In April 2013 Martz Trailways began Curbside Express Bus Service to New York City. The fare for this bus service is $25 round-trip, which is a significant discount off of the normal round-trip price. Martz offers this service from both Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, though, at least for now, the buses only run on certain days of the week. The separate buses from Scranton and Wilkes-Barre each make several stops within their respective departure cities, beginning at 7:00 AM.

The benefits of this new service are:

• $25 round-trip fare (very cheap!)
• Express to NYC – no stops after Scranton or Wilkes-Barre

This new bus service is similar to the “Chinatown” bus service model that is prevalent in Manhattan. Buses pick-up and drop-off at the curb, instead of at a formal bus terminal, thereby saving money from the fees normally paid to the owner of the bus terminal. Normal midtown-New York bound Martz buses call at the Port Authority Bus Terminal at 40th Street and Eighth Avenue. But the new Martz Curbside Express Buses will both drop-off and pick-up in the vicinity of 48th Street and 6th Avenue. That location is convenient to Grand Central Terminal, Penn Station, and many subway lines.

NOTE: You MUST return on the same day, on the exact bus specified, to use the second half of your $25 round-trip ticket. The current schedule has the same-day return buses departing 48th Street and 6th Avenue at 7:00 PM.

For all the details on the new Martz Trailways Curbside Express Bus Service to New York City and to purchase e-tickets, please click on the following link:

https://express.martztrailways.com/

I was hoping that that one of the discount bus services, such as Megabus or Bolt Bus, would begin service to Scranton. That hasn’t happened yet, but this new Martz Trailways Curbside Express Bus Service is pretty much the next best thing and I applaud Martz Trailways for offering it.

Countdown Clock at Grand Central-42 St

This morning at the Grand Central-42 St station of the 42 St Shuttle, the Countdown Clock was displaying the fact that the next train to depart from Track 4 would do so in 21 minutes. There’s probably nothing technically wrong with that. The train on Track 4 only usually operates during peak times. It wasn’t yet in-service when I took this photo, and it very likely was going to go into service in 21 minutes. But the information is not terribly useful to riders. When it’s closer to departure time, say less than 5 minutes (basically one interval, more or less), then it probably makes sense to start displaying the information. If the doors are closed and the interior lights are turned off, most people will know that the train is not in service and to wait for a train on the track that is listed on the Countdown Clock.

Now, what appears to be the first Metrocard to feature both front and back side advertising has been released and is available for purchase. The new Metrocard features an advertisement for the clothing store GAP. The front side says “Be Bright NYC” and encourages visiting the newest flagship GAP store, which is located at 34th Street and Broadway. The back side of the Metrocard contains a coupon for 20% off your purchase at any GAP store between October 1, 2012 and November 18, 2012. The offer is not valid online.

Note: There is a URL on the back of the Metrocard that, as of early this afternoon (Thursday, October 4, 2012), does not seem to be working. The URL is: http://www.gap.us/gapheraldsq

Below is a scan of the front and back sides of this new Metrocard.

Here is a link to the entire album: Larry Green 1950′s Retrospect

Here are two thumbnails that directly link to those photos’ pages.

CNJ FM Trainmaster at Elizabeth

NYCTA work train at the Myrtle Av station of today’s J M Z lines

Representative Bob Turner riding the Capitol subway this month. -- Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times

More information about the United States Capitol subway system: Wikipedia, BelowThe Capital.org

And as a result of this incident, NYCT is reporting that the 1 train is suspended between Chambers St and South Ferry.

mta.info service alert for suspended (1)

Edit: as per NotifyNYC – Notification issued 2/16/12 at 11:10 AM. 1 train service has been restored between Chambers Street and South Ferry (MN). Expect residual delays and continued emergency service activity near the World Trade Center.

Photo 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59635146@N08/6478913999/

Photo 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59635146@N08/6479012469/

Photo 3: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59635146@N08/6523535499/

Annotated version of Photo 1: http://lists.railfan.net/erielackphoto.cgi?erielack-02-01-12/Overview_Jersey_City_NJ-annotated.jpg (courtesy of the Railfan.net Erie Lackawanna Email List Photo Archive)

Here are some photos of the shuttle bus loading area taken after we got back to Euclid.

Due to mechanical problems on the Harlem River Bridge, there is no  train service in both directions from the 215th Street Station to the 242nd Street-Van Cortlandt Park Station.

As an alternative, customers are advised to take Bx7 or Bx9 bus making nearby station stops.

Please allow additional travel time.

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This has been going on for almost an hour now. They keep sounding the horn as if the bridge is going to be lifted but then nothing happens. I saw a tug boat so it seems as if it may be trying to get under the bridge. Maybe the bridge broke?

And by the way, if the 1 train can’t cross the bridge, neither can the Bx7! And neither can people who take the Bx9 to 225th Street! When the bridge is in this state, trains, vehicles, and pedestrians are all prohibited from crossing the bridge! And Broadway is probably all backed up in both directions! So the suggested alternative is practically useless!