The MTA's spring Customers Count survey showed the second major drop in customer satisfaction scores in the last 4 years... When are we going to stop making excuses and come to the realization that current MTA management are out of touch with what the riders want and make some changes?

MTA made a little bit of progress towards this with the new digital sign templates, but regressed in recent months adding back a lot of extra text... With all due respect to Nicholas Stillwell, "Coney Island" is more than enough to identify that terminal. www.reddit.com/r/nycrail/s/...

r/nycrail: Explore NYC's vast rail transit system, including subway, LIRR, and Metro-North.

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This is an excellent article, one that both showcases the massive failure of the American planning regime to properly utilize high capacity rail transport *and* the unwillingness of the operators to use all of the tools at their disposal to attract ridership by strengthening ekimaes

The LIRR Today@thelirrtoday.com · 2d ago

www.thelirrtoday.com/2020/05/rail...

LIRR has gone even further specifying the type of engine in the last work locomotive RFP—effectively rigging the bid for one manufacturer. www.thelirrtoday.com/2020/04/new-...

Alon (they/them)@alonlevy.bsky.social · 2d ago

Post from last year by @agonzalez06.bsky.social explaining what's wrong with the SEPTA Silverliner VI specs. alejandrogonzalez1.substack.com/p/how-septas...

I think the legislature got it mostly right in 2024. Only one of these that should be implemented is points for 3x plate obscuring convictions. Everything else is either too broad or there are existing provisions that accomplish most of the same thing in a more just way.

🚲@bicycle.bsky.social · 2d ago

“The bill, S.7905 in the Senate and A.8860 in the Assembly, will enable the MTA to more forcefully address those using ghost plates, empower the MTA to further pursue PTVs, and more effectively collect unpaid tolls from repeat offenders.”

If they could make it less of a production (no side street closures, relying on traffic lights to control cross traffic, limit stationary activations to parks/plazas, etc.) then they shld do it every weekend from April thru November. Alternate between Park Avenue & Broadway. Way too much OT now tho.

Clarence Eckerson Jr./Streetfilms@streetfilms.bsky.social · 2d ago

For 18 year now we have only had three Summer Streets events in Manhattan. People definitely want more. How many more? Watch to find out! @openplans.org @nyc.streetsblog.org www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JU-...

More generally, a lot of great recreation spots are poorly served by transit. In NY, getting to beaches or the big state parks or most places upstate is either excruciatingly slow/complicated or just not possible. I know a lot of city folk who keep a car to use on the weekends...

Oh The Urbanity!@ohtheurbanity.bsky.social · 4d ago

My big realization: how many child-related trips (schools, daycares, libraries, parks) don't line up well with transit. Like here. Transit is barely faster than walking (cycling is on par with driving). I've always liked cycling, but I've learned it's even more important for car-free families.

Again, for a railroad that is seemingly entirely dependent on off-peak travel for any hope of ridership growth, @mta.info sure does work hard to make the experience as miserable as possible...

RT

Just absolutely quality stuff today and every weekend

According to the MTA last week, the only people unsatisfied with LIRR are fare evaders trying to cheat the system and there can't possibly be any other reason scores are low nor room for improvement.

The LIRR Today@thelirrtoday.com · 4d ago

RT

Closing off cars when there are standees up the train is a classic LIRR move. Assistant conductor is probably too lazy to go back and forth between the 6th and 8th cars to get the doors at the shorter platforms. Again, @mta.info does not care about delivering good service. Is anyone there awake?

How many more tax/fare/toll hikes do we need for MTA to fix this? They simply do not care about delivering good service! Crazy for the amount we put into the system.

Jason Rabinowitz@airlineflyer.net · 4d ago

This week I whined at the @mta.info board about dismal bus operations and dispatching, which I was certain fell of deaf ears. Oh, they heard me. And then issued a challenge to itself to make this weekend’s bus service particularly shitty as an FU I guess. Buses only operate this poorly with effort.

Meanwhile, my 1983 Budd M3 relic this morning rush was 15 mins late because the hapless crew of dopes had no idea how to work the doors (and then no one took tickets). After the previous week had two cancellations & an "oops I forgot to open the doors at your stop before leaving" incident. 🙄 Trash.

100%, this is totally what it is. @mta.info just got done boasting about record off-peak LIRR travel, yet it can't be bothered to put the bare minimum effort in to make it tolerable, nevermind continuing to grow it. Much easier to get out the tin cup and get Albany give you more subsidy.

MTA not beating the "we're getting out of the vending machine business and we don't gaf who's impacted by it" allegations (see also: maybe 10% of metrocard machines got replaced w/ omny machines)

Newsday Editorial Board: LIRR needs to listen to customers on ticket rules www.newsday.com/opinion/edit...

LIRR needs to listen to customers on ticket rules

LIRR President Rob Free said that he takes customer feedback — including survey results — seriously. Now, he needs to show it.

newsday.com

LIRR cut the number of ticket machines (a lot of stations now only have a single machine) and it's not enough at busy times... More $8 surcharges!!

It's a huge issue. Not to mention a tremendous lost revenue source. How many companies give their employees a 100% discount on their product? (especially one that's regulated by IRS as fringe benefit) If MTA employees actually paid for their commutes, maybe they'd put more effort into improving svc

A major reason OMNY went off the rails is that nobody at the MTA actually pays fares! So they are almost completely disconnected from the reality of how those of us who do pay our fares go about it (and how it influences travel habits) and their too aloof to put themselves in riders' shoes

Stephen Jacob Smith@stephenjacobsmith.com · 5d ago

What a crazy thing to say. Has Janno Lieber never paid rent or a mortgage? Has he never gotten a regular paycheck? Paying weekly or monthly upfront for a core service that you use regularly is a basic fact of adulthood. Creating an explosion of fare evasion because nobody has prepaid passes...

It's 11pm at night and there are standees down the aisles because @mtalirr.bsky.social thought it was a good idea to run only 8 cars on a train to Babylon after a MSG concert and a Mets game let out. Totally brainless. No sight of conductor yet. This is the "fare evasion" MTA is so worried about!

"uncontrollable labor" cost because no one makes any attempt to control them. Any of the LIRR foreman that had over $250k in OT last year should have a $60k guy following them around just to make sure they are actually working.

@stephenjacobsmith.com When they redid the Greely Square pedestrian plaza on Broadway, they actually built the pavers up level with the sidewalk. Looks good.

Who could have guessed that two payroll tax hikes, anew congestion charge, casino revenues, and a bunch of fare and toll hikes was not the express ticket to financial stability!? I thought mobile ticket activations was the number 1 issue faced by the MTA

IMO, MTA's push towards contactless and consequent OMNY fumbles should go down as one of top-10 biggest failures in MTA history. They don't get nearly enough flack for it Downgrades in usability, bad fare policy changes, & excuses to not integrate fares across the region will plague us for decades!

Jamesinclair@jamesinclair.bsky.social · last wk.

Knowing how many rides will you have will be a technology lost to time

IMO, MTA's push towards contactless and consequent OMNY fumbles should go down as one of top-10 biggest failures in MTA history. They don't get nearly enough flack for it Downgrades in usability, bad fare policy changes, & excuses to not integrate fares across the region will plague us for decades!

Jamesinclair@jamesinclair.bsky.social · last wk.

Knowing how many rides will you have will be a technology lost to time

We joke, but we have put $189 billion into the MTA's Capital Programs over the last 20 years and LIRR is still controlling train movements east of Ronkonkoma with pen and paper.

Bike Tarrytown@biketarrytown.bsky.social · last wk.

We live in a 4th world country.

We put forth $37 million for "alternative diesel equipment" (DMU's) in the MTA's 2010 capital program. The MTA diverted the funding to buy work locomotives instead (and then never actually ordered them). www.thelirrtoday.com/2016/05/lirr... And they contine to use small diesel fleet as excuse!

Samuel Santaella@samuelsantaella.bsky.social · 2w ago

Earlier this week I was thinking how LIRR could buy four (4) of these, plus however many spares they need, and that's enough to run hourly service between Ronkonkoma and Greenport

The answer to this is that the LIRR simply does not care about growing ridership on the North Fork They wanted to abandon the line east of Ronkonkoma in 2009! The line is effectively maxed out. They have no spare coaches to lengthen trains, even if they did, all of the platforms are 1-2 cars long.

Kevin B@kobkob333.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm surprised the LIRR doesn't run this North Fork Express more often during the summer. It would save Ronkonkoma and North Fork riders an insane amount of time.

Ronkonkoma to Jamaica in 41 minutes. Must have been flying. Swap the diesel for an electric set and 59 minute express should be by no means out of the question.