A ceremonial groundbreaking today kicks off construction of a new rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan below the Hudson River. Possibly the biggest transit project in the country, the $8.7 billion Mass Transit Tunnel will expand regional rail service and reduce commuter congestion when it opens in 2017. |NYT|
Looking for ways to save money, the MTA is reviving plans to toss the conductor from the train. The strapped for cash transportation authority is in talks to run more robo-trains with just one motorman, a money-saving measure that transit advocates say “comes at the expense of the safety and security of the rider.” |NYDN|
Many token booth clerks were the first to go and people with maroon vests were then forced to roam the stations. Now, the MTA is replacing train conductors with automated trains. Beginning today, the L line will be the first to get the robo-trains that were designed to run more efficiently than their flesh and blood counterparts—technically a human will be on board to monitor George Jetson style. |Engadget|
The MTA is taking a cue from those double deckers buses that shuttle tourists around the city and testing a version of their own. The modern, sleekly designed bus don’t look nearly as hideous as the old vintage, red London ones and will be put to use for a 30-day trial on “Fifth Avenue and some express routes between the Bronx and Manhattan.” Although London often gets credited with the double decker tradition, they uses to populate midtown up until 1953 and according to the Times, resurfaced briefly in the 70s. |amNY|
Photo: NYC Transit (clipped from amNY)
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