NEW YORK — Rob Free, who has served as acting president of the Long Island Rail Road since last October, was named to the position permanently by Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber on Thursday. Free, who began his career with the LIRR as a station cleaner 31 years ago, climbed the ranks to become […]
Railroad: New York MTA
New York MTA seeks developer for Grand Central Madison retail business
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is seeking a developer to serve as master tenant to fill the 25,000 square feet of retail and dining space at Grand Central Madison, the Long Island Railroad Terminal in Manhattan that opened in 2023. “This is an amazing opportunity for the right operator: 25,000 square feet of […]
New York MTA approves tolls for congestion pricing plan
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board has approved toll rates for Manhattan’s planned congestion pricing program, which is intended to fund improvements to MTA transit programs. The board voted 11-1 at a meeting today (March 27) to approve tolls of $15 during the day and $3.75 at night in the congestion zone below […]
News photos: Metro-North debuts Penn Central unit
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Metro-North Railroad has unveiled the fourth locomotive in its heritage series, this time wrapping P32AC-DM No. 217 in Penn Central colors. The locomotive made its debut today on a Hudson Line train departing Croton-Harmon at 7:58 a.m. and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 8:55 a.m. “Every new wrapped locomotive reminds […]
Union opposes nomination of Metro-North executive for STB’s passenger advisory committee
WASHINGTON — An official from the Transport Workers Union of America has written the Surface Transportation Board to oppose the nomination of a Metro-North Railroad executive for the STB’s new Passenger Rail Advisory Committee, citing the state of union relationships with Metro-North. In a March 6 letter to STB Chair Martin J. Oberman, John Feltz, […]
LIRR makes schedule changes to allow track work
NEW YORK — Trains will be replaced by buses on the eastern portion of the Long Island Rail Road’s Ronkonkoma Branch on weekdays beginning Monday, March 4, the most significant of a series of schedule changes to allow for track work throughout the LIRR system. A number of other changes, involving new trains, new start […]
MTA details projects at risk without congestion pricing funds
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which had previously announced it was placing much of its capital spending on hold because of uncertainty over implementation of Manhattan’s congestion pricing plan, on Monday detailed the projects at risk while the lawsuits against congestion pricing are pending. Congestion pricing, intended to discourage driving in Manhattan below […]
Connecticut station on New Haven Line set for three-week closure in March
NORWALK, Conn. — The East Norwalk Station on Metro North’s New Haven line will be closed March 11-31, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has announced, to accommodate construction activity related to the WALK Bridge Replacement Project. As part of the work to replace the 128-year-old swing bridge over the Norwalk River, a new underdrain system […]
New York MTA halts new contracts for capital projects
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has halted the awarding of new contracts for capital programs of uncertainty over the planned congestion pricing program, a daytime toll program intended to discourage driving by charging $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. The program is intended to start this year, and will help fund MTA […]
Connecticut budget looks to restore New Haven Line commuter operations
HARTFORD, Conn. — Gov. Ned Lamont’s budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year would restore full funding for Metro-North’s New Haven Line commuter operations, the news site CT Insider reports. The budget proposal released last week includes $284 million for rail operations, an increase of approximately 22% over the current fiscal year, which saw cuts to […]
New York open-gangway subway cars make debut
NEW YORK — New York City Transit’s first R211T open-gangway subway cars entered service on Thursday, operating on the C line between Washington Heights and East New York, following an inaugural ride featuring Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority and elected officials. Hochul also announced that 1,000 of the city’s subway cars are now […]
Missing bolts, track issue led to Coney Island derailment, MTA says
NEW YORK — Missing bolts on a subway car and a track misalignment led to the derailment of a New York City Transit subway train at Coney Island on Jan. 10, the New York Daily News reports in a paywalled article. Four bolts were missing from the car’s radius arm, part of the suspension system, […]