posted to the MTA/NYCT website for the G subway line. These temporary timetables are in effect throughout July and August 2009 due to “extensive system maintenance.”
Temporary schedules for the G line
new escalator goes here
Walking past the construction site Monday, I saw that a door was open, allowing me to see and photograph (with cell phone camera) the empty space where a staircase once was, and where an additional escalator will hopefully soon be.
Then, that evening, I saw an escalator being delivered to Penn Station. As you can see in the photo above, not only is the old staircase gone, but the old escalator is gone too. So I’m not sure if this delivery is of a new escalator, or maybe of the old, but possibly refurbished, escalator. In any event, hopefully this moves the project along. I’m getting tired of wincing every time I see people struggling to carry large suitcases down the stairs (when there are clear signs pointing to other entrances with escalators).
escalator delivery - 30 minutes or it's free
As I first posted two week ago, NJT rail service to the Meadowlands will begin on July 26, 2009. New Jersey Transit made the official announcement of this today.
An excerpt:
NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES OPENING DATE FOR NEW MEADOWLANDS RAIL SERVICE
Rail service to major Giants Stadium events begins July 26
July 8, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENEWARK, NJ – NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Richard Sarles today announced the official start date for rail service to the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which will provide a new, convenient travel option for customers via Hoboken Terminal or Frank R. Lautenberg Station at Secaucus Junction.
Rail service to major events at Giants Stadium will launch Sunday, July 26, for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final championship soccer match.
“The startup of rail service to the Meadowlands Sports Complex is great news for New Jersey residents because it will be easier than ever to avoid roadway congestion and take our convenient public transportation system to world-class sporting and entertainment events,” said Governor Jon S. Corzine.
Though the official announcement was made today, NJT’s FYI monthly customer newsletter jumped the gun and announced it back in June.
I’m not sure when the following webpage went live, but it seems it was at least during or before March 2009. But no matter, SEPTA now has a webpage that clearly states that photography was not and still is not prohibited. Furthermore, this SEPTA Photography Guidelines webpage makes clear that amateur photography is not restricted in any way in terms of needing a permit or needing to call ahead.
From the webpage:
SEPTA welcomes photographers and artists. In return, we simply request they use common sense and courtesy to others in pursuit of their pictures. [Editor: I really don’t see SEPTA (employees and police) “welcoming” photographers. What a load of bull.]
…
While photography is permitted in clearly defined public areas of the SEPTA system, it obviously cannot be permitted in any manner that would interfere with the safe movement of people or operation of vehicles.
Photography is obviously prohibited in any area of the SEPTA system that is not accessible to the general public. [Editor: This is a pretty funny thing for them to say, considering that photography has OBVIOUSLY been legal this whole time, while up to now many photographers have been harassed and told otherwise by the police and employees.]
While the law permits photography of private citizens in public places, common courtesy would have photographers request permission of people before taking their pictures, especially close-ups. [Editor: This was a nice touch, since so many people are misinformed on this topic.]
Worldwide terrorist attacks against public transportation facilities in recent years has required a tightening of security procedures at all SEPTA facilities. Security experts consider photographing and sketching public transportation facilities as possible pre-indicators of terrorist activity. [Editor: UH, which security experts? Because plenty know that openly taking photographs with a large, visible camera is likely the LAST thing a terrorist would do.]
While this unfortunate reality has not resulted in a prohibition of photography, SEPTA Transit Police and other law enforcement are under orders to question anyone taking photographs or sketching transit facilities. [Editor: Here’s where they confirm that photography never was illegal.]
But as always, remain alert and stay safe when you’re out there photographing. It’s unlikely that the SEPTA police and employees who have been mistaken this whole time about the legality of photography are going to suddenly wake up and realize their error. Many probably know they are wrong and don’t care. They feel threatened by photography so they lie and harass instead of doing their jobs.
The latest advertising wrap on the outside of the subway cars that run on the 42nd Street Shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central is for the new TNT television series called Dark Blue. Here are some photos I took at Times Square:
As announced here on the Railfan Window Blog first, the G line extension to Church Avenue is still scheduled to begin on-time on July 5, 2009.
Here is the Service Changes poster than New York City Transit finally uploaded to their website.
Service Changes: G Line Extension to Church Av beginning July 5, 2009
Service Advisory at MTA.info
July 5, 2009, is the day that the New York City subway G line will be extended to the Church Avenue station on the F line. This is necessary due to the rehabilitation of the Culver Viaduct:
Beginning July 5 and lasting approximately four years, extensive reconstruction of the Culver Viaduct will require the extension of the G Line subway service to Church Avenue in Southern Brooklyn. While designed to accommodate this major structure rehabilitation, the extension will provide additional service south of Smith-9th Street, save travel time for many customers and provide additional transfer options.
This change is necessary because rehabilitation of the steel and concrete structure, opened in 1933 as part of the IND system, requires the removal of two tracks from service for the duration of the project, eliminating the area at 4th Av-9th Street used by G trains to reverse direction.
An article in The Star-Ledger has revealed that New Jersey Transit’s train service to the new station at the Meadowlands Sports Complex will begin on Sunday, July 26, 2009, for the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final match.
In other interesting news contained in the same article, the New York Giants have a connection to the new movie “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3”:
Lastly, the Giants invited us to a screening of “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” at their practice facility this afternoon with about 40 of the players. The film, which comes out June 12, was co-produced by Giants co-owner Steve Tisch.
This Sunday, attend the Tel Aviv Beach Party in Central Park (in celebration of the city of Tel Aviv in Israel turning 100 years old), and while you’re there, tell them to build that long awaited subway already!!! If it’s not done by the time of my next visit, I’ll just have to ask for a tour of the only existing subway station in Tel Aviv – under Shalom Meir Tower.
Planned Tel Aviv Subway Map
maximum LOLs to be had
This NYCT SERVICE ALERT appeared at mta.info Tuesday morning. Upon seeing it, I says to myself, I says: “Have trolley tracks been relaid in the Bronx and have the (B), (D), and (F) trains been diverted to run along them?!?!?”
In case you’re not getting the joke, look at the last paragraph.
