MTA

Update: MTA Clarifies Position on Acceptance of Cash for MetroCards, Citing Employee Health Concerns

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In response to a recent story by the NY Daily News in which it was reported that the MTA had permanently ended cash transactions at subway booths, having temporarily implemented the measure amid the pandemic in efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus, a torrent of criticism was unleashed towards the MTA on social media, with many, including local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80), and recent candidate for Bronx borough president, blasting the decision, categorizing it as discriminatory.   “We are judged as a society by how we treat our most vulnerable,” the assemblywoman wrote. “This decision is discriminatory


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MTA Officers Arrest Three Motorists within 30 Minutes for Attempted Toll Evasion on RFK Bridge

By SÍLE MOLONEY
MTA Bridges and Tunnels announced that on Wednesday, June 9, bridge and tunnel officers successfully apprehended three motorists for allegedly using fraudulent license plates, in an attempt to evade paying the toll on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge.   The arrests were made in a 30-minute span, and began at approximately 9:30 a.m. Personnel utilized intelligence provided by Bridges and Tunnels staff and electronic license plate readers for the purpose of stopping persistent toll violators. According to the officers, the first motorist was found to have a fraudulent temporary New Jersey license plate.   Ten minutes later, at approximately 9:40


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Cuomo Announces Resumption of Metro-North-Penn Station Access Project

  Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday, May 13, the resumption of the Metro-North Penn Station access project, which had been paused by the COVID-19 pandemic and MTA funding uncertainty. According to government officials, the reopened process will select a firm to design and build four new Metro-North Railroad stations and make track upgrades in the Bronx.   The MTA had identified three consortia, qualified to bid for the project in February 2020, three weeks before COVID-19’s arrival in New York raised questions about funding the historic 2020-2024 capital program. Devastating financial losses and uncertainty related to the pandemic led


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MTA Will Resume 24 Hour Subway Service Beginning May 17

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday, May 3, that the MTA will resume 24-hour subway service in New York City beginning Monday, May 17.   In April, MTA New York City Transit officials announced 2,009,025 trips were recorded on the subway on April 8, the first time that more than two million trips were taken on the subway since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city.   The resumption of 24-hour service will coincide with the governor’s announcement lifting the 12 a.m. food and beverage service curfew for outdoor dining areas. “COVID-19 is on the decline in


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Neighborhood Notes on Citibike Roll Out, Affordable Housing Lottery, Vaccine Updates

Opening of Lehman College Vaccination Site On Tuesday, April 20, Lehman College, CUNY formally announced that it has partnered with the City to launch the Bronx’s newest COVID-19 vaccination hub, located at the college’s APEX Athletic Center at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West in the borough’s Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood, as reported by Norwood News.    The site is being run by SOMOS Community Care, and will serve up to 300 people a day with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The site is open to New Yorkers aged 16 or older, as well as to non-New York City residents aged 16 or older who


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Bedford Park: MTA Driver Assaulted on BX41

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the unidentified  man who is seen in the attached photo, and who is sought in connection with an assault that occurred in the 52nd precinct.   It was reported to police that on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 7.49 p.m., aboard a BX41 bus, at the intersection of East Bedford Park Boulevard and Webster Avenue in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx, the assailant approached the bus driver on-duty, a 51-year-old, male MTA employee, punched him in the shoulder and spit in his


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Update: Changes to Bronx D Line Subway Service in April Due to Manhattan Bridge Inspections

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced on Friday, March 26, that changes to the D line are planned in April due to inspection of the Manhattan Bridge by the New York State Department of Transportation, as well as track maintenance work by NYC Transit personnel. The works will require the complete closure of the tracks used by the B and D trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan, and changes to Bronx and Manhattan subway services over two weekends in April.   On the weekends of April 16-19, and April 23-26, beginning at 11:30 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Monday, D


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Update: Mass Vaccination Site Opens at Co-Op City

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A mass vaccination site opened on Thursday, March 4, at Bronx’s Co-Op City, the largest single residential development in the United States. The vaccination site is open to all eligible COVID-19 vaccination recipients, and reserved 200 vaccinations exclusively for residents on Thursday. The site will be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.   The site, which is run by the New York City Department of Health, will administer approximately 500 vaccines each day to start, and eventually 1,000 shots per day when the program is fully ramped up, with continued vaccinations reserved for Co-Op City residents.


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Bronx County Democratic Party Endorses State Sen. Brian Benjamin for NYC Comptroller

By SÍLE MOLONEY
State Sen. Brian Benjamin received the endorsement of the Bronx County Democratic Party on Thursday, Feb. 24, in his bid to win the seat for New York City comptroller. Representatives for the Party said it is committed to helping elect Democrats across the borough who will continue to fight for progress and for the residents of the community.   The Party’s representatives said the endorsement was based on Benjamin’s extensive experience handling investments, and his background in finance, a crucial skill, they said, for the job of city comptroller. Combined with his work as chair of the Budget and Revenue


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