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nyc.transit FAQ v.8

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Archive-name: regional/nyc/transit-faq
Version: 8
Partitions: None: complete in one posting.
Copyright: Copr. 1999-2000 Michael Hamm.
Posting-frequency: six times a year
Maintainer: Michael Hamm <msh210@nyu.edu>
URL: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/regional/nyc/transit-faq

See reader questions & answers on this topic! - Help others by sharing your knowledge
nyc.transit FAQ, version 8.

nyc.transit has the description "Discussions about transportation in NYC
and its environs", but traffic and even geography (in NYC and
environs) are also frequently discussed.

The nyc.transit FAQ (frequently asked questions list) is designed to help
you through nyc.transit and NYC traffic and transit. If you have any
further questions, please don't hesitate to ask in the group. If you have
any suggestions to make regarding, or additions to make to, the FAQ,
please contact its author-maintainer, Michael Hamm, at msh210@nyu.edu (and
perhaps post them to nyc.transit also, to solicit opinions). Please note
that although this is called the nyc.transit FAQ, it has no questions, the
answers it has are to questions not very frequently asked, and it's more
about NYC traffic and transit than about the newsgroup per se.

If you want to see the control message that (apparently) started this
newsgroup -- it includes a charter -- see
ftp://ftp.isc.org/pub/usenet/control/nyc/


Subject: 1. Table of Contents =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D 0. Introduction 1. Table of Contents 2. Abbreviations 3. Relevant Stuff on the Internet 4. Telephone Numbers 5. Alternate Side 6. Acknowledgements
Subject: 2. Abbreviations =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D This section details many of the abbreviations you may find in nyc.transit. Any abbreviation found in this list with punctuation may be found in nyc.transit without it. Abbreviations are all capitalized on this list; they may be found in lower- or mixed-case in nyc.transit. For general abbreviations, try http://acronymfinder.com/ or http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/acronym AAA American Automobile Association AAR American Association of Railroads AAR Association of American Railroads ABD abandon AC air conditioning ADA Americans with Disabilities Act AFC Automated Fare Collection AMK Amtrak A/P Atlantic-Pacific APTA American Public Transportation Association ARC Access to the Region's Core ASP alternate-side parking ASS Assistant Station Supervisor; see also DSS ATD Assistant Train Dispatcher ATO automated train operation ATU Amalgamated Transit Union AVLS automatic vehicle locating system B Bridge (in "Willy [Williamsburg] B", "Manny [Manhattan] B") BART Bay Area Rapid Transit BAT blood alcohol test BB Brooklyn Bridge B&BBRR Brooklyn and Brighton Beach Railroad BB&CI Brooklyn, Bath, and Coney Island [Railroad] BBT Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel BCO brakes cut out BF&CI Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island [Railroad] BG bridge BIE brakes in emergency BK Brooklyn B-L Broadway-Lafayette BLE Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers BMT Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit B/O bus operator BOT Board of Transportation BQE Brooklyn-Queens Expressway B&QT Brooklyn and Queens Transit BRT Brooklyn Rapid Transit B&T [MTA] Bridges & Tunnels; see also TBTA BTS Bureau of Transportation Statistics (part of USDOT) B'WAY Broadway BWY Broadway BWYJCT Broadway Junction BX Bronx CBT Committee for Better Transit CBTC communications-based train control CC Columbus Circle C/F construction flagman CHS Court House Square CI Coney Island CIY Coney Island yard CNG compressed natural gas CNJ Central [Railroad of] New Jersey CPN Central Park North CPS Central Park South CPW Central Park West C/R conductor CRRNJ Central Railroad of New Jersey CTA Chicago Transit Authority DEIS draft EIS D/L driver license DL&W Delaware, Lackawanna & Western DMV Department of Motor Vehicles DOT Department of Transportation DRL daytime running lights DSS Deputy Station Supervisor; see also ASS DUMBO down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass E/B eastbound EIS environmental impact statement EL elevated [line] EL Erie-Lackawanna ENY East New York ER electric railroad ERA Electric Railroaders' Association EWR Newark International Airport EXP express FDNY Fire Department of New York [City] FDR Franklin Delano Roosevelt [Drive] FAA Federal Avaition Administration (part of USDOT) FHWA Federal Highway Administration (part of USDOT) FRA Federal Railroad Administration (part of USDOT) FTA Federal Transit Administration (part of USDOT) GC Grand Concourse GCP Grand Central Parkway GCT Grand Central Terminal GDL graduated driver licensing GO general order GSP Garden State Parkway GWB George Washington Bridge GWBBS George Washington Bridge Bus Station HART Hudson Alliance for Rational Transportation HART Huntington Area Rapid Transit HB Howard Beach HBLR Hudson-Bergen Light Rail HHP Henry Hudson Parkway H&M Hudson & Manhattan HP Hunters Point HRD Harlem River Drive H/S hand switchman ICOS Independent City-Owned Subway IND Independent System IRT Interborough Rapid Transit ISP Long Island Mac Arthur Airport JB Jones Beach JFK John F. Kennedy International Airport KH Kings Highway LACMTA Los Angeles County MTA LCL local; see also LOC LEX Lexington LGA La Guardia Airport LI Long Island LIB Long Island Bus; see also MSBA LIC Long Island City LIE Long Island Expressway LIMP Long Island Motor Parkway LIRR Long Island Railroad LITM Long Island Transportation Management, Inc. LOC local; see also LCL LR light rail LRT light rail transit LRV light rail vehicle LV Lehigh Valley [Railroad] LVRR Lehigh Valey Railroad MABSTOA Manhattan and the Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority MARC Maryland Rail Commuter MB Manhattan Bridge MBTA Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority MC MetroCard MDBF mean distance between failures MET Metropark MH Mott Haven M/I motor instructor; see also T/S/S MIS Major Investment Study MM motorman; see also T/O MN Metro-North MNCR Metro-North commuter railroad MNR Metro-North Railroad MNRR Metro-North Railroad MOFW Maintenance of Way MOW Maintenance of Way MSBA Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority; see also LIB MTA Metropolitan Transportation Authority MU multiple unit MUDC multiple unit door control MUTCD Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices MVM MetroCard vending machine N/B northbound NEC Northeast Corridor NH New Haven NHTSA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (part of USDOT) NJ-ARP New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers NJT New Jersey Transit NJTPK New Jersey Turnpike NRHS National Railway Historical Society NRO New Rochelle NSP Northern State Parkway NTSB National Transportation Safety Board NWK Newark NYA New York & Atlantic [Railway] NYAR New York & Atlantic Railway NYBS New York Bus Service NYCR New York Connecting Railroad NYCRR New Tork Connecting Railroad NYCT New York City Transit NYCTA New York City Transit Authority NYD New York Division NYMTC New York Metropolitan Transportation Council NY&NH New York & New Haven [Railroad] NYO&W New York, Ontario and Western [Railway] NYP New York - Penn Station NYPD New York [City] Police Department NYPIRG New York Public Interest Research Group NYTP New York [City] Transit Police NYW&B New York, Westchester, & Boston [Railway] OA Operating Authority OPTO one-person train operation O&W [New York,] Ontario and Western [Railway] PA Port Authority [of New York and New Jersey] PA public address (system) PABT Port Authority Bus Terminal PANYNJ Port Authority of New York and New Jersey PART Putnam Area Rapid Transit PATH Port Authority Trans-Hudson [Corporation] PC Penn Central PCAC Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee [to the MTA] PHL Philadelphia PIP Palisades Interstate Parkway PLAT platform POP proof of payment PP Prospect Park PPA property protection agent PPR pay-per-ride PREP Preparing for Profit PRR Pennsylvania Railroad PTO -person train operation PVB Parking Violations Bureau; see also PVO PVO Parking Violations Operations; see also PVB QBB Queensboro Bridge QBLVD Queens Boulevard QBP Queensboro Plaza QMT Queens-Midtown Tunnel QP Queens Plaza R/C/I road car inspector RDG Reading RER R=E9seau Express R=E9gional RFM reduced-fare MetroCard ROW right-of-way RPA Regional Plan Association RR railroad RRB Railroad Retirement Board RRC railroad clerk; see also S/A RSD Riverside Drive RTOR right turn on red RVW Rip Van Winkle RY Railway S/A station agent; see also RRC S/B southbound SBK South Brooklyn [Railroad] SBKRR South Brooklyn Railroad SBRR South Brooklyn Railroad SEPTA Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority SF South Ferry SI Staten Island SIE Staten Island Expressway SIR Staten Island Railway SIRR Staten Island Railroad SIRT Staten Island Rapid Transit SIRTOA Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority S/M signal maintainer SOAC State-of-the-Art Car SSP Southern State Parkway STA station STB Surface Transportation Board (part of USDOT) TA Transit Authority TA Transportation Authority TAMIS Transit Attendance Management Information System TBTA Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority; see also B&T TD train dispatcher TEB Teterboro Airport TERML terminal TGC Track Geometry Car TLC Taxi & Limousine Commission T/M trackman TM Transit Museum T/O train operator; see also MM TPH trains per hour TRB Transportation Research Board TS Times Square T/S/S train service supervisor; see also M/I TSTC Tri-State Transportation Campaign TT timetable TVM ticket vending machine TW/O tower operator TWU Transport Workers Union [of America] TZ Tappan Zee UES upper east side UMTA Urban Mass Transportation Administration (part of USDOT) USGS United States Geological Survey UWS upper west side V&T Vehicle and Traffic VZ Verrazano[-Narrows] (Bridge) VZB Verrazano[Narrows] Bridge W/B westbound WB Williamsburg Brisge WBB Williamsburg Bridge WC wheelchair WF World's Fair WPNS White Plains (but see http://www.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=3D564644139&fmt=3Dtext ) WSH West Side Highway XWAY expressway YD yard dispatcher YNY Yonkers
Subject: 3. Relevant Stuff on the Internet =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D This section only includes Internet sites relating specifically to transit in NYC and the adjoining area, not general transit sites (with exceptions). For more sites, try http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/New_York/Metropolitan_Areas/New_Y= ork_Metro/Travel_and_Transportation/ Often, a site was placed in one of the following categories although it also contains pages that belong in another category. In particular, any site devoted to all of the MTA (or even NYCT), but only to the MTA (or NYCT, respectively), is nonethless under one of the following categories. 3.1 General http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/ - MTA http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/ - NYC DOT http://www.njtransit.state.nj.us/ - NJT http://panynj.gov/panav.HTM - PA http://www.dot.state.ny.us/ - NYS DOT http://www.ezpass.com/ E-ZPass http://www.dot.gov/ - US DOT http://www.ntsb.gov/ - NTSB http://www.house.gov/transportation/ - US House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5355/ - links http://www.transitcenter.com/NewSite/transitpages/ http://www.rioc.com/transportation.html - Roosevelt Island info http://www.forgotten-ny.com/SUBWAYS/ - photos of extant relics of old NYC http://www.brooklyn.net/crossings/ http://www.liii.com/~roberts/mta.html (or mta.txt) - accessible stations http://www.panix.com/~danielc/ http://hometown.aol.com/glenn6398/ - Urban Transit Club http://www.cais.net/atu/ - ATU http://www.twu.com/ - TWU http://www.pcac.org/ - PCAC http://metrocard.citysearch.com - buy MC online http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/homepage.nsf - TRB http://www.apta.com/ - APTA http://www.tstc.org/ - TSTC http://www.commuterlink.com/ - Commuter Link - devoted to reducing congestion http://www.hartwheels.org/ - Hudson Alliance for Rational Transportation http://www.i95coalition.org/ - I-95 Corridor Coalition http://www.nyctrof.com/ - NYC Transit Retirees of Florida, Inc. http://www.nyu.edu/wagner/transportation/ - Center for Transportation Management and Policy http://www.trainweb.com/community/ 3.2 Rapid Transit (incl. NYCT, PATH) http://www.nycsubway.org/ - NYC subway info - likely the best-loved NYC transit site http://www.quuxuum.org/~joekor/ http://www.straphangers.org/ - Straphangers' Campaign http://metro.ratp.fr:10001/bin/select/english/usa/new-york - Subway Navigator http://www.cc.columbia.edu/~brennan/rails/ - includes inter alia a great unofficial subway map http://www.toddcam.com/site/todd_elert_subway.html - subway photos http://www.bmt-lines.com/ - BMT http://home.att.net/~davegior/photos.html - photos http://rapidtransit.com/net/home.htm http://palter.org/~subway/ - photos http://wt.mit.edu/Subway/ - photos http://www.glue.umd.edu/~chaohwa/nycsubway/ http://www.tmk.com/ http://www.railtransitonline.com/ - a newsletter http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/technology/nyunderground/tindex.html http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/subway/subway.html - Beach Pneumatic http://www.multimania.com/fdelaitre/Beach.htm - Beach Pneumatic http://members.home.com/pjd2/trk-book.html - Mr. Dougherty's track book 3.3 Railroads (incl. MN, LIRR, NJT) http://www.amtrak.com/ - Amtrak http://www.rrb.gov/ - RRB http://www.conrail.com/ - CONRAIL http://www.nj-arp.org/ - NJ-ARP http://bjr.acf.nyu.edu/railinfo/ http://members.aol.com/pennsy - the old Penn Station http://www.netwatchinc.com/templates/amtrak.asp?Site=3Dpennstation - Penn Station arr/dep board http://www.nj.com/njtransit/ - unofficial NJT site http://ny.existingstations.com/ - NYS stations http://www.railroad.net/ http://www.lirrhistory.com/ - LIRR history http://www.railfan.net/ - various sites http://www.anacostia.com/nyar/nyar.html - NYAR http://home.att.net/~berliner-ultrasonics/nyar.html - NYAR 3.4 Busses http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/3964/busphotos/ - photos http://www.nybus.com/ - New York Bus Service http://libertylines.com/ - Liberty Lines http://www.commandbus.com/ - Command Bus Company http://www.greenbus.com/ - Green Bus Lines http://www.jamaicabus.com/ - Jamaica Buses http://www.triborocoach.com/ - Triboro Coach Corporation http://www.nybus.com/ - New York Bus Service http://nyairportservice.com/ - New York Airport Service http://atlanticexpress.com - Atlantic Express http://www.qsbus.com/ - Queens Surface 3.5 Roads http://www.thruway.state.ny.us/ - NYS Thruway Authority http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dof/html/parknyc.html - PVO http://www.nydmv.state.ny.us/ NYS DMV http://www.aaany.com/map.asp - Automobile Club of New York http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dcp/html/welcome.html - bicycling http://www.nycroads.com/ - area roads http://www.panix.com/~bergman/bike_park_nyc.shtml - motorcycle parking https://paytickets.ezgov.com/metro_route.jsp?metro=3DNYC http://www.737cars.com/ - LITM 3.6 Other Means (air, water, etc.) http://nywaterway.com/ - NY Waterway - absolutely awful site for Lynx users! http://www.teb.com/Pages/pages/corepg.html - TEB http://www.transalt.org/ - Transportation Alternatives http://www.seastreakusa.com/home/main.asp - Seastreak http://nyff.com/ - New York Fast Ferry 3.7 Other Places http://members.aol.com/netransit/indexb.html - New England transit http://www.columbia.edu/~anc8/transit.html - transit between Boston and NYC 3.8 For Tourists (incl. traffic reports) http://www.ny.com/transportation/ http://www.thetravelsite.com/Dests/DGNoAm/NYC/main.html - links http://www.manhattanaddress.com/ - street / avenue / subway stop lookup http://traffic.yahoo.com/traffic/New_York/Manhattan_Bronx__NYC_/ - up-to-date traffic/transit reports http://www.metrocommute.com/ - includes current traffic report http://www.newyorkcity.com/z_links/travel/travel.htm http://www.go-newyorkcity.com/transportation/ http://www.gridlocksam.com/mainmenu.html - absolutely awful site for Lynx users! 3.9 Other Fora Of these fora, probably those most often included in crossposts with nyc.tr are misc.transport.*. 3.9.1 Fora on the Web http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/newjerseytransit http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/lirrcommuters http://www.onelist.com/community/NYCMETROAREABUSES http://www.egroups.com/lists/NYCBUSNEWS http://www.egroups.com/lists/BusRouteDescriptions Also, nycsubway.org, listed above, has fora. 3.9.2 Usenet Newsgroups alt.airline.schedules alt.airports alt.binaries.pictures.rail alt.planning.transportation alt.railroad alt.railroad.* hierarchy alt.travel.* hierarchy bit.listserv.railroad gov.topic.transport.* hierarchy gov.us.fed.dot.* hierarchy gov.us.topic.transport.* hierarchy misc.transport.* hierarchy net.bicycles.* hierarchy rec.autos.driving rec.railroad rec.railroads
Subject: 4. Telephone Numbers =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D=3D A phone number followed by a "T" is a TTY number; one followed by an "F" is a fax number; all other numbers are voice. More phone numbers are available at http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/mta/phone.htm and at http://www.straphangers.org/compliments.html MTA Offices MTA Police (800) 836-6673, (212) 878-1001 NYCTA Offices General Info (718) 330-1234, (718) 596-8273 T Customer Assistance (718) 330-3322, (718) 330-4847, (718) 596-8276 T Bus and Subway Status Info (718) 243-7777 Reduced Fare Info (Disabled/Senior) (718) 243-4999, (212) 541-6228 T MC Info (212) METROCA, (800) METROCA, (212) 541-6228 T MC Bus / MC Van Info (718) 243-4999 Subway Station Accessibility Info (800) 734-6772, (718) 596-8273 T Customer Assistance (718) 596-8585 SI Ferry (718) 815-BOAT SIRT (718) 966-7478 Transit Police (212) 586-6832 Transit Museum (718) 243-3060 Reservations and Special Arrangements (718) 243-8601 Archives (718) 694-1068 Membership (718) 694-3451 Stations Dept (718) 243-3068 [this number not for the public afaIct] Customer Complaints (718) 243-3222 Dept of Buses (718) 927-7499 Customer Service (718) 243-8881 [unverified] Access-a-Ride (212) 632-7272, (718) 694-3581 [unverified], (718) 722-4403 T, (718) 722-4401 F [unverified] Membership (877) 337-2017, (212) 333-3147 T Problem with a ride (877) 337-2017, (212) 632-2194 T Bus Customer Relations Commission (report unsafe driving) (888) NYCT-BUS MNR Offices General info (212) 532-4900, (800) METRO-46, (800) 724-3322 T Lost and found (212) 340-2555 LIRR (718) 217-LIRR, (718) 558-3022 T Lost and found (718) 558-8384 Complaints (718) 558-3377 Mail & Ride (800) 649-NYNY TBTA (212) 360-3000, (212) 360-2979 T E-ZPass info (800) 333-TOLL LIB (516) 766-MSBA, (516) 763-4001 T Able-Ride (516) 228-4000, (516) 228-4002 T Customer Service (516) 228-4024 MTA Public Meeting Hotline (212) 878-7199 PREP (212) 878-7427 NYC DOT (718) CALL-DOT, (212) CALL-DOT, (212) 442-9488 T NYS DOT (718) 482-4594 (no TTY) PA Offices JFK info (718) 244-4444 LGA info (718) 533-3400 Bus Terminal info (212) 564-8484 Info on ground transportation to airports (800) 247-7433 Bridge & tunnel info (800) 221-9903 EZPass info (800) 333-TOLL PA police (201) 216-2677 [unverified] PATH Offices General info (800) 234-PATH Business office (201) 216-6247 [unverified] NYS Thruway Authority Road Condition Information (800) THRUWAY EZPass Information (800) 222-TOLL NYS DMV (800) CALL-DMV, (718) 966-6155, (800) 368-1186 T Traffic Violations (718) 488-5710 NYC PVO (212) 477-4430, (212) 460-7333 T [I'm told these aren't in service. I haven't verified.] Automated Help Line (718) 422-7800, (800) 813-9183, (718) 802-3555 T Automated Payment System (877) 7-NYC-PAY TLC (212) 676-1000 Lost & Found, Complaints (212) NYC-TAXI Commissioner's Office (212) 676-1009 US DOT Offices JFK pilot info (718) 995-8188 FHWA (212) 264-1070 UMTA (212) 264-8162 Other Offices NYPD Transit Bureau (212) 374-6072 Mayor's Office's transportation guru (212) 788-2766 Note that before the threatened December 1999 transit strike, the Mayor's Office had the number (877) NY-TRAN-1 as the "Mayor's Transit Hotline"; it is now out of service. NY Metropolitan Transportation Council (212) 938-3300 NJT (201) 762-5100 Amtrak (800) USA-RAIL RRB (212) 264-9820, (800) 808-0772 Other transportation services' numbers are on the subway map.
Subject: 5. Alternate Side =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D Note that the FAQ author disclaims responsibility for inaccuracy of any information in the FAQ; verify all information before using it; follow any advice at your own risk. On the following dates in 2000, ASP Rules are suspended: Jan. 1, 7-9, 17; Feb. 11-12, 21; Mar. 16-18; Apr. 20-21, 26-28; May 29; Jun. 1, 9-10; Jul. 4; Aug. 15; Sep. 4, 30; Oct. 1, 9, 14-15, 21-22; Nov. 1, 7, 10-11, 23; Dec. 8, 25. Also, call the NYC DOT to find out if the Rules are suspended due to inclement weather.
Subject: 6. Acknowledgements =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D= =3D=3D=3D I'd like to thank the following people for abbreviation donations: Cap'n Bludd (cpnbludd@pipeline.com), Eleny (elenyte@home.com), Peter Rosa (PROSA@prodigy.net), Joseph D. Korman (joekor@earthlink.net), Paul Matus (pmatus@msn.com), Peter T. Daniels (grammatim@worldnet.att.net), Hank Eisenstein (nixon@quuxuum.org), Mark Morgan Ulrich (swimmy@fnol.net), and David J. Greenberger (grenbrgr@uiuc.edu). I'd like to thank Sammy Finkelman (sammy.finkelman@relaynet.org) for adding some order to my list of URLs. ------------------------------ End of nyc.transit FAQ, version 8.

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