Appalling! I think we should raise taxes on people in Wyoming so I can have faster trains to take me to NYC.
Sincerely,
almost every NYT online commenter
Sincerely,
almost every NYT online commenter
Instead of spending $2B on adding 9 miles of third track on the LIRR between Floral Park and Hicksville, I wish Governor Cuomo would use the taxpayer's money to fix the broken tracks, antiquated switches and power outages at Penn Station.
1
The Times has nine obituary writers, of whom only one is a woman, and no people of color? That explains a lot.
2
My puppy Auggie just came in from the rain....I think he read your forecast. Thank you Alexandra.
3
This is a dreary, chaotic train station. Not only are the tracks decrepit, the escalators and elevators seldom are in working order and oft times smell of urine and fecal matter. Pointing these out to the station staff gets you the old "fecal, what does it matter" shrug!
No wonder bus service from DC to NYC is rapidly becoming the most useful means of public travel to and from!
No wonder bus service from DC to NYC is rapidly becoming the most useful means of public travel to and from!
4
There needs to be more, fast, ferry service. Think Sydney, Aus.
1
The Amtrak northeast corridor (Boston-Washington DC) is profitable and has the potential to serve many more passengers than it does now. Northeast corridor trains are usually fully booked in advance. The northeast corridor should be managed and funded as either a separate division of Amtrak or a separate agency.
3
"Even during the demolition and reconstruction, however, the trains ran as usual." Why is this not surprising? In our modern day hubris we think we are the greatest thing around yet time after time one can point to example of "simpler" times when things were done better and quicker. Look at massive jobs like building the Empire State building, where - all without the help of computers and efficiency "experts" - it took but one year and 45 days for construction, a choreography of men and equipment moving through a tight site as the building moved ever higher. We can't even get plans and endless studies done in many years, let alone starting our shoddy construction. We have put so many self-imposed obstacles in our way that disruptions like we hear about are so predictable.
15
Yes...the Empire State Building construction project was done very efficiently but make no mistake, the job had far more on-site engineers and architects, clerks, brick counters and administrators than one would typically find on a similar job before or since with the possible exception of the Pentagon which was also designed and constructed very quickly. Productivity of every trade working on the ESB was carefully monitored and every design snafu or labor productivity shortfall resolves in "real time". Much was learned producing this building that then sat vacant for almost a decade. The way it's construction was managed never became the model for post-war construction.
2
Good info Bob. I only picked it as an example of how we have created overly complex and often highly inefficient systems that tout themselves as modern and "better" but are beset by needless complexity, shoddy materials and poor workmanship.
1
One of the main problems with Amtrak is that it is attempting to manage two radically different businesses under one roof.
Clearly no one takes a train from Chicago to Los Angeles for transportation; they take it for the pleasure of the scenery, a chance to see the beauty of our vast country. This is tourism pure & simple; much like taking a cruise in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.
Travelers on a train from New York to Boston are doing so to get to Boston. If the scenery is nice, great! But that is in no way the main driver of the trip.
As we know from the financials of Amtrak it loses big bucks on its long-distance routes but actually makes a cash profit on the NE Corridor.
Solution: sell the long-distance lines to tourism professionals like Carnival Cruises or Viking. They know how to manage & market the service, & might even make these routes profitable. Then Amtrak could concentrate its efforts on managing the NE corridor. If the lost producing long-distance lines were spun off, Amtrak could most likely raise the substantial capital needed to bring its service into the 21st century
Clearly no one takes a train from Chicago to Los Angeles for transportation; they take it for the pleasure of the scenery, a chance to see the beauty of our vast country. This is tourism pure & simple; much like taking a cruise in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean.
Travelers on a train from New York to Boston are doing so to get to Boston. If the scenery is nice, great! But that is in no way the main driver of the trip.
As we know from the financials of Amtrak it loses big bucks on its long-distance routes but actually makes a cash profit on the NE Corridor.
Solution: sell the long-distance lines to tourism professionals like Carnival Cruises or Viking. They know how to manage & market the service, & might even make these routes profitable. Then Amtrak could concentrate its efforts on managing the NE corridor. If the lost producing long-distance lines were spun off, Amtrak could most likely raise the substantial capital needed to bring its service into the 21st century
7
I love reading your weather descriptions, Alexandra; you always bring a smile. "Hair forecast: wet puppy." is a classic.
7
"Wet Puppy" is good. But am I the only one who likes this kind of weather???
(Great for Museums, though...)
(Great for Museums, though...)
5
I love this weather because it spreads the salt air over the city to remind us that we live on the coast!
I almost gave up on everybody.... Thank you, Martha!
There won't be a real transportation in NYC until the helicopters to the Hamptons in the summer start running late.
8
Passed through this hellish station this morning destination EWR.
Half way down track 10 escalator with luggage, arriving passengers on track 9 pushed escalator emergency stop button and streamed up the down escalator stranding us mid way. We blocked the down passengers with our baggage with 7:12 NJT train departure only minutes away. My Japanese wife started crying and I had to rescue her and bag from mid escalator after putting my bag at bottom. We then aggressively pushed our way through the arriving passengers with departing passengers behind us in a sort of scrum and made it on board NJT train on time but very frazzled.
Allowing the state of this critical infrastructure to fall into such dangerous disrepair is tantamount to crime in my view.
This would never happen in Tokyo. To compare I recently departed my home in central Tokyo at 0530 and made my 0615 flight to Osaka with time to spare.
Feel sorry for the poor commuters and people of NY/NJ who must deal with this shameful condition every day.
Half way down track 10 escalator with luggage, arriving passengers on track 9 pushed escalator emergency stop button and streamed up the down escalator stranding us mid way. We blocked the down passengers with our baggage with 7:12 NJT train departure only minutes away. My Japanese wife started crying and I had to rescue her and bag from mid escalator after putting my bag at bottom. We then aggressively pushed our way through the arriving passengers with departing passengers behind us in a sort of scrum and made it on board NJT train on time but very frazzled.
Allowing the state of this critical infrastructure to fall into such dangerous disrepair is tantamount to crime in my view.
This would never happen in Tokyo. To compare I recently departed my home in central Tokyo at 0530 and made my 0615 flight to Osaka with time to spare.
Feel sorry for the poor commuters and people of NY/NJ who must deal with this shameful condition every day.
17
The Penn Station mayhem is analogous to Dorothy, the Saccrecrow, Tin Woodsman & the Cowardly Lion trying to get to Emerald City. Trump behind the curtain has turned Manhattan into Oz with its deceptions. distractions & wonderment.
4
Never takes long for someone to blame Trump, as if Penn station was a paragon of efficiency under Obama and others for decades prior. It's juvenile and inaccurate.
4
I despise Trump, but this particular nightmare cannot be blamed on him. Amtrak, and the MTA are among the worst-run transportation systems in the country and probably the world, and this has been going on for decades. However, what has been happening over the last couple of months is the worst I have ever seen. In addition to delays, cancellations, combining trains and ridiculous crowding, the communication is poor to non-existent. And all this on top of a rate increase last month. We deserve a rebate.
12
Visited NYC to see some Broadway shows this weekend. H flew to LaGuardia, and W trained to Penn Station. We both went home on the Acela from Penn Station.
All I can say is that it is a good thing that NYC has Broadway and great restaurants! Getting in and out of the city is about as ugly and inhospitable as it gets.
I'll skip the preposterous airport transportation system, and head right to Penn Station. Why is it that Grand Central is, at least, presentable and has several pleasant places to eat, while Penn Station is truly a pit? Even walking from our Sunday afternoon show down 8th Avenue to the train station didn't offer a single place to get a decent meal or sandwich that we might take on the train. But once we were inside the station, the paucity of food choices, and the overwhelming crowds that filled the Amtrak area awaiting boarding announcements is beyond belief. This is a visitor's first and last view of NYC, and it isn't pretty.
All I can say is that it is a good thing that NYC has Broadway and great restaurants! Getting in and out of the city is about as ugly and inhospitable as it gets.
I'll skip the preposterous airport transportation system, and head right to Penn Station. Why is it that Grand Central is, at least, presentable and has several pleasant places to eat, while Penn Station is truly a pit? Even walking from our Sunday afternoon show down 8th Avenue to the train station didn't offer a single place to get a decent meal or sandwich that we might take on the train. But once we were inside the station, the paucity of food choices, and the overwhelming crowds that filled the Amtrak area awaiting boarding announcements is beyond belief. This is a visitor's first and last view of NYC, and it isn't pretty.
20
You probably did not venture out of the Amtrak/NJ transit area of the station. There are some good food options in the Central Corridor.
2
Thanks! Much appreciated. I'll remember that for the next visit, although there is always the concern that if you wander out of the main area that you will miss announcements for your train!
2
Track workers are some of the fastest and thorough construction workers around. Given proper time to work, their labor will benefit us all.
6
As NYC has been transformed by and for the wealthy and skyrocketing housing costs, more and more people are pushed out - thus more commuters
8
Singing about the problem usually helps – or maybe not!
Chattin 'bout the Choo Choo
Tune of Chattanooga Choo-Choo
Pardon me, friends,
I’m online chattin’ ‘bout the choo-choo
Got here at five
Will the five-forty arrive?
Some tweet it’s hell
To leave Manhattan on the choo-choo
You say “So what
Be grateful for what you’re got.”
For us, it’s Pennsylvania Station at a quarter past six
"Crowds and long delays – please make some efforts to fix!"
Put on some more trains now
Might relieve some pains now
Come on folks, it really doesn’t take much brains now
When you see the riders spewing hate near and far
And they wonder why it hurts the L-I-R-R
If the problem’s Amtrak’s
Do work on those damn tracks
Fix Penn Station, honeys, there you are!
[slow instrumental until commute home – moving through the crowd]
Something isn’t right here
We spend half the night here
Ooh, Penn Station, honeys, there you are!
Chattin 'bout the Choo Choo
Tune of Chattanooga Choo-Choo
Pardon me, friends,
I’m online chattin’ ‘bout the choo-choo
Got here at five
Will the five-forty arrive?
Some tweet it’s hell
To leave Manhattan on the choo-choo
You say “So what
Be grateful for what you’re got.”
For us, it’s Pennsylvania Station at a quarter past six
"Crowds and long delays – please make some efforts to fix!"
Put on some more trains now
Might relieve some pains now
Come on folks, it really doesn’t take much brains now
When you see the riders spewing hate near and far
And they wonder why it hurts the L-I-R-R
If the problem’s Amtrak’s
Do work on those damn tracks
Fix Penn Station, honeys, there you are!
[slow instrumental until commute home – moving through the crowd]
Something isn’t right here
We spend half the night here
Ooh, Penn Station, honeys, there you are!
22
" ... slow instrumental until commute home ..."
nice " shade," Freddie
needed the laugh-out-loud (again) yikes
nice " shade," Freddie
needed the laugh-out-loud (again) yikes
3
Jeanne Marie, I admit I've only been unfortunate enough to be caught in a real Penn Station mess twice in the last several months, but I can still sympathize with the people who must do it almost daily! It really affects what I choose to do these days.
2
In the world of New York Today
There's just three things that're steady
And they pop up every AM--
Death and taxes and Freddie.
There's just three things that're steady
And they pop up every AM--
Death and taxes and Freddie.
4
"Dank socks" and "wet puppy" lend some brightness to this gloomy day!
8
Amen, love the hair forecast! Among so many other things.
5
Its not a priority for Republicans who don't believe in providing "Public Transportation " for the middle/working class and see massive funding for "21st century" "modern" transportation systems as inflationary.
The Northeast corrider will continue to shed jobs as industries continue to leave for states with modern transport systems.
No modern infrastructure, just tax cuts and more weapons.