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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to launch the first non-stop service from Manhattan to the Hamptons this summer, reaching Westhampton Beach in 94 minutes, the agency says. The train will run Friday afternoons from Penn Station to Westhampton Beach.
Customers will travel to Suffolk County on board the Long Island Railroad’s sole named train, “The Cannonball.”
Previously, the double-decker Cannonball originated from Hunterspoint Station in Long Island City.
There will be a blood drive from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday in Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Wednesday.
MTA Metro-North Railroad and the New York Blood Center invite MTA employees, commuters and the public to donate blood.
Two women who have been saved by blood donations will be on hand to thank donors and share their stories from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Stacey Mason, 40, of Queens,N.Y., has sickle cell anemia and relies on blood transfusions three times a year.
Joanna Tierno, age 40 from Staten Island has a condition named hypogammaglobulineemia, which requires regular infusions of immune globulin (made from blood).
Although this is far outside our neck of the woods, far be it from me to not at least offer this information for people who might want to weigh in.
Basically the Connecticut DOT is looking for public input on the New Britain-Hartford Busway, which is also called CTfastrak. More details below.
(Newington, CT) — The Connecticut Department of Transportation today announced a series of open house meetings to seek public input to help refine the service plan of CTfastrak. During the open house events the public will be provided an overview of the project as well as the status of construction. These meetings are free and open to all members of the public.
During the planning stage, CTfastrak was known as the New Britain-Hartford Busway. The project includes 11 stations in New Britain, Newington, West Hartford and Hartford with buses running every three to six minutes during peak commuting hours.
When CTfastrak opens for operation, some bus routes in Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, Cheshire, Southington, Waterbury and Hartford will change and most will have much more frequent service.
The public is invited to come and share what is important to them and help design a transit system that will efficiently serve their travel needs. A draft service plan can be found at www.ctfastrak.com under “Program Details”.
For those who are unable to attend in person, comments on the service plan can also be made via e-mail to serviceplan@ctfastrak.com.
The Open House Meetings will be held at the following places and times:
Newington (evening) – Monday, March 4, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Newington Town Hall, 131 Cedar Street, Newington
West Hartford (evening) – Thursday, March 7, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford
Bristol (afternoon) – Monday, March 11, 2013
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Bristol Public Library, 5 High Street, Bristol
Central Connecticut State University (midday) – Tuesday, March 12, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
CCSU Student Center, Alumni Hall
1615 Stanley Street, New Britain
New Britain (evening) – Wednesday, March 13, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
CCSU Institute of Technology & Business Development
185 Main Street, New Britain
Hartford (midday) – Tuesday, March 19, 2013
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford
Hartford (evening) – Tuesday, March 19, 2013
5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford
Individuals requesting language assistance or accommodations due to a disability should contact the Connecticut Department of Transportation communications office at (860) 594-3061. For consideration, requests should be submitted five working days prior to the event. The department will make every reasonable effort to provide assistance when possible.
The CT Metro-North Rail Commuter Council voted last week to back a number of pro-commuter proposals being mulled by the Connecticut General Assembly’s Transportation Committee.
Among the proposals being supported by the 14 member appointed watch dog group are:
Senate Bill 469, which calls for the inclusion of a Connecticut representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s board.
Senate Bill 472 which would expand funding for an expansion of parking at commuter rail stations.
House Bill 5301, House Bill 5128, House Bill 5122, and Senate Bill 627, four proposals that would statutorily prevent the state from diverting earmarked revenue for road, railway and other transit needs out of the Special Transportation Fund for general government uses.
House Bill 5449 which would expand the scope of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council to include riders on the New Haven Springfield Line which is projected to start service in 2016.
The group is encouraging constituents and riders with opinions on the bills to submit their testimony to
To submit testimony on any of these bills by e-mail, to Kess Quinn at Quinn.kess@cga.ct.gov or to the council at CTRailCommuterCouncil@gmail.com.
“We encourage commuters to contact their State Representative and State Senator and ask them to support these bills,” said Cameron.
The Connecticut Commuter Rail Council members are Metro-North and Shore Line East commuters who serve as advocates for fellow riders on service and other issues connected to Metro-North rail service. The body meets monthly throughout the year with Metro-North and Connecticut Department of Transportation officials in public to air concerns and appears before state and regional boards and commissions to advance the cause of affordable and reliable rail service.
For more information visit the Council’s Web-site, here.
The Department of Motor Vehicles’ has cancelled road skills testing at all offices Wednesday, February 13, as a safety precaution due to snow piles that can create hazards for pedestrians and blind spots for motorists at intersections. Road tests are expected to resume Thursday, February 14.
“We are doing this as a safety precaution so towns have more time to clear hazards on the streets and remove snow,” said DMV Commissioner Melody A. Currey. “All motorists traveling on the roads need to be careful of these problems created by piles of snow. We don’t want to endanger those taking the test, those on the road and our employees.”
Customers can reschedule road test appointments by calling the DMV Phone Center, when offices reopen Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. The numbers are 860-263-5700 (within Hartford area or outside of Connecticut) and 800-842-8222 (elsewhere in Connecticut). Any customers who need to reschedule an appointment at the DMV Cheshire office for a learner’s permit test, which were cancelled last week, can also call the phone center.
For information regarding DMV operations, please visit ct.gov<http://ct.gov/dmv>/<http://ct.gov/dmv>dmv Through the website and phone center, customers can find specific information 24 hours a day on a non-driver identification, change of address and change of name. In addition, they have details regarding vehicle tax questions, records information, forms, emissions, inspections, operator’s licenses, titles and registrations and directions to DMV branch offices and photo license centers. They also supply details on boating registrations, commercial vehicle safety, and instructions on how to file a complaint against a dealer or repairer.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced at his noon press conference a limited restoration to start Wednesday afternoon of Harlem line service on Metro-North Railroad, but still no word on when the the New Haven and Hudson lines will be back in action.
Beginning with the 2:06p.m. train from North White Plains, trains will run hourly to Grand Central Terminal. The last train will depart North White Plains at 1:11 a.m.
Northbound trains will run every hour until 1:56 a.m.
Riders will be charged off peak fares.
Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line service will remain suspended for a third day Wednesday as crews continue to try to repair damage from flooding to tracks, remove fallen trees, and repair damage to overhead catenary wire, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Metro-North officials did not offer an estimate for when full or partial service would be restored on the railroad’s New Haven, Hudson, and Harlem lines.
Following Tropical Storm Irene last August, Metro-North suspended regular weekday service for four days to conduct repairs.
CTTransit plans to resume full local and express bus service on Wednesday, Oct. 31, in Stamford and the other seven transit districts in the state.
CTTransit service in Stamford and New Haven districts remained suspended throughout Tuesday due to street flooding, road conditions, and detours caused by downed lines.
Specific information about damage and repair efforts to the 70 mile New Haven line was not available Tuesday.
Even before the full force of Hurricane Sandy hit Monday night, Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders said power had been lost on the New Canaan branch, and falling trees had knocked down wires in Darien.
New Canaan Branch Track Maintenance will force off peak busing beginning Monday Sept. 10 through Friday October 5 as crews replace ties on part of the 8 mile branch.
The daytime off peak period is defined as from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
In those three weeks, workers will replace 5,800 wooden ties as part of Metro-North’s cyclical maintenance program on the branch which replaces a portion of ties on the line every seven years.
Crews will replace about 300 ties per day, cutting the old ties out and sliding in new ones with fastener plates.
Buses will be provided beginning with the 9:07 a.m. train from Stamford and and will continue through the 3:28 p.m. train from New Canaan.
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