Since the MTA is working on finder another developer to transform its 26 acres of Midtown Manhattan rail yards after its talks with Tishman Speyer collapse, it's only natural officials are trying to put on a happy face. NY1 notes that MTA executive director Lee Sander's positive spin is, "We're hopeful that we can put the deal back together. You never know till it's done, as we found out with Tishman. But we are optimistic."......

Sorry, Mayor Bloomberg, even your wheeling-dealing couldn't stop this: The MTA's deal with Tishman Speyer to develop the West Side rail yards is dead. Here's the statement:The MTA met today with Tishman Speyer. Despite the best efforts of both sides, a final agreement could not be reached. The MTA has now re-entered discussions with other interested developers and remains committed to timely development of these unique and valuable parcels of land on Manhattan's Far......

Photograph by streetstars on Flickr With the deal to develop the West Side rail yards on the ropes, Senator Chuck Schumer said that Mayor Bloomberg's plan for the West Side is the "goofiest thing I've ever seen." According to the Sun, Schumer was specifically referring to "the Bloomberg administration’s decision to include a mid-block boulevard," claiming that it was sapping funds from the much-needed 7 line extension. Mayor Bloomberg zinged back, "New York City......

Today, the fate of the West Side Rail Yards may be left in (near) limbo once again after the MTA meets with developer Tishman Speyer. The MTA has announced on Thursday night that the deal with Tishman had basically collapsed (Tishman was asking for things the MTA deemed unacceptable). However on Friday, Mayor Bloomberg voiced hope the two sides could work things out and a Monday meeting was arranged. MTA had selected Tishman's $1.004......

Mayor Bloomberg tried to rally hopes for a happy ending to the saga of the West Side rail yards by telling reporters, "The plan isn’t dead by any means. Hudson Yards is the most exciting opportunity New York has.” On Thursday night, the MTA issued a statement saying that negotiations wit developer Tishman Speyer had "reached an impasse" and that Tishman "no longer" had "development rights" to the 26 acres a few blocks west......

Photograph by Sacha Lecca, which Gothamist published in 2006. Today it’s on the cover of amNY. Flooding. Crowding. Filth. These are just a few of the “ten plagues” being visited daily upon New York commuters, according to transit activists at the Straphangers Campaign. Unlike the ten plagues that cursed the commute of ancient Egyptians, New Yorkers have – so far – been spared swarms of locusts on the L; though bed bugs have been......

This evening, the MTA released a press release signaling that the plan to turn the West Side Rail Yards into Hudson Yards won't be happening any time soon. Apparently, developer Tishman Speyer, which won the bidding with a $1.004 billion proposal, got too grabby. At least, that's what the MTA"s statement seems to suggest:Late this afternoon, negotiations between the MTA and Tishman Speyer over the development of the Rail Yards on Manhattan's Far West......

The long-neglected F train station at 4th Avenue and 9th Street in Brooklyn will be refurbished starting in the fall, according to amNY. Built in 1933, the Art Deco station is on the National Register of Historic places, and the north end of the platform offers an impressive view of the Statue of Liberty. But the station has been falling further into disrepair for years; plywood hides the most neglected attribute, an arched bank of......

The MTA's Poetry in Motion program, which features bits of poetry on the "Subtalk" posters in subway cars, has expanded its offerings to include quotes from history, philosophy, literature, and science. The Train of Thought first selections are quotes from Galileo, explaining the role of math in science and E.B. White, from his wonderful book Here is New York. Columbia University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is in charge of choosing the extracts,......

Starting today, teams of six NYPD officers will be patrolling the subway system in 12 hour shifts to thwart would-be terrorists. You’ll be able to easily identify the squads – called “Torch Teams” – by their rifles, MP5 submachine guns, handguns, body armor and bomb-sniffing dogs. The program is being paid for with $151 million from taxpayers nationwide, allocated through D.C. The Torch Teams will function like the similarly equipped NYPD “Hercules Teams” (pictured) above......

When Tishman Speyer's bid was selected as the winner in the West Side Rail Yards development derby, politicians were relieved but the NY Times' architecture critic was upset. Nicolai Ouroussoff wrote the design "lacks even the pretense of architectural ambition" and called it a "wishful fantasy" and "a damning indictment of large-scale development in New York." In today's NY Times Arts & Leisure section, Ouroussoff takes on "big-time development" and how renderings are so......

The MTA will observe Earth Day (April 22nd) by stocking MetroCard vending machines with five million limited-edition green MetroCards. The cards aren’t “green” in the eco-friendly sense – they’re still not made from recycled material – they’re just, you know, green colored. So they’ve got that going for them. Oh, and some environmental factoids will be printed on the back. Governor David Paterson joined MTA officials at Grand Central Terminal yesterday morning for a......

A new website, Subway Crush, could mark the end of romantic quests like the one undertaken by Patrick Moberg last fall, when he created a website to find a cute girl he spotted on the subway. His efforts won him international fame, book and movie offers, and, yes, a date with the young lady. Oh, and plenty of derision. In the Subway Crush dating scene, no such creativity is required. The site basically takes......

What's another delay of 12 to 18 months for the Fulton Street Transit Center? The proposed hub, which would link 11 different subway lines and has been in the works for years, was originally supposed to open this year, but costs for the hub have escalated, from the initially planned $750 million to well over a $1 billion. The MTA's president of capital construction Veronique Hakim claimed the MTA was making progress (well, they......

Some funny new details emerged yesterday in the trial of the retired cop infamous for aggressively silencing noisy passengers on the Long Island Railroad. John Clifford stood accused of assaulting a woman whose hand he twice slapped in March 2007 after she tried to intervene in his scolding of cell-phone talker Nicholas Bender. And if Jerry Seinfeld is looking for material for his new TV series, he’s got all the fodder he needs in yesterday's......

Untitled photo of rodeo clown, by Zodak at flickr According to WNBC's Jonathan Dienst, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly wrote a letter to the MTA, MSG, Amtrak, and Vornado Realty expressing his dismay over the lack of Penn Station security. Three years after funding had been secured for the construction of a legitimately effective security barrier to protect Penn Station from a truck bomb attack, Kelly says little has been done to implement any plans.......

Photographs by Alex Nathanson on Indymedia Over the weekend, on a select group of subway lines, a group of subway stewardesses tried to introduce straphangers a more civilized commute. Four performers from Boring Inc. became "MTA Service Specialists" wheeled trolleys of snacks, tissues and more into stations and onto trains. According to their website, the MTA Service Specialists believe "If you need something, you say something." And Kae Burke, who organized the project, told......

Long Island Rail Road etiquette enforcer John Clifford – famous for his crusade against rude behavior during his morning commute – was in court yesterday to face charges stemming from a train altercation in March 2007. The retired cop-turned-lawyer stands accused of, among other things, slapping a woman who dared intervene while Clifford berated another passenger for talking loudly on his cell phone. Clifford’s been arrested or ticketed eight times for similar incidents, such as......

She may have just spent a vacation in Antigua with Paul McCartney, but MTA board member Nancy Shevell does need to make sure she looks good. Perhaps that's why she parked her SUV in a commercial loading zone while visiting a salon. The Post reports Shevell's "special MTA police placard plastered to her dashboard that allows her - and the rest of the agency's board members - to park their vehicles in no-parking, loading, and......

A bus driver was treated for wounds to her hand after an irate rider attacked her yesterday afternoon. The female driver of a Q11 bus had picked up a man at 165 Avenue and 104th Street in Queens. According to the Daily News, the man "apparently boarded the wrong bus, demanded she go off course." The driver stayed on route, so the guy slashed her and ran away; police have not found him. Relations between......

Photograph of subway service changes by jschumacher on Flickr Perhaps because the MTA signs trying explain weekend subway service diversions are confusing--like this weekend F service sign--the MTA has put up some maps to try to explain changes, too. For instance, here's a map explaining service updates for the 2 and 5 lines. While the 2 usually goes up the West Side and the 5 the East Side, the uptown 5 is running on......

If you were planning on taking the F train anywhere this weekend, better put on your reading glasses -- Gowanus Lounge spotted commuters stalled in front of the following sign. The 9-year-old should attempt this for his next subway challenge: Transfers and shuttles and buses, oh my. Read the MTA advisory here, or just slide on those walking shoes and stay above ground.......

Re-enactment of pole-hogging behavior During the lively debate spurred by our man-sitting post yesterday, quite a few readers complained about pole hoggers/ pole leaners. So, we bring you another logo, designed by Catherine Weaver. Sometimes pole obstructing straphangers get into fights, sometimes subway poles are used for dancing. Here's one approach to turning pole huggers into holders.......

Photograph from the a Close Your Damn Legs on the Subway So I Can Sit Down Already!!! Facebook Group; logo, below, by Catherine Weaver The NYC Transit's Rules of Subway/Bus Conduct note that it is a violation to:Place one's foot on the seat of a subway, bus, or platform bench; occupy more than one seat or place bags on an empty seat when doing so would interfere with transit operations or the comfort of......

Photo via Minicloud's Flickr. As mentioned late last year, Flux Factory (LIC's beloved art space) is being forced out of their home under eminent domain to make way for the MTA's $6.3 billion East Side Access project. They report on their (hopefully temporary) end online:Now it must all be destroyed. Our entire block will be razed by the pitiless bulldozers of the MTA. Everything Must Go. Alas, such is the fate of all terrestrial......

Gov. Paterson is proposing cutting $60 million from the MTA's $10 billion operating budget. That's less than 1%, but further decreases in real estate revenues could make an even larger dent in the budget. According to the New York Post, real estate revenues were off $31 million this month, which could add up to hundreds of millions of dollars annually. The effect on riders will not make many happy: possible service cuts and another fare......

Coming up on April 29th is the latest Grand Theft Auto extravaganza. The game wreaks havoc on Liberty City, which is essentially a not-quite-gentrified New York City (though it takes place in the current year). The latest leak from the anticipated game is a city map (we spy Roosevelt Island) and a map of the subway system, which has everyone opining. How does the Rockstar Games version of our 722-mile, 468-station subway system with 22......

The MTA finally selected developer Tishman Speyer to transform the West Side rail yards, between 10th and 12th Avenues between 30th and 33rd Streets, into a 26-acre commercial and residential hub. MTA Chairman H. Dale Hemmerdinger said Tishman's $1.004 billion bid is "more money than anyone expected...It is an extraordinary deal." The MTA believes the deal will help with a $700 million budget deficit. The runner-up bid, from Durst-Vornado, (there were a total of......

Photo of a snowy 7 line by gmpicket on flickr If you actually believed the recent fare hike would go toward service improvements on city subways and buses, the MTA has a bridge to sell you. Due to a slowdown in real estate tax revenues, the agency said yesterday that it would have to postpone any planned service improvements promised to come with the fare hike. Despite already projecting a decrease in tax revenue,......

Proposed Hudson yards renderings: Tishman Speyer's at left, Durst-Vornado's at right In spite of rumors suggesting Tishman Speyer, the real estate developer behind Rockefeller Center and Stuyvesant Town, has the upper-hand, the MTA is still seriously considering the bid from joint bid from Durst-Vornado for the 26-acre Hudson Yards. The NY Times explains that while Tishman has the higher offer, the Durst-Vornado offer is only $30 million less. And the Durst-Vornado bid still brings......