All NYC Mass Transit To Close At 11PM

This includes subways, buses, ferries, PATH, Metro-North, Long Island Railroad, and (perhaps obviously) AirTrain. New Jersey Transit will suspend all rail service until Thursday at 8PM tonight. No re-start time for the MTA has yet been announced. Wherever you are at 11PM, you'll likely be there for 36-48 hours.

UPDATE: Gov. Cuomo has also declared a ban on all non-emergency vehicular traffic beginning at 11PM, warning that those caught on the roads will be ticketed and fined $300.

NEW YORK: Long Island Railroad Workers Union Vows To Strike By Week's End

Union officials yesterday declared that Long Island Railroad workers will walk off the job one minute after midnight on Saturday.

“I regret to report that negotiations have collapsed with the MTA, and all eight unions are now proceeding with strike plans for July 20,” said Anthony Simon, chief spokesman for the union coalition. The workers have been without a contract since 2010. Both sides in the bitter labor fight acknowledged they were far apart on terms of a potential contract that would spare the railroad’s more than 300,000 daily riders the pain of a work stoppage. Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Tom Prendergast walked out of the talks 45 minutes in, and said there was a “gulf” between the sides. The MTA’s current offer is for 17% pay hikes over seven years, also retroactive to 2010. But the agency also wants new hires to work twice as long as current workers to reach top salaries for their positions, and to pay more for health care (4%) and pensions (contributions over an employee’s entire employment, as opposed to just 10 years for existing staffers).

Monday's commute should be interesting...

Photo Of The Day

Gizmodo reports:

NYC's East Side Access Project continues apace, and these recent images, taken last month by MTA photographer Rehema Trimiew, show a whole new view of the mind-boggling underground caverns now being constructed beneath Manhattan. From raw walls of exposed geology to this, the space is finally taking on the look and feel of architecture. The titanic yellow facility—its walls secured behind waterproofing geotextiles that will, of course, eventually be covered over altogether, meaning that this surreal yellow scene is just a temporary state—is on the Grand Central side of the project, and will be part of a huge new underground terminal increasing access for the Long Island Railroad.

The tunnel and terminal which will connect Long Island Railroad to Grand Central is one of the two largest public works projects underway in the United States. The other, of course, is the Second Avenue subway on the Upper East Side. The Second Avenue line, which will be called the T train, will run at an average depth of 80 feet below street level. The East Side Access terminal will be a staggering 180 feet below Park Avenue. That'll be a lot of escalators. 47 escalators, in fact.

Gotham's OTHER Huge Public Works Dig

While I've blabbed on and on about the Second Avenue subway, I've made scant mention of the nation's other massive public works project, the extension of the Long Island Rail Road to a huge new station buried 15 stories under Grand Central. That project's biggest challenge is constructing a system of escalators that can rapidly move tens of thousands of people a day.

The $7.3 billion project—the biggest mass-transit construction project under way in the U.S.—will bring trains from Long Island to the subterranean station when it opens sometime near the end of this decade. To circulate some 80,000 commuters per day through the new station, the MTA will rely on a complex system of 47 escalators, some stretching 180 feet long and sinking more than 90 feet down, dwarfing any other in the city's transit system. And the success of the new station is riding in large part on how well they work.Commuters might endure a short trudge up stairs, but few would have patience—or the stamina—for a heart-pounding slog to the surface that rivals a military workout.

The new station is scheduled for a 2018 opening.

MTA Resumes Service (Mostly)

Although the mayor warned commuters not to expect the return of subway service until late today, New Yorkers woke up this morning to the surprising news that most lines were running after a massive crew of MTA workers labored overnight to reposition trains and clear tracks of debris. Problems and service changes persist on several lines, so check the MTA website for updates. All bus lines are running and Long Island Railroad is back on "near-normal" service. However, all Metro North lines remain closed and may not reopen for days.

Campaign Against Black Homophobia Launches On Long Island Rail Road

Sponsored by a Long Island-based LGBT group, an ad campaign against homophobia in the African-American community has been launched on the Long Island Rail Road. Via Newsday (subscription required):

In between ads for TV shows and clothes on the Long Island Rail Road is a different kind of message. These ads feature pictures of young African-American men with their families, at church and on the basketball court. At the top of each poster are the words, "I am gay." The Bay Shore-based Long Island GLBT Services Network sponsored the ads with a $37,000 grant from the state health department. David Kilmnick, chief executive of the group, said he hopes the ads will start a conversation within black communities about homosexuality and homophobia. "This is the first time there's this visible of a campaign and so widespread across the entire Island," he said. "It's in your face in a positive way. . . . It's talking about 'We're gay and this is our home and this is our community.' " Dale Anthony Edmonston, an African-American AIDS activist from Hempstead, said homophobia in the black community has had disastrous results for black Long Islanders who are gay. "In the African-American community, it's taboo to talk about gays and lesbians," he said. "Many members of the African-American community have family members who are gay and lesbian. And it's not discussed and they can't say nothing in their family and so they go outside of the box to find the happiness and support that they think that they need, which is allowing a lot of people to put themselves at risk."

Rev. Reginald Tuggle of Long Island's Memorial Presbyterian Church calls the ad "silly" and "reprehensible."

"There's no movement to single out homosexuals" in the black community, Tuggle said, adding that if homosexuality is discussed, it's usually in a teasing way. Gays are not a topic of discussion in many black churches, he said - especially since other issues, such as unemployment and criminal justice, are more relevant. "People who are gay come in all races," Tuggle said. "And homophobia exists in every community. To say that only black people don't like black people who are gay, that's silly. That's reprehensible."

(Tipped by JMG reader WoodsideMatt)

10" Will Stop The Trains

In advance of this weekend's snowpocylpse, the Long Island Railroad has announced that service will be suspended if snowfall exceeds 10".

Meteorologists are indicating that there could be a significant snowstorm Friday evening, February 5 into Saturday, February 6. To ensure customer safety, the LIRR may suspend train service temporarily when snow accumulation reaches between 10 and 13 inches. Suspensions may continue until safe and reliable travel conditions can be restored. Customers are urged to check on LIRR service before heading to train stations by monitoringthe LIRR’s website, listening to the latest news broadcast and/or signing up for our free E-Alerts.

This change arises from a December blizzard-related incident in which 150 passengers were trapped between stations on their train for six hours with no heat, no lights, and an overflowing bathroom.

Photo Of The Day - Grand Central Cavern

Gothamist has a great set of photos of the work being done 150 feet beneath Grand Central Terminal as the $8B project to connect the Long Island Railroad to the GCT continues. When completed, LIRR commuters will enjoy a 90,000 sq.ft concourse including shops, restaurants, and connections to the subway and Metro North. And you'll be able to get to Fire Island without going to Penn Station! That, of course, assumes that the Pines hasn't washed into the ocean before service begins in 2016. The MTA has a Facebook page tracking the subterranean progress.