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On February 8, PCAC Associate Director Alan Foster testified at a hearing of the New York State Assembly on the MTA's proposed 1995-1999 Capital Program. Mr. Foster voiced the PCAC's objection to funding the capital program through dramatically increased bonding and "pay-as-you-go" financing, noting that these elements of the plan are bound to bring about fare increases as well as a decline in ridership.
The PCAC was one of several signatories on a March 5 letter to John Daly, New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner, in which the PCAC expressed its objection to Mr. Daly's refusal to appear before the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation to discuss his department's budget. The letter noted that Mr. Daly's action might serve to reinforce the perception that the DOT tends to avoid public accountability and make access to information unnecessarily difficult.
In March, the PCAC signed onto a letter to Representative Susan Molinari in which the PCAC expressed its opposition to liability limitations in the Amtrak authorization bill. The bill, which has now been approved by Congress, caps damages for pain and suffering for all passenger rail transportation providers at $250,000. The PCAC's objection to the bill was based on the belief that it would take the teeth out of various laws regulating railroad safety.
At its March meeting, the PCAC met with MTA Executive Director Marc Shaw. Mr. Shaw shared his perspective on the MTA's five-year capital and operating plans and responded to questions from PCAC members. The PCAC urged Mr. Shaw to do all he can to stem the tide of decreased funding for the MTA and its agencies.
On January 23, the PCAC released its report on contracting practices at the MTA, which urges greater use of innovative techniques. The MTA's Capital Program Management Department has asked each of the MTA agencies to canvas its 1996 projects and come upwith four or more for which innovative techniques can be used. In addition, reporting on contracting innovations will become part of the MTA's Capital Program Oversight Committee's agenda.
In February, the PCAC commented on plans for the proposed redevelopment of the Penn Station Complex. The PCAC noted that the Federal Railroad Administration's plan, which includes moving Amtrak facilities to the Farley Building, fails to address the needs of both LIRR commuters and subway riders. The PCAC also questioned the timing of the proposed redevelopment, given the shortage of funds available for more urgently needed capital projects.
At its March meeting, the PCAC chose its 1996 Summer Intern Project. The project will examine capital and operating funding mechanisms at the MTA and other large U.S. transportation agencies.
The LIRR has begun eliminating 32 ticket clerks at various stations as a cost-cutting measure. On February 4, Newsday published an opinion piece by LIRRCC Chair Lawrence Silverman. In the article, Mr. Silverman expressed his belief that the LIRR is heading in the wrong direction with this plan. Mr. Silverman also noted that the ticket vending machines will abolish an important human contact, that they may be subject to breakdown, and that the affected stations may be subject to increased vandalism.
In a related development, the LIRRCC learned in late February of an LIRR plan to close 13 of the railroad's least used stations. Mr. Silverman spoke against the ticket clerk reductions and addressed the planned closures at a March 7 public hearing in Copiague. Mr. Silverman and LIRRCC member Michael Shaffer also spoke at a meeting in Mineola on station closings.
In January, LIRRCC members and staff met with LIRR President Thomas Prendergast to discuss the railroad's corporate goals, the proposed ticket office closings, management issues, the handling of the blizzard, and the diesel fleet program.
Walt Peters, LIRR's Director of Service Planning, joined the February 8 meeting of the LIRRCC to discuss how the LIRR is going about changing its schedules tomeet the changing needs of its customers over the next few years. In a follow-up letter to Mr. Peters, Mr. Silverman requested that Mr. Peters provide the LIRRCC with the LIRR's plan and timetable for addressing overcrowding problems in the next year.
In January, the LIRRCC met with Bruce DeVito, Chief Engineer, and Boris Gutman, Project Manager, to learn about the progress of the Huntington Station rehabilitation, which will soon be underway. The rehabilitation involves replacing North and South Station platforms, installing a canopy and new shelter, and providing better station access from parking lots.
In response to an inquiry from the LIRRCC about how the LIRR handles complaints, Mr. Prendergast noted that complaints are usually handled by calling the commuter directly with an explanation of the event. Mr. Prendergast explained that the goal is to respond to 90 percent of customer letters within 15 days and to comment cards within 10 days. LIRRCC member Martin Meise and Mr. Silverman are continuing to pursue this issue.
Mr. Foster was quoted in the Daily News on January 12 on the discrepancies between LIRR's and Metro-North's performance during the week of the January blizzard. Mr. Foster was also quoted in the New York Times on January 21, saying that the LIRR performed well overall in the blizzard and its aftermath. Mr. Silverman was quoted in the January 12 edition of Newsday, expressing the same sentiment.
A February 11 article in Newsday profiled LIRRCC member Sandra Alayo's efforts on behalf of the LIRRCC. Mr. Silverman was quoted in the February 12 edition of Newsday, noting his displeasure with the planned elimination of 32 ticket agents. Mr. Silverman and PCAC Executive Director Beverly Dolinsky were quoted in a February 24 New York Times article on the plan to close 13 stations.
The MNRCC met with Lawrence Gamache, the Orange County Representative to the MTA Board, at its January meeting. Mr. Gamache noted that he sees himself as an advocate for the Council's concerns.
MNRCC members and staff toured the North End Access project in Grand Central Terminal as part of the MNRCC's January meeting. The project will allow users of Grand Central Terminal to enter and exit the Terminal from the North side of the station, which will shorten travel time for many commuters. The tour was led by William Aston, Vice President -Capital Programs. The MNRCC will continue to monitor the progress of the project, which has been plagued with delays thus far.
Metro-North President Donald Nelson joined the February 15 meeting of the MNRCC to discuss Metro-North's performance during the week of the January blizzard. In addition, Metro-North held focus groups in January with customers to ascertain their opinions of the railroad's performance. Ms. Dolinsky and Mr. Foster, who observed one focus group each, commented that commuters were very angry about Metro-North's performance during the storm.
In February, Metro-North responded to a request from Governor George Pataki with an extensive report about its problems during and after the blizzard. In the report, Metro-North provided details about the problems it experienced with equipment and communications and laid out a plan for making improvements in the future.
In January, MNRCC Chair Richard Cataggio wrote to MTA Chairman E. Virgil Conway to express the hope that Metro-North will be an active participant in the Technical Advisory Committee for the study of the proposed reinstitution of commuter rail service on the West Shore Line. The MNRCC also recommended to Mr. Conway that the Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines be renamed the Western Lines and that there be one timetable for both lines.
The revitalization of Grand Central Terminal officially began on February 15, following a ceremony featuring Governor Pataki, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and Mr. Conway. The ceremony was attended by MNRCC staff and members.
In January, Ms. Dolinsky was quoted in the New York Times and Mr. Foster in the Daily News regarding Metro-North service during the January blizzard. Ms. Dolinsky noted that the railroad publicized half-hourly service, but instead left passengers waiting on the platforms as overcrowded trains bypassed their stations. Ms. Dolinsky was also featured in a Daily News article in January regarding customer refunds, noting that refunds will not make amends for what happened during the storm but would provide customers with some compensation for the poor service.
On January 31, MNRCC members Jim Blair and George Begany were quoted in an article in The Gazette, regarding rebates to commuters affected by the blizzard. Mr. Begany said that many of the people who will receive the rebate chose to stay home of their own volition. Mr. Blair said that the rebate sets a bad precedent in response to an event brought on by a number of causes and noted that the railroad has provided good service for the last several years.
The MNRCC's representative to the MTA Board, Ronnie Ackman, was quoted in a February 6 New York Post article saying that sporadic delays on Metro-North in early February were unavoidable, due to extremely cold weather.
The TRC's fourth annual bus forum, which was held on January 31st, was the most successful ever. Approximately 100 bus riders attended, in spite of inclement weather. Charles Monheim, Senior Vice President - Department of Buses, and others were on hand to answer questions from the public.
In January, the TRC submitted comments to NYC Transit about features of the agency's new technology trains. The TRC is in favor of 6-inch niches next to the doors, bench-style seats with colored delineation, horizontal handholds mounted at about the same height as those on the R62s, coating material on horizontal handholds and straps, and recorded announcements that are not so long as to increase dwell time.
Carol Meltzer, NYC Transit Chief Station Officer, joined the TRC's January meeting to discuss various concerns about subway stations. Ms. Meltzer answered questions on a variety of topics from TRC members. Among other things, Ms. Meltzer noted that NYC Transit has increased the size of its mobile wash fleet. The trucks in the fleet are now self-monitoring, which means that the size of each cleaning team can be reduced from four to three. Ms. Meltzer said that the cleaning cycle is usually one to two weeks long, but outside stations are cleaned only four times a year.
Joseph Hofmann, Senior Vice President - Department of Subways, Michael Lombardi, Chief of Operations for Service Delivery, Mark Yanche, Chief of Operations for Maintenance of Way, and John Diekman, Manager of Customer Communications, joined the February meeting of the TRC to discuss the blizzard, the reorganization of the Subways Department, on-train announcements, and other issues. Mr. Hofmann invited the TRC to the Department of Subways' 1996 Goals Meeting, at which managers discussed the reorganization of the Department, goals, and challenges. TRC staff attended the March 12 meeting.
In January, TRC Chair Andrew Albert and Ms. Dolinsky met with Assemblyman Albert Vann to discuss the fate of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle rehabilitation, which is not included in the MTA’s proposed 1995 - 1999 Capital Program. Mr. Albert and Ms. Dolinsky also met with Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan's staff on this issue and attended a meeting to save the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, where they reiterated the TRC's commitment to seeing that the Shuttle is rebuilt.
In February, Mr. Albert testified at a hearing of the New York State Assembly
on the MTA's proposed 1995-1999 Capital Program, focusing in particular on the absence of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle rehabilitation from the plan.
In January, Mr. Albert wrote to Mayor Giuliani to urge the City to take responsibility for funding the cost of the bypass tracks that are critical to maintaining service during rehabilitation of the Williamsburg Bridge. Mr. Albert noted that there is no funding in NYC Transit's capital program to pay for the track replacement and that the City has paid these types of costs in the past. Mr. Albert also noted that NYC Transit routinely bears the cost when subway construction projects require the replacement of City-owned property. The Mayor has not yet replied to the letter.
In March, the TRC signed onto a letter expressing opposition to Mayor Giuliani's proposal to dissolve the NYC Department of Transportation and distribute the Department's functions among the new Department of Design and Construction and a proposed Department of Infrastructure Maintenance. In the letter, the TRC noted that critical transportation needs would likely go unmet without a strong Department of Transportation.
At its January meeting, the TRC decided to monitor service provided by NYC Transit, with a goal of determining if the agency is providing the levels of service indicated on its schedules. TRC members and staff collected data on bus and subway arrivals during both peak and off-peak periods. The results of the project will be released later in the spring.
At the March meeting of the TRC, members, staff, and guests saw a demonstration of NYC Transit's new Customer Information Screens and public address system. A focus group followed, from which emerged consensus on such issues as the need to keep visual and audio information as succinct as possible, the need to use different colors on the customer information screens for different types of announcements, and the importance of distinguishing between routine and urgent announcements.
Following the January blizzard, Mr. Albert appeared on Fox News, speaking about former NYC Transit President Alan Kiepper’s absence during the week of the storm. Mr. Albert was also quoted in the New York Post on January 17, saying, “[Alan Kiepper's] absence during the storm begs the question of how essential he is for the running of our subways at all."
Ms. Dolinsky was quoted in the Daily News on January 27 about the appointment of Lawrence Reuter as NYC Transit President, noting the challenging conditions under which Mr. Reuter was taking over the agency. Dennis Duggan's February 15th column in Queens Newsday, which focused on the poor conditions at the 72nd Street subway station, made note of Mr. Albert's efforts to get thestation renovated. Ms. Dolinsky was quoted in the February 16 edition of the New York Post, saying that an Intelligent Transportation System proposed for the bus system is a great idea because bus riders need all the information they can get.
A comment from Ms. Dolinsky about Mr. Reuter's warning that he might have to make future service cuts to balance NYC Transit's budget was carried in a March 15 New York Times article. Ms. Dolinsky noted that "this is what we have been saying all along. It's a huge amount of money they've got to come up with, and I don't know how they're going to do it." Ms. Dolinsky also predicted that there would be no cuts before the gubernatorial election in November 1998. Ms. Dolinsky was also quoted in the New York Post that day, noting that she was disappointed by Mr. Reuter's comments and that the costs to the city and the public of further cuts should be factored into the decision-making process.
Ms. Dolinsky was quoted in a March 22 New York Times article, saying that the low level of usage of the MetroCard on buses is disappointing and that she thinks bus riders are a natural audience for the MetroCard. Ms. Dolinsky was also quoted in a March 24 New York Times article, saying that the fact that a 1990 promise to put a police officer on every subway train at night had not been kept makes it look like "the politicians just cynically used [the promise], with no real intent of keeping [it]." That same day, theDaily News carried a quote from Ms. Dolinsky that read: "I don't think they're doing a very good job of marketing the [MetroCard]. Every bus rider should have
one." Ms. Dolinsky also appeared on New York 1's Straphanger Report on the weekend of March 23 on the issue of MetroCard's disappointing performance.
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