AMNY Subway Tracker

New York City Transit is again asking riders to grade their subway lines, starting with the No. 7 train.

This is the first year transit officials, and of course straphangers, will be able to see what if any improvements occurred. A new general manager program on the No. 7 and L trains is on the line when the results of the report cards are tallied.

General managers were appointed last year to both subway lines in hopes of addressing rider gripes on the last report cards. Last year, the 7 received a C-minus.

Pick up cards for the No. 7 line between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. today through Friday at the following stations:

--Today: Times Square/42nd Street
--Wednesday: 5th Avenue, Grand Central/42nd Street, Vernon Blvd./Jackson Avenue and Hunters Point Avenue
--Thursday: 45th Road/Courthouse Square, Queensboro Plaza, 33/Rawson Streets, 40/Lowery Streets, 46/Bliss Streets, 52 Street, Woodside/61 Street and 69 Street
--Friday: 74th Street/Broadway, 82 Street/Jackson Heights, 90 Street/Elmhurst Avenue, Junction Blvd., 103 Street/Corona Plaza, 111 Street, Willets Point/Shea Stadium and Flushing/Main Street

7 line riders also can access the report card on-line sometime soon.

The commute to Manhattan becomes easier this weekend for No. 7 train riders between Woodside and Queensboro Plaza.
Trains will make all stops from Woodside-61st Street into Manhattan for the next two weekends. During a complete shut down of 7 service between Flushing and Jackson Heights last weekend, repair work also halted Manhattan-bound trains at stations between Woodside and Queensboro Plaza.
Service between Woodside-61st Street and Flushing-Main Street will remain disrupted for the next four weeks. For more information, check www.mta.info.

No. 7 line riders were dealt another blow yesterday after signal problems knocked out service from Hunters Point Avenue in Queens through Times Square for almost 30 minutes during the morning rush, transit said.
The service disruption lasted until 8:30 a.m., but five to 10 minute delays continued until 12:30 p.m. as New York City Transit fixed the signal. Last week, officials canceled express service for almost two months to fix signals and tracks on the line.
All weekday trains will run local until the end of February and weekend service is cut from Flushing to Jackson Heights for up to five weekends.

Snow did not blanket the city this morning, keeping the commute smooth except for a few bumps.
Trains did not experience any weather-related delays, but mechanical problems slowed lines in Queens during the early part of the morning commute. Switch problems at the 36th Street station in Queens forced E and F trains to run local from Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue to as far as 47th-50th Street/Rockefeller Center Manhattan until about 7:30 a.m.
“It kept stopping between stations,” said Mariana Nika, 22, a Kew Gardens E rider who was running 15 minutes late to her work in Midtown. “But it’s usually like that—maybe it’s just the time I come in.”
A No. 7 train with mechanical problems also held up the commute from Queens to Times Square for about 15 minutes until just after 7 a.m. But riders on that line had other problems to worry about today. Scheduled signal and track upgrades knocked out weekday express until the end of February.
“I hate the 7 train,” said Rosanne Castis, a Flushing resident headed to work in Midtown. “Other than the construction making it local … it wasn’t that bad.”
Many Queens commuters were happy snow storms didn’t add to a commute they expected to be affected by the 7 train work.
“I thought that it would be overcrowded, but it wasn’t,” Roger Rivera said of the E train. “I probably would have left early if it had snowed.”
--with Newsday

No. 7 line commuters have a longer ride ahead of them Friday morning. Transit officials are suspending weekday express service for seven weeks, starting Friday, as work crews repair tracks and signals on the Manhattan to Flushing line. Weekend service in Queens between the Flushing-Main Street and Woodside-61st Street stations is suspended for up to five weeks starting this weekend. For more information, check www.mta.info.

Commutes were snarled on four Queens subway lines today after signal problems knocked out and rerouted service, a Transit spokeswoman said.
V train and No. 7 express service has been out since 6:40 a.m. in both directions. New York City Transit stopped V trains and rerouted the E line to fix a switch problem on both lines around Queens plaza.
The emergency work, train delays on the E, F, and 7 lines and the V outage are expected to continue until 3 p.m.
No. 7 express trains were rerouted to boost local service to pick up passengers. The E line was rerouted onto F line tracks from West 4th Street in Manhattan to the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue Station in Queens.
Transit is asking straphangers to take the C train from West 4th Street to 50th Street in Manhattan and take 7 local and R service in Manhattan and Queens.

Some note what the new sign doesn't also say: 41st and 10th. (AP)

Voices from Hell's Kitchen, as found in our story on the No. 7 train "ceremonial groundbreaking." Some are pushing for a station at 41st Street and 10th Avenue, in addition to the planned one at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, at the Hudson Yards.

"More businesses would open up with adequate transportation," said James Matthews, manager of Starwich, a sandwich shop near 42nd Street and 10th Avenue. "People don't venture over here unless they're going to a specific spot or if they live here."

But some wouldn't mind better transportation, so long as it didn't involve building the Hudson Yards. Says John Fisher, president of the Clinton Special District Coalition, which represents some residents in the area:

"It's not that we're against good transportation," he said. "If they could have a subway without this impact then I'd be all for it."

The city, while not committing to building a shell of a station for possible future construction, insists that portion of Hell's Kitchen is developing just fine without the added benefit of a new station.

Stay tuned ...

Beautiful mural (and appropriate for the construction work that awaits) in Times Square station from @l+q's stream.

Groundbreaking for the No. 7 extension is set for Monday morning. Coverage here and at amNY.com.

It takes place at 11 a.m. at the Times Square station, concourse between shuttle and 1,2,3 trains.

(via flickr's The_WB)

The No. 7 train’s “Mets Express” will likely return next season, zipping fans from Shea Stadium after weeknight games, and possibly on weekends as well, transit officials said Thursday.
“About 70 or 80 percent of the customers chose the express [after night games], and so the odds are that experiment will continue,” said transit senior director Larry Gould.
Gould said post-game weekend express service, which was not offered last season, is also possible. He offered the promising statements Thursday at a transportation committee hearing on how the MTA responds to events that significantly impact transit.
The agency added weeknight post-game express trains to the roster in July, capitalizing on an 18 percent jump in Mets fan ridership this year. Two months earlier, amNewYork ran a cover story describing fans’ unhappiness with the lack of express service. At the time, the MTA said technical limitations impeded express service.
The agency Thursday said would not give a start date for the service’s possible return, and said that game attendance would be a factor.
Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing), head of the transportation committee, asked for No. 7 express trains after U.S. Open matches. Gould said he’d look into the option, but said local service is already ramped up during such times. Adding express trains could prove difficult, he said, because several matches end at different times of day.
“I would just encourage you to take a look at the Mets experience,” Liu said. “It’s not that difficult to make the leap to the U.S. Open matches.”

The troublesome No. 7 line resumed limited service Wednesday afternoon after being shut down by a power outage that knocked out the line's signals.

Service is currently being provided between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza.

In addition, limited shuttle bus service is available between Flushing - Main Street and 74th Street - Broadway in Queens where customers can transfer to the E, F, R or V for service into Manhattan. Riders can also take the R line to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Avenue.

The LIRR says that it will honor MetroCards on Port Washington Branch trains.

More details, and a quote from a rider afraid for his job, here: http://www.amny.com/news/local/transportation/am-7line1010,0,246335.story.

The No. 7 line is not moving in either direction after a power outage knocked out the line’s signals.
No trains have moved since 1:35 p.m. while New York City Transit workers attempt to figure out what knocked out the power. Officials could not say when power and train service would be restored. Transit officials said all trains were able to roll into stations and unload passengers.
From the MTA:
Limited Shuttle Bus service is available between Flushing - Main Street and 74th Street - Broadway where customers can transfer to the E, F, R or V for service into Manhattan.
In addition, customers are advised to take the Q32 from 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, running along Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, making nearby station stops between Grand Central-42nd Street and 82nd Street-Jackson Heights.
For additional stops, customers can use the Q23, Q48, Q66 or Q72 bus service.
UPDATE: It's back...The No. 7 line is running local from Times Square to Flushing, both ways, with residual delays. A feeder cable in Queens that powers the signals was the culprit of the outage.

Second Avenue Sagas blog points out that New York City Transit has rolled out light displays next to signs on the 7 line train cars, noting whether they are local or express.

After New York City Transit finished collecting rider report cards for the No. 7 line, and just beginning doling out cards for the L line, Transit opened up grading for all lines on the MTA Web site. Straphangers are invited to grade their line in English, Spanish, Chinese or a selection of 10 other languages. Transit has only officially opened two lines for grading--one is now closed--but they'll hold your vote on the other 20 until voting for those lines begins.

--Marlene Naanes

A legislator lauded a heroic straphanger today after he helped an elderly woman who fell onto train tracks earlier this week. The woman fell onto No. 7 line tracks Tuesday morning at the Main Street/Roosevelt Avenue subway station in Flushing. Li Hang Yuan, 44, jumped into action and onto the tracks to help the woman to safety. After the kind act, Yuan hopped on the next train to work. Other bystanders also helped Yuan, but Assembly member Ellen Young's office hasn't identified them. Yuan first came forward, seeking Young's help not seeking her recognition. He thought he lost his passport and other belongings during the rescue, but it turns out he just misplaced the items. The woman he helped is recovering from the fall and in stable condition, Young’s office says.

--Marlene Naanes

The MTA proposed a fare hike today with a side of extra train service.
Some of the most congested and late trains in the system will be supercharged in the 2008 budget. Additional evening service will be added to the No. 4, 5 and 6 lines. Transit will also boost L line’s rush hour, weekday off-peak and weekend service.
The No. 7 will increase weekend service on top of recently-added express service after Mets games.
Even a train that recently scored high marks with advocacy group the Straphangers Campaign will see an overhaul. Riders on the No. 1 line will enjoy additional evening and weekend service.
In the proposed budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will fund additional service in all of its agencies with $30 million in 2008 and $60 million afterward.

amNewYork made an issue out of the lack of Shea express service with a May 3 cover story. Here's the story from that edition.

Zip home on the 7 train after the game. For the first time ever, fans can hop on express trains headed out of Shea. More to come...

--Marlene Naanes

Here's your chance. Tell New York City Transit how you really feel in 14 different languages. The MTA launched an on-line rider report card that rate the No. 7 line. Folks also are passing out the paper version at train stops this week.

--Marlene Naanes

(via the MTA)

Straphangers who ride the No. 7 line will be the first to grade Transit on how well the line is run. Transit staffers will pass out report cards, asking for grades. It's on a school grade scale, A for excellent through F for unsatisfactory. The Rider Report Card will ask riders to grade the No. 7 line in 21 areas, including car and station cleanliness, safety, security, quality of announcements and courtesy and helpfulness of customer service staff. Riders can also rank the top three improvements they want made to the line. Riders will have to mail in (for free) the report card. Starting Tuesday, riders can also complete the survey on-line in their choice of 13 languages. Results from the report card will be posted on-line once Transit compiles them.

The first report cards will be doled out from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on:
July 10 at stations between Main Street/Flushing and 90th Street/Elmhurst Avenue.
July 11 at stations between 82nd Street/Jackson Heights and 33rd Street/Rawson Street.
July 12 at stations between Queensboro Plaza to Times Square/42nd Street.

Other lines and busses also will eventually have a report card. For now, riders can grade the cleanliness of their subway stations on another blog.

--Marlene Naanes

Maurize at New York News Network looks at what the new Willets Point stop along the No. 7 will be named. That stop, of course, serves Shea Stadium and will also serve Citi Field, the new Mets ballpark.

He reports:

Citigroup and the Mets seemingly have a Velcro branding relationship, but it is not clear whether the MTA will accept a name change to “Willets Point-Citi Field.”

So far they are not saying. MTA spokeswoman Mercedes Padilla told New York News Network that “We haven't made any decision” on a name change for the train station.

In response to an inquiry, a Mets spokesperson said, “The Mets are in continuing dialogue with the MTA on a variety of topics at this time primarily focused on enhanced and expanded service on the 7 Subway and LIRR. The name of the station will not change for 2007 or 2008.”

But what about in 2009, when Citi Field is supposed to be completed?

- Chuck Bennett

A subchat poster described a conductor opening a No. 7 train on the wrong side yesterday.

We were waiting for the Flushing-bound express at Junction Blvd. last evening. It pulled it around 8:30, but the conductor opened the doors on the Manhattan-bound platform instead. When the doors closed the train pulled out, and we never got to board. Worse, the dozens of passengers who expected to change for the local across the platform instead had to go downstairs to the mezzanine and then come upstairs to the Flushing-bound platform.

At least there was a platform there.

-- Chuck Bennett

John Dunleavy, chairman of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, left a message saying he’s “delighted” No. 7 train service will be restored on March 17.

“We have thousands and thousands of people come in from Long Island and park their cars at Shea Stadium and take the No. 7 in,” he said. “It’s a tremendous benefit for everybody and we want to thank all the people involved for getting it done.”

But, constant MTA critic, John Liu, the Queens councilman with (limited) oversight of the agency, was still suspicious.

“The St. Patrick's Day change now raises questions about whether the schedule of weekend shutdowns were planned from the outset to be as compact as possible,” he wrote in a March 1 letter to MTA boss Lee Sander.

Read Liu’s letter after the jump.

-- Chuck Bennett

Councilman Eric Gioia called to say that the MTA told him No. 7 service will be restored on March 17 and 18th for the St. Patrick's Day weekend.

"This new MTA leadership is much more responsive and I'm pleasantly surprised and grateful that they heard the people of Queens and acted so quickly."

But, Gioia himself won't be riding the No. 7 train to the parade. Instead, he'll be marching in Dublin. He said he was invited by the Dublin mayor to represent the heavily Irish neighborhood of Woodside.

-- Chuck Bennett

Photo by Reza Mazaheri via Flickr

Lee Sander today elaborated on how the MTA will approach “general orders” aka track and other construction on the subway that disrupts service. This all came about over some genuine anger over the all the weekend work on the No. 7 train.

He said in the future these Gee-Ohs will be reviewed three months in advance by both his office and the public. He is considering giving notice to community boards or borough presidents at the same time and even have town hall style meetings.

“We look forward to having interaction with the community [that is] interactive, not just us coming to the community to tell them our plans. If you do that far out, the community, often, or can have suggestions that we may not have thought of,” he said.

See the plan so far after the jump

-- Chuck Bennett

Photo by Skyco via Flickr

The drab MTA board room has been spiced up with posters and replicas from the Arts for Transit program – this, apparently, is courtesy of the new MTA chief Lee Sander.

But, Sander didn’t make an appearance today and it was business as usual.

Mysore Nagaraja, president of MTA Capital Construction (the brains behind all the mega-projects), said at this point in time there is no evidence there will be cost overruns on the $2.1 billion expansion of the No. 7 train west.

He said he will known in June or July when then the bids from contractors are in.

“Over the next six months we’ll find out what the price tag will be,” he said.

Either way, he confirmed, that the 42nd St. and Tenth Ave station is definitely out of the picture for the time being.

“The scope of the project doesn’t include the Tenth Avenue station,” he said.

Meanwhile, talks between the MTA and City Hall are continuing. Nancy Shevell-Blakeman, chairwoman of the capital construction committee, likened the talks to a “poker game.”

But, the whole debate over who pays for the cost overruns isn’t slowing the project down for now. Today, the MTA awarded a $35.8 million contract to Hill J/V, a consortium of companies including Hill International, LiRo Engineers, Lemley International and Daniel Frankfurt P.C, to serve as Consultant Construction Management team. The rate works out to $101. 08 cents an hour per consultant.

Hill/J.V. beat out Lee Sander’s old firm DMJM Harris. DMJM in a joint venture with URS bid of $40.4 million.

MTA officials said this is the first time a bid like this had come under the expected amount in recent memory.

Separately, design completion for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which was supposed to be finished this month, got pushed back until March.

Finally, actual construction on the Second Avenue is still slated to start next month.

-- Chuck Bennett

Next week, the MTA board meets for its committee and general meetings. There's a pretty good chance that the whole debate over who pays for the No. 7 extension cost overruns will come up.

A reader pointed out comments Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff made to the NY Times in a March 19, 2004 article.

''The state and the M.T.A. are not financing the 7 line,'' Mr. Doctoroff said, playing down any suggestion that the city was at odds with the state. ''As we said all along, we didn't want to engage in a debate over competing transportation priorities. The West Side is unique in that the investment in infrastructure, most notably the extension of the No. 7 line, can be paid out of new tax revenues generated in the area. Those revenues wouldn't exist but for the investment in the infrastructure.''

...

Peter S. Kalikow, chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the agency that oversees the subways, has long said that Mr. Doctoroff's No. 7 line extension was a nice project, but vowed that its financing would not come out of his agency's capital budget. More recently, the agency refused a city suggestion to move $600 million earmarked for the now-defunct La Guardia air-train project to the 7 line extension.

Of course, now, Doctoroff says a "deal is a deal" and the MTA is responsible for as much as $1 billion in cost overruns.

-- Chuck Bennett

As if No. 7 riders aren’t dealing with enough, now they have 10 to 15 minute delays.

Due to emergency track work at various locations on the 7 line, there are delays of 10-15 minutes in both directions at this time.

Charles Seaton, a NYCT spokesman, said there is no emergency, it’s just regular work and should be cleared up for the morning rush.

And so far, still no change for the weekend closures.

-- Chuck Bennett

Councilman Eric Gioia and others will be protesting the construction work on the No. 7 train this Saturday.

"Put simply, when the #7 train is not running, the people of Queens suffer. By shutting the train down for such an extended period of time, the MTA is literally erecting a barrier for the hundreds of thousands of people who are trying to get to work, visit with friends and family, buy groceries, or visit a restaurant or museum. This is unacceptable. " -- from a draft of a letter to Lee Sander.

Basically, the MTA is damned if they do and damned if they don't Elected officials constantly demand that the system be upgraded, but to upgrade the system it needs to be shut down.

-- Chuck Bennett

"Since it costs a lot to win, and even more to lose,
You and me bound to spend some time wondrin what to choose.
Goes to show, you dont ever know,
Watch each card you play and play it slow,
Wait until that deal come round,
Dont you let that deal go down, no, no.

-- Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter

So, Lee Sander and Dan Doctoroff are at loggerheads over the No. 7 extension. Sander says he's not going to start awaring contracts for the project until somebody (City Hall) agrees to the cost overruns. But, Doctoroff shot back through a spokesman: "A deal is a deal."

A big worry is the No. 7 cost overrruns -- which could reach $1 billion -- would drain money from other capital projects, especially the Second Ave. subway and East Side Access.

Sander also worried about who will pay for the extra trains that will be needed to run on an extended No. 7 -- an issue amNewYork highlighted last year.

Download Assemb. Richard Brodsky's letter here. (He helped get this all in motion) Download file

And Sander's letter to Brodsky explaining his position here. Download file

So, could this bring the whole deal down?

UPDATE: Mercedes Padilla, an MTA spokeswoman, e-mailed over a corrected version of Sander's letter. Apparently the original misidentifies Sander as chief financial officer -- a considerable demotion. Download the corrected letter here Download file

-- Chuck Bennett

Barry Feinstein, chairman of the MTA's NYC Transit Committee, lead the fight to save E/R/W connection on the Fulton Street Transit Center. Feinstein also says the No. 7 extension should not forgo a subway station at 10th Ave. and 41st -- which will cost up to $500 million if they wait until after the extension is done.

So, flush from his success with the E/R/W connection, The Tracker asked what about the No. 7?

"We have time. I don't even know for sure they are going to do the 7 line, they haven't sold the (commerical) paper. Once that happens .... I’m sure there will be conversations about that issue, but it's too early."

-- Chuck Bennett

Reporter Justin Rocket Silverman sent us this listing from Nonsense NYC. He'll try to check it out tonight for a piece later this week. If you go, tell us about it:

All aboard the night train. The hip hop subway series starts off at
the back of the 7 train on 42nd street and 8th Avenue at Time Square
and ends up in queens last stop Flushing Ave. All vocalists and
percussionists are invited to take part in the hottest hip hop jam
session. Human beatboxers, MCs, b-boys, singers, spoken word artists,
dancers and more make up the hottest hip hop subway party. No drums
or kazoos or small portable amps.

Last car on the 7 Train, 42nd Street Subway station at Times Square
8th Avenue and 42nd Street, Manhattan
6p; $free
beatboxerent@gmail.com
http://www.beatboxerent.net

Here's a post we wrote on this phenomenon earlier this year.

-- Rolando Pujol

Overlooked yesterday:

The No. 7 extension west is getting more expensive. MTA documents released yesterday show the estimated full project cost is now $2.153 billion up from $2.053 billion last month, a 5% increase.

A footnote in the document says the city will cover the increase -- but remember the city only pays if it can buy the West Side Yards.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

The No. 7 expansion came up at the press conference today over the new Javits Center on the West Side. Both Mayor Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff made it sound like the No. 7 was a done deal -- neglecting to mention it hinges on the sale of the West Side Yards. Maybe they already know something...

“Right here, four years from now or so, you will be in the new convention hotel which we are moving forward on now. Right underneath here will be the Number 7 subway line stop,” Doctoroff said.

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff didn’t seem any different when he called last Friday to explain why he had to link the city’s offer of $500 million for the West Side Yards to the No. 7 extension.

But, Page 6 reports (grain of salt added) that Doctoroff interviewed for the job of NFL Commissioner last week but was passed over:

“LOOKS like Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff is staying at City Hall for now. Doctoroff, who spearheaded the failed effort to build a stadium for the Jets on the West Side, was one of 11 people interviewed last week for the NFL commissioner job being vacated by Paul Tagliabue. The group included former FCC chair Michael Powell and NFL chief counsel Jeff Pash. But Doctoroff didn't make the short list, which is down to five, our source says. The favorite is NFL Chief Operating Officer Roger Goodell. The mayor's office had no comment.”

Photo fromTransportation Alternatives

-- Chuck Bennett amNY.com

Cops busted subway vandal (or artist, depending on your perspective) SMASH aka The King of Subway Grafitti aka Abe Charon, according to the NY Post.

"He's the king of acid etching. He's done the most we've ever seen," said Capt. Elwood Selover, of the Transit Division Vandal Squad.

Scratchitti, which we’ve written extensively about, is really taking a toll on the MTA.

Yesterday, MTA executive director Katie Lapp, said she set aside $5.2 million in the 2007 budget combat the scratchitti scourge.

“Funds have been included for a Scratch-Free window program that will provide replacement of all scratched subway car window glass and installation of four-ply Mylar on the R44 through R68A fleets, and installation of four-ply Mylar on the R142, R142A, and R143 fleets. By 2009, all subway car window glass on the fleets will be scratch-free,” she said.

Photo by Thomas A. Ferrara

-- Chuck Bennett

Lost in the epic Kobayashi-Chestnut battle is the performance of Eric "Badlands" Booker, the No. 7 train conductor who wolfed down 24 1/2 hot dogs Tuesday at Nathan's Famous. Sure, that's fewer than half of Kobayashi's 53 3/4, but Badlands is no competitive-eating slouch. For instance, he's tops when it comes to downing burritos and matzoh balls.  And just last month, he came in No. 2 at a ham-biscuit eating contest in Lynchburg, Va. Downing 42, he was bested by Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas, who also shared the stage with Badlands yesterday at Nathan's.

Badlands by the numbers: 

Height: 6’ 4”

Weight: 420 pounds

Hot dogs eaten: 24 1/2

Hometown: Copiague, on Long Island

Web site:  www.badlandsbooker.com

Badlands preps himself for the eating contest Tuesday. (AP Photo)

-- Rolando Pujol

After a weekend of suspended service between Queensboro Plaza and Times Square, No. 7 users are today contending with five-minute delays (and local service only) because of trouble at the Queensboro Plaza station.

-- Rolando Pujol

The little sign says Queensboro Subway, in raised letters on a metal, rectangular box.  It appears to have been there -- high atop the entrance of the No. 7 train station in a historic building on 42nd Street -- since the tower opened in the 1950s. 

That little sign, which I’ve grown quite attached to as a scrappy, stylish little survivor, vanished earlier this week. Knowing that the Socony-Mobil Building was a landmark and upset by the ceaseless, often senseless trashing of worthy icons big and small in our town, I was prepared to vent my frustration right here on the Tracker.  But the next day,  I happened upon workers as they were carefully reinstalling the sign. The men told me that the sign had started to lean, and simply needed to be taken down and reinstalled. And yes, they were puzzled that anyone would notice such a thing.

It's worth a quick neck crane the next time you find yourself on 42^nd Street, between Third and Lexington avenues. And show  the building a little love while you're there. A bulky but beautiful counterpoint to the jazzy Art Deco Chrysler Building across the street,  the tower has been called "one of New York City's most striking skyscrapers."  

 -- Rolando Pujol

Nothing will stop Councilman Eric Gioia from bashing the MTA, not even the birth of his first child.

From the hospital room where his wife Lisa Hernandez Gioia was recuperating today after giving birth to their daughter Amelia (7 pounds, 14 ounces) Gioia ordered his staff to send out a press release accusing the MTA of “snubbing Queens” with frequent weekend track work on the No. 7 trains.

Gioia, who is serving his second term in the council representing Woodside and Long Island City, said the constant service disruptions along the No. 7 train is stifling the local economy.

Earlier this year, Gioia issued a report blasting the MTA for allowing its properties to become illegal dumping grounds.

-- Chuck Bennett

The subways have come a long way from May 12, 1989, the day the war on graffiti was declared won. But in truth, transit workers have long been spending nights quietly erasing a day's worth of damage. And their work is getting harder with the recent resurgence in graffiti. Since that milestone 17 years ago, most of the train vandalism that I've run across has been in the form of acid etching and scratchitti. But car 2069 on the No. 7 line at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday told a different story, one that had the faint air of the kind of subway experience of a generation ago -- the New York of  "Death Wish" and "The Warriors".  Virtually every door inside this car was tagged. The photos speak for themselves. Click on thumbnails:

-- Rolando Pujol

Go west, No. 7: The vote that could -- finally -- make the No. 7 extension happen may go down next month. [NY1]

Terror device debate:  So that cyanide-delivery device that was at the center of the aborted terror plot? UPI  reports it would have done little damage, yet even so, there's no way to say for sure. Interesting read.  Meanwhile, Sen. Charles Schumer calls for better tracking  of cyanide sales ... just in case.

Yikes: Gothamist compiles a freaky list of subway accidents caused by poor judgment.

-- Rolando Pujol

Photo of No. 7 train by Newsday's Thomas A. Ferrara

... A new smart card reader. These devices or ones like them could one day be on every turnstile in the system. This one is waiting for test taps at the No. 7 station entrance on 42nd Street between Third and Lexington avenues. 

-- Rolando Pujol

Peter Kalikow just told the Tracker he is sticking around for a while.

“There are five projects that are very important to the system and the agency and I intend on staying until [they] are in a place, that I get them done,” Kalikow said.

Those projects are: digging the Second Avenue Subway, extending the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Station, expanding the No. 7 train to the West Side, building the new Fulton Street station, and rehabilitating the South Ferry station.

"I  want to get them done, and whatever  it takes it takes,"  he said.

Needless to say, Senate Democrats weren't pleased. State Sen. Kevin Parker said Gov. Pataki is trying to "govern from beyond the grave."

-- Chuck Bennett

Two seemingly unrelated signal problems in the tunnels wreak havoc on the V and No. 7 lines.

Around 8:30 a.m., a signal problem on the No. 7 caused delays up to 10 minutes in both directions. Delays were still ongoing at 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, the V was entirely knocked out north of Queens Plaza from around until shortly after 11 a.m. And the E had to run over the F lines all the way from W. 4th Street to 36th Street in Queens.

NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said electricians were working on the problem.

Between April and March this year -- the latest stats available -- signal trouble was the number two cause of delays.  The number one cause is always track work. And the number three reason was riders holding the doors.

-- Chuck Bennett

Don’t blame it on the rain. Deirdre Parker, a NYC Transit spokeswoman, said a non-weather related signal problem on the Manhattan-bound 7 tracks knocked out service in both directions — Woodside to Times Squsre — from 12:05 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

-- Chuck Bennett

Construction of the new $750 million Fulton Street Transit Center downtown is going to displace about 150 small businesses.

Yesterday, Rep. Jerry Nadler and Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer accused the MTA and its contractor of not doing enough to help those businesses to relocate. Federal law requires they provide relocate assistance.

The MTA, as expected, said it is going above and beyond what they are required to do.

With so many big projects on the books or underway -- Second Avenue subway, No. 7 extension, JFK Rail Link -- we should expect more complaints of displaced businesses and home owners.

Of course, the big subway news of the day is the transit union is back in court.

-- Chuck Bennett

Better subway service to the new Shea -- which won’t be called Shea anymore -- will come with the new Mets stadium.

At a press conference announcing the project, Mayor Bloomberg said, “We’re going to expand the service that’s here. The No. 7 line comes out and hopefully we can get more trains running on it.”

The MTA declined to comment on the mayor’s announcement.

On Monday, the Tracker did get an irate call from a Mets fan claiming the trains were severely late making him miss the opening pitch. I’m sure he, like thousands others, would welcome more service.

Trains will be even more packed once construction begins -- thousands of parking spaces will be lost. The Mets is urging more people to take mass transit.

“Mass transit is going to be a very important option during the construction period over the next three seasons,” said Dave Howard, a Mets VP.

Construction could start as early as June, he added.

-- Chuck Bennett

Mayor Bloomberg says extending the No. 7 train to the west side is a bigger boon to the city than the Second Avenue subway.

Michael Harris, a Brooklyn College journalism student and advocate for the disabled, asked the mayor about the No. 7 extension today after his political donor announcement.

“It’s chugging along,” Bloomberg said. “It’s going to get done. ... The extension of the No. 7 line, by any professional analysis will have the biggest economic impact on this city.”

Bloomberg added, “The No. 7 extension opens up a whole new area. I’m not opposed to the Second Avenue Subway. But just when you do an economic analysis – a professional does it – those are the numbers. Now I’m sure that the elected officials will run and scream that they know better. But we’re spending billions of the dollars of the public’s money and conventional wisdom is not a way to do that.”

The city committed $2 billion to the No. 7 during the whole West Side Stadium saga. Since the stadium’s defeat it promised to go ahead with the project.

-- Chuck Bennett

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver named Keith Wright to the Capital Program Review Board today.

The Harlem Assemblyman will represent Silver on the four-member board that has oversight on the MTA’s big projects like the Second Ave. subway, 7 line extension, and station rehabs. For the MTA to get its billions in state aid for its capital projects its plans must be approved by the board.

At one time Wright worked for management of the New York City Transit Authority as assistant director of government relations. But he is also a friend of the Transport Workers Union Local 100. He has been recently spotted around union headquarters and was given $500 by the union in 2004. Download rwservlet-21

-- Chuck Bennett

Subway ads written in Spanish certainly aren’t unheard of. Indeed, many tout schools that teach English to recent immigrants or advise passengers to report anything suspicious. But it’s not every day that you see an ad written almost entirely in Spanish coming from a major corporation.

To wit, here’s this Burger King ad spotted aboard a No. 7 train. It’s for BK’s new Angus cheese bacon steak burger. It reads: “Nada Hace Que Te ‘Sientes’ Mejor.” That means roughly “Nothing Makes You ‘Feel’ Better.” It seems to be a play on words in Spanish,  conveying the idea of "feeling well" and also "sitting well" ... as the reader would be doing on a subway seat.

Is this a fluke ad that’s part of a single advertiser’s transit campaign? Or will subway ads become more polyglot as advertisers strive to reach increasingly diverse audiences?

-- Rolando Pujol

I bet against the snow last night, and I lost.

Visiting my parents last night out on Long Island, I thought for sure I could stay over and just catch the LIRR to work in the morning, as I had many times before. The ride started out fine, but once we got past Jamaica, the train slowed to half speed. We stopped at Woodside, and never got started again. They kept us on the train for about 20 minutes, periodically making announcements, while the passengers were furiously making calls to the people they were supposed to meet up with, or their friends in Queens who might be able to pick them up.

Finally, they accepted that the train just wasn't going anywhere, so they sent us off to the 7 train. Which wasn't running to Manhattan because of a stalled train at Hunters Point. At first, they were advising passengers to catch a 7 to Queensboro Plaza, but shortly afterwards they announced that no 7 trains were going any further east than Woodside. We had to get on a Main St-bound 7, going further into Queens, and switch 2 stops later for the E, F, V or R. Once on the E, my ride went pretty smoothly.

All told, my trip from Speonk to Woodside: approx 2 hours. From Woodside to Penn Station: 1 1/2.

-- Emily Hulme

Anyone familiar with the No. 7 platform at the Times Square station knows the escalator there has long been out of service as part of a station overhaul. Well, at long last, weary straphangers can now be whisked upstairs on a spankin' new escalator. You'll have to deal with a little audio clutter, though: automated escalator-safety announcements blasting from tiny speakers  along the sides. Crews have also installed this gleaming wood bench on the No. 7 platform. Take a good look at this camera-phone photo: the seating is standard-issue MTA, but it sure won’t be this warehouse flawless for long.

Inevitably, a little color was lost in the platform upgrade -- mid-century turquoise paneling on the side of the old escalator. And I fear for the longevity of this awesome, decades-old “Next Train” sign, now covered in part by tape.  Hopefully, the TA will find a way to salvage this little retro relic and keep it in service.

-- Rolando Pujol