5-Year Regional Transit Map of Planned Improvements, (large version) from Streetsblog The Regional Planning Association released a map of what service and capital improvements tri-state riders can expect, even in the absence of approval for a congestion pricing plan. NYC Transit riders have a lot to be unhappy about following a fare hike, followed by the announcement that promised service improvements were off the table, followed by the prospect of yet another fare hike......

There are some residual delays on Metro-North this morning after yesterday's East Harlem building collapse that led to the suspension of all service in and out of Grand Central. The trains' speed restrictions were lifted at 6:30 a.m. and there may be 5-10 delays. A crowd formed in Grand Central as commuters waited out the suspension or devised alternate routes to get home as the New Haven, Hudson and Harlem lines were all down. But......

Above images from WNBC 4, below right image from WCBS 2; bottom left image from Peter Haskell/WCBS 880 A building collapse at 124th Street and Park Avenue has prompted the MTA to shut down all train service in and out of Grand Central Terminal. Metro-North's Dan Brucker told WCBS 880, "We don't know how long the closure will last. We have been told by the police not to have any trains run through the......

A 37-year-old man ended his train trip atop a Metro-North car at the Pelham station, where he fell or was pulled from the train's roof, while on fire and suffering from burns after coming into contact with a high voltage power cable. Accounts of the incident differ, but do agree on the fact that the adventurer was named Eric Chavez, he suffered burns on his body, and that it was somewhat of a miracle that......

There's nothing like hearing that a man suspected of rapes in Dutchess County ran from police and took a Metro-North train headed to Grand Central Terminal. The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that on both November 28 and December 6, there were incidents of a home invasion and then rape in the village of Pawling, and Flaviano Quintero was being questioned about them. As Dutchess County investigators were speaking with him yesterday, Quintero then "jumped out a......

Metro-North has announced a partnership with Enterprise that will likely appeal to anyone who's been gouged by New York City rental car companies. The New York Sun reports that Enterprise will soon have rental cars at 23 Metro North stations in five upstate counties: Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, and Putnam. The program has the potential to encourage more budget-conscious New Yorkers to explore points north beyond the Metro North lines. It's not really much of......

Just weeks after the New York Post milked a week's worth of coverage out of a 26-year-old's nude romp in the middle of the afternoon through Times Square, the paper heads back to the bare-naked well with yet another mentally disturbed male who wanted to lap the Square sans clothing. 44-year-old Antonia Alicata caught a Metro North train down to the city Thursday and then rode the subway to Times Square. Somewhere along the way,......

Back in January of 2004, those two gentleman you see at the right - Jonny Kaps and Nat Hays - started +1 (a PR, Management, Digital and Special Events company). On their roster are bands such as Editors, Ambulance LTD, Stellastarr* and Two Gallants. Tonight they'll be celebrating their 3 year anniversary just down the street from their office, at Luna Lounge. The party is private, sure to have some special musical guests...and they want......

Today on the Gothamist News Map: A hazmat situation in Brooklyn, and a fire at Essex and Broome in Manhattan Unusual sighting on the Metro North: A 7' tall drag queen A magistrate judge recommends dismissing the lawsuit that is blocking Atlantic Yards construction, but a district judge will have the final say The suburbs totally suck the smart out of you: One guy bought a CPR dummy to be able to commute on......

You know the conversation, the one that starts with “I never go above 14th Street”? Seems that for all its pretentiousness it can serve as decent advice when hunting for quality eats. Sure, many inhabitants of the upper stratosphere of the NYC restaurant world call “uptown” home, but it sure seems easier to find a casual yet professional, enjoyable yet tasty, food experience downtown. Of course places that fit this bill inhabit “uptown” also, just......

A train commute without a buzz? The MTA may look into banning alcohol sales on LIRR and Metro-North trains. The NY Sun reports MTA board member Mitchell Pally as saying, "They can have as many beers as they want as soon as they get home. I would prefer we don't let anyone drink alcohol on the train. If we're not ready to go that far … the least we can do is not make it......

A Bronx teenager was fatally hit by a Metro North train yesterday afternoon. Sixteen year old LaToya Jimenez was on her way to a job in White Plains when she somehow lost her balance, possibly fainting, and fell from the platform. Witnesses described her as seeming disoriented and that she did get up but fell again. Others believe she had been leaning over the platform. Her father told reporters that she didn't have any medical......

This week, planning to go explore the 116th Street stop on the 6 train, we popped out of the subway on a chilly Saturday afternoon. After a few minutes walking around, scoping some West Indian shops, talking to locals and seeing the barren marketplace under the Metro North Viaduct above Park Avenue we decided to return there in the warmer months. We will probably wait till La Marqueta Internacional opens in the summer, all......

Could it be? One year after some talk that the MTA was considering bringing smart card technology to roost here, the MTA is actually going to pilot test smart cards. So that $44 million put towards testing isn't going to waste! The goal is to have a "seamless fare card" that would be able to work against the MTA's systems (the subways, buses, Metro North), the PATH, and NJ Transit (buses and trains). Gothamist would......

Yesterday, a commuter train in western Japan derailed and crashed into an apartment building, injuring 340 and killing 73. Investigators suspect that the train's speed was a cause, because the conductor was trying to make up for a delay, since the train was running 90 seconds late. The 23 year old conductor had missed an earlier stop, had to go back, and then proceed again; the driver has not been found yet. West Japan Railway......

Gothamist was glad that in the same Friday issue where Cynthia Nixon was on the cover (today, we saw a bag lady reading a crumpled version she retrieved from a trashcan; she was very very engrossed), the Daily News had time for some hard-hitting human interest stories. Like this story about an Upper West Side 18 month-old whose head was stuck on her potty. Little Katie Chang had been playing with a plastic potty (clean,......

Girlynyc, Panty Blogger...

Gothamist was thinking that this dog that made its way from Connecticut to Manhattan via the Metro North was our kind of dog, but as it turns out, everyone thinks so. The Post follows up its story of a 35 pound mutt, named Metro, by saying that the animal shelter where he was taken after his Christmas Eve trip has been inundated with calls. Metro, who was not wearing tags, reportedly was hanging around the......

A postscript about the cellphone in Metro North train toilet story appeared in the Times yesterday. You know what happened, a cellphone's owner decided to retreive his phone from the toilet, only to get his arm stuck and delay many commuters as firefighters needed to cut the toilet in half to get his arm out. Anyway, Metro North had contemplated charging Edwin Gallart the cost of the toilet ($3,000), but has ultimately decided against it.......

Gothamist would love to head up to the Bronx to check out the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. Models of various New York landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty, Apollo Theater, and Brooklyn Bridge are made from flora (leaves, twigs, berries, pinecones, seeds, etc.), with trains and trolleys running throughout the Conservatory. It might be a great way to enjoy Christmas in New York without being in Midtown. Look at photos of......

Brother. Metro North riders seem like an annoying lot. First, there was the guy who dropped his cellphone into a train toilet and proceeded to get his arm stuck. Now a man who fell asleep on a MN train is suing the MTA. The Daily News reports that commuter Joel Binn fell asleep on the 9PM to Scarsdale, waking up at 11PM in a deserted train, at the North White Plains yard. He waited for......

The appeals courts unanimously allowed the MTA's various fare and toll hikes to stand, overturning two lower courts' decisions. The main points, from NY1: - City subway and bus fares are $2 - Higher ticket prices on Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road - Higher tolls on the MTA�s nine bridges and tunnels - Also, the MTA can close 62 token booths - While the MTA may not have been as forthright with......