N6 Limited

Yes not all trains were local in the beginning.probobaly most are now.

 

To store trains underground rather than in yards.

Ah i see

The and were still running express on my way home, thank goodness  . I guess they chose to leave the heavier used routes alone for a little bit longer. It would have caused too much congestion. Why do they run the trains local anyway, is it so they can use the express tracks to move equipment around?

 

6 mins ago:

MTA Service Status

 

 

Service Change  Posted: 01/02/2014  6:56PM 

 

 

Due to inclement weather, all express Subway service will run local.

, , , , , , , , , , , ,  and  train service are affected.

Allow additional travel time.

 

I'm in for a lame commute 

Overnight n6 service:

"LIE will be closed in Nassau/Suffolk at midnight. If alternative needed, n6 overnight service btwn Jamaica-Hempstead on Hemp. TPK corridor"

 

(source: NICE's Twitter - https://twitter.com/theNICEbus/status/418870341197234177)

I just saw that on my twitter. the LIE is no where near Hempstead Turnpike, that doesn't really make much sense.

During Fast Track does the MTA lay on extra trains on the adjacent lanes to compensate for the increased loads?

 

Does the MTA consider that the peak load point may be somewhere other than the designated station at different times?

I don't believe so. It's late at night (10pm-5am)so there is no concern about peak loading points. All alternate routes have ample capacity.

Other than minor time & layover adjustments-here are some of the changes:

 

N15: Sun. service returns to 20 min. off-peak headway & weekday midday. (From 30 min)

 

N6: Most weekday trip times revamped esp. N6X. (what does that mean?)

 

N19: Later r/t added Sun. for store closing time. 

 

N20: Extensive running time & recovery adjustments weekday & Sat.

 

N22: Weekday rush hour service rebuilt & N22L eliminated. (Rebuilt, bi-directional express?)

 

N23: Trips revamped all day & later rush hour trip from Mineola. (revamped?)

 

N27: Added later rush hour trip from Hemp. & Sat. & Sun. service extended back to Roos. Field. (no more N23 merge?)

 

N43: Established 20 min. n/b headways in AM. (does the N43 get that crowded in the morning?)

 

N79: Buses will enter Walt Whitman Mall from Rt. 110.

Comments questions in orange.

The N22L made no sense since it bypassed the busiest stop on its route (Roosevelt Field); it's like asking an express train to skip Times Square.  I would hope they instead add additional limited stop N22 buses between Jamaica and Hicksville (both rush-hours and mid-days) that stop only at major intersections.  The nearby N24 could continue to make all additional local stops.

 

Where do you see the new schedules posted?  I cannot find them on the web site.

 The "nearby" N24?

Yes, I know it's there, sorry if I wasn't clear about that. My point is it could help *within* CTZ. Last time I checked (which was a few minutes ago) you're not allowed to transfer with a CityTicket so my point is still valid because you can't use it within CTZ unless you don't have to transfer.

Do you mean a free transfer to to another service?

I just saw the Nostalgia train at Broadway Lafyette about an hour ago

What corridors will have FasTrack in 2014? Possibly QBL East of Roosevelt? The tiles at Union Toke are horrible! They are brown, several are missing. The ceiling paint is totally chipping away. It seriously needs to get repainted.

 

 

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I wonder how a FasTrack East ("North") of Roosevelt would be handled.

As someone who lives out there, two things:

 

1. Springfield Boulevard is about the point where money for extending past it stops making sense. Buses past that point are usually only half full and very quick (and if you're one of those people who think the zoning can be changed and developers will start building condo towers out in Eastern Queens, I have a bridge to sell you)

 

2. Queens wants nothing to do with Park and Ride. Nassau riders can take NICE or the LIRR, because there isn't enough capacity in the Queens tubes for them to all drive up to the county border and switch to trains.

The QB line isn't full at all times and all trips are not to Manhattan. But even so, the locals have capacity.

Speaking of Springfield Blvd, that's the point where people get flagged by the N6 the most lol.

The at least reaches the 40's on QB , it seems like the just cruises down Fulton St.

For beeline however only if MTA rerouted bx30 to Fordham would that work actually it would speed up the 60/61 as they can make it closed door shaving a good chunk off run time In the process and improving reliability. Bx28/38 can get service levels that it really needs and redundancy will be eliminated. FYI beeline 61barely gets any ridership on it's parts not shared with the 60 so to say 60/61 has high ridership would be misleading.

 

 

Also upgrading LIRR frequency to near subway like levels would accomplish the same thing at an even lower cost.

The LIRR is expensive. Also if you notice the bus routes are not really near the LIRR.

Or stay home

Some people have to go to work

P+R is not needed, but subway extension is needed, it could reduce cost in the long term, N6 limited, if subway was extended furthur the chance of finding a seat on the N6 will be larger in Jamaica. But maybe its going to take 15 year for the to built it.ss

I'm not so sure about that. The subway goes to 179th. but everyone gets off at 169th to have a better chance of boarding the bus. If the Subway was extended, People would Still get off at 169th to take the N6 because any station further is asking to get flagged. On the way to Jamaica people would get off onto the subway earlier though.

If subways were extended eastward then NICE would be able to route the N6 and other N buses away from Jamaica. Plus MTA would be able to create crosstown bus lines in queens like Q76 merged with Q77 or Q2 with Q17  as those going to Jamaica would switch out to subways sooner. MTA would be able to do more with less resources. And a SE queens to bronx route would become more feasible. Unless they cut the LIRR fare intentionally and relocate the Hollis station closer to bus routes and add more LIRR trains.

NICE could do that, they'd probably prefer to to save money, but the reason why the N6 gets the ridership it does is because riders are going to Queens to transfer to other buses like the Q17, Transfer to the Subway, and go to the Bus terminal for shopping in Jamaica etc. NICE and LIB already tried having N6 short turns at 179th street and both were unsuccessful. IF the subway was extended to Francis Lewis Blvd, I could see them having the N1 short turn there during rush hours for example, maybe the N24 but not the N6/N22.

It's kind of similar to the Beeline 60/61 they terminate at Fordam Rd where shopping and other destinations are. They could terminate at Dyre Ave but ridership would probably drop.

So here's the story. I was on the Jamaica bound , when we arrived at Roosevelt Ave there was a across the platform on the local track. The other left first, and then an pulled in behind it! We were cleared to leave first, and then we left, we switched to the local track but went express, SLOWLY. During the crawl to Forest Hills, we were passed by an and 2 's on the express tracks at full speed.   We get to 71st Ave and the last that passed is waiting across the platform. They weren't sure which train was leaving first. It turned out the one across the platform was leaving first ,so people ran across to the other . We leave first and then we slowly proceed. After Parsons Blvd, we're held between stations for a few mins. People are getting irritated because of the mess, and most of us have to catch a bus.

Get to 169th finally. I run out to make sure I don't miss the 10PM bus (it was like 10:02), the next bus was at 22:20. There were already people waiting, so the people from my train added to the line.  The bus arrived, we started boarding and it was SRO, as the last couple of people were boarding, more started rising from the subway! Another had come, and just as those people were almost finished boarding, MORE people started running from the Subway. The bus was Packed. Train delays can really F up the buses. 

Anyway, anyone knows what was going on with QB last night?

Something strange was going on with the QBL tonight. I'm typing from my phone.I will elaborate soon.

Instead of spending the money on Park and Ride it did make more sense to use that money to extend the current subway lines in Queens farther East which would also solve the problem.........

Extending the lines further East would not solve the problem as most people would still have to take the bus to the subway. The idea of a park and ride is to have somewhere to park your car so that you can use public transportation as well. A lot of people in eastern queens have vehicles and drive.

Not to mention, it would also not require building something that would primarily benefit suburbanites over city people... People in the city use bus+subway specifically to avoid the costs of commuting with a car.

At that point city people are suburbanites. I use the bus and subway to avoid the costs of commuting with a car, but there are times ( in general) where simply driving to the subway is just so much better. Now, I don't drive to 179th or 169th, because parking is atrocious. But if it's a Sunday or after 7PM I''ll get right on the Grand Central to Union Turnpike, Park and walk right down into the subway. or comes, perfect.

On the way back I can take the or , get off at Union Turnpike, walk to the car, get on the GCP in no time. As opposed to staying on the train longer, then waiting for the bus, then a 20 min bus ride, and then walking home. (although walking is good for you) 

Great news about the restoration of the n27 to RF at all times. You beat me to posting the news. 

 

Can we also please stop posting LIBRU on here. They're not associated with NICE and I'm tired of the constant complaints by them being posted here. A discussion is fine, but complaining all the time isn't. Please try to keep this thread on the topic of NICE, not third-party unions.

Perhaps a LIBRU thread should be made, to keep everything in there?

On the IND Second system, what's the stop on the Houston St Line that's supposed to be east of 2nd Ave? Was there going to be another stop before heading into Brooklyn?

The Queens Boulevard line is the second busiest trunk line in the city after Lexington Avenue, and standing-room-only trains leave Union at many hours of the day. It currently has the shortest headways of any subway line in the city, including the Lexington Avenue Line. To say that it needs capacity relief is an understatement.

 

Actually, that would be the perfect place to not put a P&R. P&R lots are essentially black holes for traffic, and because they're so commute oriented they dump a large amount of traffic onto roads in a very short amount of time. You'd end up jamming all those roads and highways you listed because everyone would be trying to get in and out of lots at the same time, and this would make that area even more of a knot during rush hour than it is today.

 

It would also be very tricky to build; you probably wouldn't be able to build enough parking no matter how hard you tried, and the interchange is scheduled for a multi-year reconfiguration project to make it less confusing for drivers. It's also far enough into the city that it wouldn't really save any time to use the P&R over subway+bus, since that area gets congested during the peak.

I've been on early morning  trains where the train is basically full approaching Union Turnpike. (Well, one morning there were no trains at 179th street waiting, so bus after bus was spilling people down in to the subway for several mins then two trains pulled in. The first R46 left and most of the seats were taken before getting to 169th street, then all seats were taken and it was SRO to Union Turnpike as more and more people got on. Some got off, but they were quickly replaced, at 71st Ave there was relief as people transferred to the local. There's exchange at Roosevelt Ave, and then relief at Lexington Ave, then the normal tapering down 6th ave)

But yes, the line is busy, but I ride it every day. but it is not full all day, there is capacity for riders outside of the peak-peak time of morning rush. If you get to the subway around 9am or later it's "normal". In the evenings people trickle home as they please so the trains aren't as packed. I've been on trains were the car is basically empty or have like 10 people.

Also, of course the frequency is warranted because it's essentially the lone subway trunk serving a large area of Queens and Western Nassau county. (Those bus lines really expand that service area). 

As for location they can build it right over the Jamaica Yard  . 

I also have to learn Spanish and Chinese as well because most NICE bus routes are Chinese and Spanish riders as well.

You can use google translate on your flyers

Another location for a Park and Ride would be the Kew Gardens Interchange/Union Turnpike Station. Perfect location. Jackie Robinson Parkway, Grand Central Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway, Queens Blvd and Union Turnpike!   and express trains. 

And before the wolves come out,  I've noticed that a lot of you like to say QB Express is at capacity, but you're basing this off of 1 hour of service per day? Seriously? 

It's useless, the n27 on weekends, can't understand what the big deal is about extending it to RF. All they need is two buses, that's one more bus in addition to the one used on it now, for hourly service between Glen Cove and RF.

However I will say you're a sucker if you take the shuttle to nowhere. I know what goes on, and you're better off getting the LIRR (and paying extra), or if you're coming from/going to Greenvale getting the n20 and changing at Hicksville. It's never gonna change, unless the n27 is extended back. If people are so angry they should be calling NICE Bus, posting on their Facebook, and calling their elected officials. They can bitch all they want in Roslyn but if no one hears them its not gonna do any good.

Or they could start their own "Jitney" service like they have in Bergen County. I know I want no part of it, so to me the n27 doesn't run at all on weekends. Roslyn is not a destination and therefore it is completely useless.

Good thing I dont need to go to Glen Cove on weekends or live over there in the boondocks.

Been burned enough, these people still take it they're asking for trouble. Most of the time they don't even check tickets on the LIRR to Mineola. If everyone just stopped riding and took the train NICE would probably fix it due to lost ridership.

I think the issue is that between the Roslyn LIRR station and Hillside Ave, no one uses those stops, so it's a waste of money to send more buses down to Roosevelt Field when the ridership can be handled with the N23 and a looping N27 and technically provide the same level of service.  Now it's a Roslyn-Glen Cove shuttle, but extend it to Roosevelt Field and it becomes a Glorified Roosevelt Field-Glen Cove shuttle. 

1 more bus, would be twice as much gas and paying for an additional B/O.

Now, when this bus time is up and running they'll have NO excuse what-so-ever for missing connections etc. They'll have the command center watching and everyone with their smartphones are going to have to start taking screenshots of that bustime map as evidence.

They say that now they only know when there is a problem if people call in or leave an email. Get people to complain. Call the number, and if they're closed, go to nicebus.com on their cellphone and type in the complaint. Especially with N23/N20/N27 connections. if they all do it as a group that should make them take notice. 

Yuki, you like to help passengers, help them make complaints! (Directly to NICE, not the LIBRU). The phone number is on the bus schedules and they can go to nicebus.com right on their smartphones and tablets to leave their complaints. Show them how to make note of the time and the bus number. When you make the complaint immediately everything is still fresh in the mind. I have nicebus.com bookmarked on my phone's browser. Make sure they get a notepad APP or use google docs to save whatever they send. 

When I type up a complaint, I copy the text every so often while typing it, and once I'm done I copy the whole message before submitting because funky things can happen. If the connection acts up, you still have the message in the clipboard to paste and try again. Then I go to google drive and save it in a NICE Bus Complaint document for reference.

Radical of NICE to step in like that and provide buses for the workers. I can assure you that the MTA would have probably pitched a fit and expected reimbursement.

Being that NICE is next door, literally it probably wasn't much of a hassle for them.

Is there any way to improve train service? It is crowded at all times in the day and most of the time, even during the rush, it has absolute garbage headways. When I'm at Broadway Lafayette after getting off the , I see the come first followed by a million more 's until an overcrowded finally chugs in. What is wrong with that line? I dread riding the because if you ask me, it was one of the most unreliable. The only line I might consider more unreliable is the , but if you ask me, once the R179s come in on the , the will be rated the worst line very Headways are crap at all times of the day, they run incredibly inconsistently, they're almost always overcrowded and according to the MTA's delay notifications, the is the most delayed line in the city

 

I ride the daily and even though they're crowded, at least they show up!

The is scheduled to run 12-15 tph during rush hours, 9-10 tph during middays and evenings, 6 tph on weekends, and 3 tph at night. It runs pretty fine whenever I use it. I highly doubt whatever you two guys are saying is true. The slightly less frequently runs 8-9 tph during rush hours but 6 tph during middays, evenings and weekends, and 3 tph at night. It runs quite fine whenever I use it too but it is nowhere close to being as frequent as the . The most certainly is not going to be rated poorly be the Straphangers Campaign in the future. It would likely be the and possibly the too, as the R46s will be the system's oldest cars once the R32s and R42s both are retired. This is exactly why I disagree with pretty much everything you two guys above are saying. Seriously speaking.

The can have crap real-life headways. I've taken the to Union Turnpike, and sometimes 2 more  's will arrive before a  finally shows up.