Good News For Commuters, Bad News For Second Avenue Stores

WiFi Coming To (Some) Subways

It's been reported that the MTA is planning to bring Wi-Fi into six select stations. Plans are underway to have wireless access at the West 14th street and 23rd street stops within a few months. Chris Jaeger, CEO of Transit Wireless, the company tasked with bringing WiFi underground, says all 277 stations will be operational by 2016.

New Info Screens

Also in the news, the MTA promises to outfit every station with electronic signs giving commuters real time updates on train schedules. The screens would monitor trains progress, report delays and even suggest alternate routes. MTA chief Jay Walder says the MTA is trying to "give information that allows people to relax. It gives riders a sense of control that they know what's going on."

2nd Ave Subway Update

Construction for Second Avenue subway, after nearly 100 years of stalling, seems to be moving forward swiftly. While progress is being made on many fronts, the Times reports a downside to project: the "orphaned" stores of Second Avenue.

Comments

[DivineMovers]

09:56 AM on 10/07/2010

One aspect that people forgot is the landlords.. My company (http://www.divinemoving.com) moved hundreds of people away from the 2nd avenue area in the past few years.. only a small portion actually moved in..
Landlords can't rent their apartments for market value so they have an option to rent for below carrying costs or leave the apartments empty.
I am in touch with a lot of landlords that beg us to tell people about their vacate apartments for rent...

[jetle25]

12:45 PM on 10/06/2010

NYC MTA is so behind compared to the rest of the modern world in Public Transit. Ever been to Shanghai, Tokyo or Hong Kong? They have pristine metro lines, Air Conditioned, WiFi accessible and Phone Reception. Fares are relatively cheap and you don't have to slide a dam card. You can get a card that you just hold up to a reader. AND if you leave town you can give it back to the company for your deposit for the card itself. Connecting trains arrive at the SAME TIME. No trash in the tracks because it's either walled off and because people aren't dirty and disgusting and littering everywhere. People are not LOUD and Obnoxious on the train. Singing, spitting, listening to deafening music through their ear buds, or eating sunflower seeds and sprinkling them around where you sit. Yeah their sense of personal space might be lacking but I'll trade that over the efficiency's, cost and cleanliness any freaking day. Come On MTA. Get with it.

[emmeaki]

10:33 AM on 10/06/2010

Why do we need wi-fi underground? People can't survive 30-40 minute commute without a cell phone? Even if your commute is a bit longer,you won't die without service. I hate it when I'm on a train that goes above ground and I have to listen to 20 different irrelevant or vulgar conversations. It's why I always keep my IPod on.

[Sean Foley]

09:53 AM on 10/07/2010

I like not having service when I'm on the train. Its kind of a break from the rest of the world!

[holyghostie]

07:25 AM on 10/06/2010

What would be good news for commuters is if the MTA would layoff the multiple layers of administration and supervision, and consultants that cost MILLIONS a year and provide very little in effective management, as the MTA's OWN REPORT SHOWS.

[olddognewtrick]

01:24 PM on 10/05/2010

The good news is no jobs...so no outrageous commute expense. We really dodged a bullet there....

[jentastic]

01:23 PM on 10/05/2010

How about just not charging us more? How about that?

[missyfoosy]

12:21 PM on 10/05/2010

WiFi in the subways. So.. with a massive deficit, threatening to pull the plug on student metrocards AND the forever looming Fare Hike... the MTA brings wifi to the subways; something that is TOTALLY unnecessary right now. At least I know why they are running such a deficit; they have been spending money wiring the entire system so they can sell the underground rights to the phone companies. KUDOS MTA. I just don't want to hear the words FARE HIKE while you are agree to million dollar deals that will make all of our commutes more enjoyable with the sweet sound of cell phone conversation while stuck in a tunnel waiting for the next train to move out of the station. Thanks MTA. you suck.

[jentastic]

01:24 PM on 10/05/2010

well put.

[Doc Wattson]

06:32 AM on 10/06/2010

While I have no love for the MTA and think the majority of their recent fare hikes are do to miss management and flat out lies it is only fair to mention that they aren't paying for wifi service in the subways. Its the other way around. Companies bid on a contact to pay the MTA to provide them with wifi service. The winner of the contract, Transit Wireless is going to pay the MTA millions of dollars to be able to put wifi in their subways in exchange for advertising rights adn the ability to go rto many other customers and use the fact they service that largest subway system in the world as a selling point.

The real question is how the MTA will screw this up.

[jhjenn]

11:13 AM on 10/05/2010

Ya, already have electronic signs telling u arrival times, plus SMS for ur particular stop here in ol' Europe... Oh and free, reliable wifi on all the buses here in Madrid, Spain.

[Morena]

12:14 PM on 10/05/2010

Lol - read carefully before commenting next time.