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Posts posted by SubwayGuy

  1. Does anyone have a round about time when the background investigation is complete? is it done before you start or complete training?  Is it done before you finish your year probation?  Also what would the non criminal disqualifications be?  also I'm sure many people hold on to other jobs at some point during training ie, med leave vacation burnout etc... would not filling out the dual employment form cause a firing?    


    They have until you finish probation to complete it. If something comes up afterwards that you didn't tell them about, they will pull you from class (or the road) to address it, even terminating your employment if you lied..so tell the truth and be thorough.


    Non criminal disqualifications would include lying about anything on your application that isn't criminal...such as (for CR) faking graduating high school or a GED program, lying about any of your personal information, or otherwise misrepresenting anything about yourself (such as veteran's status) that determined your eligibility for a class. It can also include if anything comes up that you filled out in your application, such as parking tickets, etc. that weren't disclosed, but don't rise to the level of a criminal case.

  2. Wow, so what if your license gets suspended over unpaid tickets or something?


    Anyone trying to work for city, state, or federal government in any capacity is subject to a full background check which includes unpaid tickets. Anyone who owes money to any US government is ineligible for appointment to any government position, regardless of whether or not a driver's license is required, until they pay off their debt.

  3. Too much crying in general in today's society. Waah the train made me late. Always looking to blame somebody else. Yet the majority of TA employees have to be to work on time, and somehow they are.


    Adjust reality. This is the new normal until we alleviate congestion through better Real Estate policies or system expansion. Leave earlier and stop crying on Twitter. No one cares. You're an adult, get it done.


    "No Excuses, play like a Champion."



    The Conservative That Wants to Tax the Rich and the Dead.

    • Upvote 5

  4. As someone currently in the T/O training. I can assure you in the first 2-3 weeks you'll have a lot of info thrown @ you, it'll make your head spin and think "what did I get myself into?". But the first time they take you out to that train and walk around it and take it down the road most if not all that info starts to make sense. While the training is intense, it is NOT hard. Anyone who has problems either don't commit enough time to study or simply doesn't ask enough questions.


    Now while ppl do make mistakes. Those claims about how ppl got into serious trouble for "minor" things are exaggerated. When they call you you'll see what I mean. Like hitting a red signal, now unless there's a malfunction it's impossible bcuz the signal/s before that tells you expect the next one to possibly be red. Doesn't seem minor when looked at that way now does it? Plus it was 3 times on the same line?


    And your right RTO has so many promo options I'm amazed. TSS alone has at least 5 different specialties, plus you can be a dispatcher. Coming from surface I find it astounding how much you can be down here. Simply from reading your posts I can tell you'll be just fine down here. I hope I get a chance to run into you.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


    Just learn your signals, learn to control the train, and respect the yellows. It's not a hard job. Once you get past the signal exam there should be no excuse for losing your job as a T/O. Keep lineup cards on you in the beginning, eventually that too will become second nature. Too many people trying to be slick getting jammed up w/train control as T/O and getting into trouble. Just control the train and respect the yellows...it's not a hard job, once you pass the signal test.

    • Upvote 2

  5. Something caused the BIE. Train crew needs to investigate AND determine it is safe to move before the train moves again.


    Possible causes (not T/O fault):

    -Pulled emergency brake (SMEE)

    -Person fell between cars (12-9)

    -Signal malfunction

    -Debris on track

    -Mechanical failure of train


    Each possible scenario needs to be carefully investigated before the train can safely move again.

    • Upvote 5

  6. No one can answer that for you as hiring needs are fluid, and how many get called to fill a class depends on the how those called down for drug test & medical prove to be (ie if they still want the job, and if they do, can they pass the medical and pre-employment process).


    Hopefully you took the most recent T/O test also, so that if they don't get to you, you'll be on the next list (assuming you passed)

  7. All privatization will do is add exorbitant executive compensation (>1 million dollars per year) to fixed costs, plus the costs of actually turning a profit.


    It won't add any efficiency at all, contrary to popular belief.


    And everyone can pay $7 a fare, with express buses jumping to $15, and tolls on all MTA crossings close to doubling.


    When those price gouges promote a suitable level of executive bloat at the top like a private corporation, then the private company will look for more efficiencies to further grow executive pay and profits, like all American businesses, and then you will get inferior service to what even exists today, for these exorbitant costs.


    This will drive people to other forms of transportation which will magnify the problem, and create nightmare traffic and congestion on NYC streets far worse than today.


    Privatization is not the answer.


    The problem with Transit in NYC is:

    -the lack of political will for politicians to make grand improvements to the subway which is the most efficient means of moving people around

    -the lack of oversight by any of the "transit focused foundations" that assist in governance and setting policy - most of them are actually bike nazi groups, or hippie environmentalist groups in disguise, and are more concerned about penalizing car use than actually substantively improving transportation (multi-modally) in NYC

    -the lack of system expansion since the 1950s

    -the lack of dedicated funding for the MTA and the willingness of city and state government to encourage the MTA to borrow and pay interest instead of avoiding the high cost of interest by not having to borrow funds

    -wasted dollars on half measures like select bus service, or possibly sending the F express in Brooklyn that offer no substantive improvements to service, but don't treat the core condition (overcrowding)

    -Foolish real estate policies that encourage developers to build taller buildings in already densely populated areas where the infrastructure (not just transit - all infrastructure) is inadequate to support such a higher population, in exchange for overly generous tax breaks.

    -The lack of any policy to force developers who build mega projects to contribute towards a general fund to improve the infrastructure of these areas, including transportation.


    If that doesn't get treated, transit will always be crappy.

    • Upvote 2

  8. Politicians only know how to do 3 things:



    -Point fingers

    -Enact half measures to make it look like they're doing something when they're really not.


    Check, check, and check.


    Remember who vetoed lock box legislation to prevent the state from raiding dedicated MTA payroll taxes from being stolen by the state to fix state budget issues (non MTA)?


    Remember who cut the MTA's share of state funding?


    Remember who "promised" billions in funding to the MTA, then turned around and told the MTA it was authorized to borrow that much and could pay interest to banks on it, rather than receiving money from the state that didn't require interest payments?

    • Upvote 6

  9. I can believe it but i doubt they will. Simply because there isn't a whole lot of people who goes thru with becoming a T/O. A lot of the forums and treads i've read there is people who get on the promotional list get into the schoolcar and say the hell with this and go back to there position.


    It's not saying "the hell with this". A lot can't pass the training, and give up before the system would weed them out.


    Training is not easy and you have to apply yourself. Apply yourself for a few months and the reward is a career where the checks never bounce, with job security, with good healthcare, and with a pension at the end. Some people can't, or won't do that.

    • Upvote 4

  10. If he was a contractor, he was not a TA employee, so I can't speak to that as his benefits would be whatever the contracting company offered.


    If he was a TA employee, he'd have fallen under Tier 1 if he started before 1973 and maintained his pension continuously from that time on (or bought back into Tier 1 after not doing so), or Tier 2 if not.

  11. I understand that part but let's say 1000 people passed the promotional test does the agency have to get to all 1000 before they move on to the open competitive.


    The agency must consider all 1000 for promotion before they move onto the open competitive.


    It does NOT mean all 1000 will be hired, but Transit must consider them all before they consider the first Open Competitive. Transit (or any agency), by Civil Service Law, is allowed to disqualify people for various reasons, but it must offer employment (or promotion) to 1 of the next 3 candidates on every eligible list (1 in 3 rule...can't skip 3 in a row). Other factors can disqualify someone too - anyone with an open disciplinary or court case, for example, is ineligible for promotion. Also, many people decline the promotion, which doesn't count against Transit for purposes of the 1 in 3 rule. So the list moves fairly quickly. A class of, say, 40, may go through 50, 60, or even 70 names on the list.


    Once all 1000 promotionals have been considered, then the first Open Competitives will be called. Often, there is overlap, so it isn't uncommon for the last of the promotionals to be mixed in with the first of the Open Competitives, both in processing and once the class actually starts.


    Rest assured you have nothing to worry about if you scored high on the Open Competitive test. 1000 promotionals may sound like a lot, but the list goes very quickly. Remember, they're up to over 6000 on the current O/C list, and previously, most O/C lists went up to 3000-3500. The high scoring Open Competitives always get called.

    • Upvote 1

  12. Good article...the signaling should be modernized and it's long overdue.


    But as was stated in the article, 13% of the delays were caused by signal issues and more by overcrowding, and I guess these things go hand in hand...


    But when you have bottlenecks, inefficient terminals and some crazy service patterns, things aren't going to be as efficient as they are in London, even with new signaling.


    You can't have terminals that turn only 10 and 12 TPH like 95th st on the R and Jamaica Center and expect to run that much more trains.


    You can't expect to squeeze more TPH out of the A and C lines when they share tracks from Canal to Hoyt Schermerhorn.


    You can't increase Lex and 7th av service that much more when you have monstrosities like Rogers Junction and that mess at 149th st.


    How many more trains can you really run on the L train unless they do something about the 8th av terminal and lack of entrances and exits? Unless they change the station layout and Union Square (horrendous), you'll always have increased dwell times there.


    How effective will new signaling be when you have service patterns like the (M) which (on it's way to Metropolitan Av) shares tracks with the R train, both Queens Blvd Express trains at different points and the J? I am sure London has NOTHING like that.


    Bottom line, if you upgrade the signals, you need to couple that with eliminating bottlenecks (hardhats and shovels needed) and new streamlined service patterns.


    Otherwise you'll risk having a brand new signaling system with the same ole' problems.


    Pretty much this, which is why I've always advocated for the following:


    -First large capex to build redundancy and capacity into the system. New lines in crowded areas that parallel existing ones, as well as common sense transfers or connections where they don't presently exist.

    -Second, targeted shutdowns to modernize key interlocking plants, or tie in existing service to extensions, the impact of these on daily commuters being reduced due to the redundancy you created in #1

    -Third, smarter housing and urban development policy at all levels of government that does not seek density at all costs and respects the historic character of neighorhoods without trying to turn everything into a series of luxury buildings overdeveloped with retail on the ground floor. Not every street in NYC has to become a mall. There is a critical mass of spending that once you reach it, businesses cannot support themselves anymore. Stop pushing this, and stop driving commercial traffic to formerly residential areas. Finally, bring back rent stabilization, and do not grant tax breaks to any developer who does not agree to regulated rents. Do not grant tax breaks to any building characterized as "luxury". This is housing for the rich, not for the masses. Redefine income limits for so called "affordable" housing to price in more middle class people (and less super poor), but reduce the monthly rents as they are exorbitant for the income levels that qualify for them.

    -Fourth, more frequent bus service, but with smaller buses (non-articulated, except on the most very crowded routes). Couple this with other common sense changes like I've discussed in other threads like putting bus stops in the center of blocks to avoid buses having to wait at intersections with green lights due to other buses ahead in the stop, or fully loaded buses with doors closed having to reopen for late arriving passengers because they are stuck at a red light in the bus stop. Space stops further apart (especially in Manhattan). Add more overnight service, which takes ridership away from ridesharing services and dollar vans that replace the buses that don't run overnight.

    -Fifth, regulate the app based car services somewhat to control the number of drivers. There are entirely too many cabs driving around in this city, and many are empty.

    -Sixth, do not allow vehicles with TLC plates designated as livery or cabs to park in street spots. Make them go in a garage.

    -Seventh, stop putting bike lanes everywhere and crack down on bike riders who violate traffic laws of any kind. Require some form of plates on all bikes so that ticketing can occur even if the biker leaves the scene. This will reduce unsafe behavior by bikes. Eliminate bike lanes on streets where they make no sense (Court St. in Brooklyn for example) to allow traffic to flow better in those areas.


    Taken together, this is how you create efficiency and begin to reduce the scope of delays.

    • Upvote 4

  13. That's not the purpose of those MetroCards (and I'm sure they wouldn't want to explain to their supervisor why their MetroCard was used while on-the-clock), and I think if anything, they would just try to get the attention of the station agent to press whatever button opens the gate or lets them through the turnstile. 


    Seriously??? MTA passes are for employees only. Why the hell should anyone risk their job aiding someone in committing theft of service by using their personal MetroCard in violation of company rules, in stations that frequently have cameras on them, just because some bum who probably has a smart phone and a tablet can't rub enough EBT cards together to find 2.75???

    • Upvote 3

  14. Of course the avg. speed the buses are traveling needs improvement & should be the end goal....

    At the same time (using the Bx12 example), I'm not seeing the difference with:


    - Few to no one on the Bx12 is going about [embarking @ Jerome & disembarking at University], and...

    - Some other rider [embarking the Bx12 at some point east of Jerome, disembarking at University]...


    On a typical Inwood bound trip, someone is bound to get off at University & without a doubt, the Bx12 is picking up at Fordham (4)....


    To be frank, I don't think riders care much if the MTA is using less physical buses along some route to maintain the same headway....


    Now that you clarify what you meant.... Well, as long as service isn't being cut, cut, cut just because a bus route mirrors some subway line, I have no issue.... Although I scoffed at one of the reasons given (providing service to Brooklyn Bridge Park), I'm glad that they didn't ax the B25... I personally don't care for the fulton av line (and before anyone asks, seediness has zero to do it)....

    The riders don't care how many buses the MTA uses, but that frees up buses and costs to deploy elsewhere in areas where service needs to improve.

  15. Service needs to be less frequent on lines that mirror subways, and on top of it, riders should somehow be discouraged from making short trips on buses; not only on the routes that mirror subways, but, at all/period? I don't see the point of penalizing folks like that.... The one advantage a bus even has over the subway is that actual stops are placed closer to one another (yes, there are cases where stops are simply too close, which is another issue).... So let's somehow take that away from riders & leave them with not only less service, but to ride the buses for longer distances & backtrack on top of it (because you're not going to get folks on a wide enough scale to do all this extra walking).... That to me is an indirect way of having buses (and less of them at that) "competing" with subways, with which the bus would lose out almost every single time..... The forcing of people onto subways in this city is the crux of the problem now & I'm not seeing why that should be exacerbated....


    To answer your question, little to none - But let me be clear, when I say short trips (although it is technically inclusive) I'm not solely talking about 2 blocks (that would be the extreme case & the easiest to shoot down).... 1/4 to 1/2 mile I'd constitute as being short trips on a bus....


    I'm not of the ilk that subway service should be the automatic norm' when getting around in this city, so to convey to me that folks should start taking trains for one stop, over a bus for 3 or 4 (or however many stops there are b/w the hub & the concourse....or b/w the Fordham plz/Fordham RR & the concourse) goes in one ear & out the other.... I'm not about taking the subway first, I'm about taking whatever mode suits your specific need - and if it happens to be either mode, then shit, have a happy at either... one.... It's why you'll never catch me saying the MTA should start cutting service on subways to try to make bus service more appealing by increasing service on it/them....


    As far as reworking routes, you'll get no argument from me on that one.... The MTA is not progressive at all when it comes to modernizing bus routes.... Adding a bunch of dinky shuttles to an antiquated bus network isn't exactly what I'd call progression...


    I have zero problem with eliminating bus stops that are quite frankly, too damn close to each other.... I would much favor that over cutting service on bus routes that mirror the subway, because they happen to parallel the subway.... As for placing x-town bus stops in the center of the block? I haven't given any real thought about that, but on the surface, it's something that sounds like that would exacerbate the flow of traffic in Manhattan.... Then again, that whole waiting at the light because another bus is in the stop (at the corner) I personally find irritating, as a driver & a commuter on the trailing bus, so IDK, maybe you're onto something with that central placement of bus stops on blocks....


    It is understood that parking is a major problem in the city... There are far more cars than available curb side parking spots.... I personally am not fond of parking garages (for reasons I won't get into), but the lack of them in this city is most certainly apparent....

    My issue is the taking of city buses off the road, which benefit city residents, to somehow facilitate out of towners that choose to drive here (for work, play, education, or w/e other reasons)...


    Again, this is referring to lines that mirror subway routes in the most crowded corridors. How many times do you see someone get on the BX12 at Fordham/Jerome, and get off at University? Or get the BX9 at Bailey and get off at Broadway? The time it takes to wait for the bus and ride it through heavy traffic during rush hour could have been spent walking. Since buses have much slower loading and unloading than trains, when several people do this on each bus at each pair of stops for an entire day's worth of runs, the delays add up. Obviously, if someone is elderly or has a disability then have at it, but the goal is to improve the average speed of the bus. If you improve the average speed of the bus, you reduce the round trip time. If you reduce the round trip time, you reduce the number of buses needed along a route to maintain the same headway as previously. This is what I mean by "taking buses off the road".


    I am NOT suggesting reducing service frequency in any neighborhood that is seen as bus dependent...on the contrary, I am suggesting making service better for those people through this.


    Traffic flow in Manhattan is already terrible, putting bus stops in the center of blocks allows bus only lanes (which are spreading, and, frankly, not a bad idea during rush hours) to be more efficient, and frankly, transfers are the least of anyone's concerns. If the service is better, it'll be more like the subway during rush hours...miss your transfer but the next one is right behind. At night, when there's no traffic, then buses can stop at corners for dropoffs through Request-A-Stop which eliminates the issue when there is no traffic.


    There are certain key corridors that are an issue in each borough...this is where these initiatives should be targeted.

  16. I can't fully concur with this part in bold here.... The last thing we should be talking about is discouraging bus ridership in any capacity, even if the catchment area of the subway is expanded..... It ignores the bus riders that are taking said bus routes for short distances, or embarking/disembarking at bus stops that aren't at subway stops....


    .....And the idea of taking buses off the road, when there are FAR more cars on the road that contribute to street traffic (even if buses physically take up more space [length-wise]) I wouldn't even conclude as even a small victory.... It's negligible, and quite frankly, counter-productive....


    The point is to discourage people making shorter trips from using buses at all, as this is one of the leading causes of delays on routes. Seriously, since the "bus to subway" and "subway to bus transfer" how many people do you notice, particularly in Manhattan, boarding crosstown bus routes to go 2 blocks? The farebox recovery on these trips for the MTA is zero due to the free transfer yet these short trips cause significant delays to the passengers taking the crosstown bus who need to make longer trips. These are walking distance trips and should not impact people on bus routes. The same is true of many of the higher density routes in the Bronx...the Bx12 by Fordham/Grand Concourse. The Bx19 from the hub to 149/Concourse when you can take the 2 or 5. And there are ways routes can be reworked too, to the benefit of commuters. Cabs make a fortune taking people going to Manhattan (speaking of the Bx19) across the 145 St. bridge, because who can wait for 5 bunched up buses at capacity 10 minutes away when you need to get in ASAP? By looking at ridership patterns, I'm sure there's a way to add redundancy between "the hub" and Riverbank state park by short turning some buses. The problem is so many bus routes harken back to a different era, or are a hodgepodge of routes from that era, and aim to be too many things to too many people. The longer a route is, the more prone it is to bunching, and the less able it is to get back "in place" (even if given a dropoff only run) it will be the more it travels on high traffic corridors. This basic fact is why so many routes are seen as so unreliable. Hence why I say reducing service where there is redundancy with subway, as a shorter route that is more reliable would better serve the people who need it the most.


    Having fewer stops would accommodate this also, as would placing crosstown bus route stops in the center of blocks (which allows the MTA to eliminate one bus stop per crosstown route), and avoids two bad situations for traffic: #1 being where the bus can't leave a stop until all passengers have boarded and the light turns green (because if the light is red, more people will come running, preventing the bus from leaving...this is especially disastrous at areas where there is a nearby subway that can unleash a whole bunch of people at once), and #2 being where a bus has to wait to cross an intersection because the bus stop is immediately on the other side, and there is already a bus in it, and entering the intersection will block the intersection. Placing stops in the center of long crosstown blocks avoids both of these scenarios and eliminates one stop per route.


    Obviously, there are exceptions (like people with disabilities, or elderly people with a lot of bags), but in general less loading time = shorter trips which is a way of improving the service in and of itself...and if you make short trips more undesirable, only those who truly need them will take them.


    Less people per bus is not a bad thing during the day, but at night, service must be increased (publicly so) to steal back ridership from horrendous companies like Uber that overcharge significantly for rides but are seen as a more viable alternative to waiting 40 minutes to an hour for a bus that may not actually arrive when it's supposed to, or providing no service at all because the bus route isn't 24 hours.


    People who drive are going to drive regardless, many come from upstate, NJ, or LI, or work hours where commuter railroads are not feasible. The biggest change to this is that there should be more parking garages in general in NYC, to eventually facilitate a citywide change to residents and commercial vehicles only street parking...especially overnight...which would both combat rampant insurance fraud in NYC, as well as reduce the # of vehicles on the road. You won't have out of city drivers circling looking for parking if they have to go to a garage, it'll be easier to park for city drivers, and the high cost of parking garages will serve as a further deterrent to those from out of region who have other commuting options from driving in. Likewise, this would be far easier to implement than hair-brained "congestion pricing". Also, all parking garages should have an NYC resident rate, and a non-resident rate, further discouraging insurance fraud, and reducing the cost of parking to people who live here who already pay high housing costs.

  17. If you are looking at this as a 20 year trend, then yes, subway service has been improving. However, since 2007 the subway has been getting more and more steadily overcrowded, and lengthening running time has only necessitated the addition of more trains to the line to maintain the same headways that were possible with fewer trains when a round trip took less time.


    Bus service has been declining for 25+ years, and is losing out because of the frivolous amounts of money people who can't afford to save for retirement are spending on awful services like Uber just to get away from having to wait for unpredictable buses.


    Bus service needs to be more frequent on lines that aren't subway redundant and less frequent on lines that are (to discourage bus ridership and street traffic where a train already runs...which is only viable with subway expansion that reduces crowding so that the subways in question don't run over capacity)...which also would involve reworking certain bus routes. Bus service also needs a big boost on overnights (including converting some routes to 24 hours that currently aren't), and bus stops on key feeder routes (starting with the SBS routes) should have arrival boards to indicate how long until the next bus. Cabs have made a living out of tricking people into overpaying for fares by doing the slow-drive-by at bus stops for years, and the TA would protect more of its bus ridership if people knew how long they'd have to wait for a bus before paying $10 or more to get in a cab.

  18. Subway loading guidelines should definitely be re-assessed for off peak hours. The problem I have with bus loading guidelines is that they set a rather hard ceiling on the amount of service that gets offered to the mid and high ridership routes. For example, artic routes that run at 5 minutes or better are expected to hold 85 passengers per bus during rush hour. As we move towards low floor artics dominating the artic routes (quite a few are exclusively low floor already) 85 per bus is an uncomfortable loading standard given the layout of those things. Not just that in order to meet that standard or be close enough to it to for the MTA to increase service A LOT of people have to be riding through a given route's peak load point. Such is not really happening these days given the trends in bus usage.  In order for a route to achieve 100% capacity at peak artic guideline loads 1,020 passengers an hour have to pass the peak load point during rush hour. Where in this city is that happening outside of the obvious big league routes? All this means is if a route has artics running on it forget the prospect of decent headways during rush hour and the MTA wants more routes to have artics on them so go figure.


    Because it's a cost cutting measure. Two buses = two drivers, more frequent maintenance, higher fuel costs, but better service. one bigger bus = same amount of capacity but with half the labor cost, and only slightly more than half the maintenance and fuel costs, but providing inferior service.


    Bus headways have only grown over the years.

  19. That's what I don't understand... If you're traveling that late with such spacing in between trains, why so many delays in service?


    Flagging setups (especially in river tubes), track construction that requires holding trains, garbage train and work train moves that delay service, and honestly, some of the stupidest things happen in the subway overnight that cause police investigations, etc. because of moronic behavior. Then, when the train arrives at the terminal just in time for its scheduled departure, it can be expected to be delayed by such wonderful NYC specific reasons as Homeless Outreach or the NYPD awaking sleeping passengers to determine whether or not they're homeless, or a delay while a car has to be cleaned of the vomit of drunks (which takes a while to do properly).


    The fact that despite all of this, ridership is still UP on weekdays shows where the trend is. This is more just people's frustrations about weekend and overnight service in general.


    Uber has flourished because of marketing. For app based car services, Lyft is much better, and treats their employees better which leads to them providing a better service and being less rushed to make trips as fast as possible to do more and make more money. That was the flaw with the old school non-yellow cab model, and it's the flaw with Uber. It's sheer laziness though. Most people would rather use an app and be told the car is coming in 15 minutes, than go outside and street hail, and probably wait 5 minutes.

    • Upvote 1

  20. For C/Rs, these are the things that can get you fired VERY quickly once you're on your own:

    -opening with doors outside of the station or on the wrong side

    -failing an efficiency test by opening at a "DO NOT OPEN" board

    -failing an efficiency test by not pointing at the board

    -on your phone while in operation

    -excessive use of unsubstantiated (no dr lines) sick

    -excessive AWOL

    -behavioral issues (fights with coworkers, etc.)


    For T/Os, these are the things that can get you fired VERY quickly once you're on your own:

    -3 instances of bad train control, or 2 in a very short time (signal overruns, station overruns, wrong routes, etc.)

    -Major incident - derailment or split switch due to failure to read iron, overrunning a portable trip in a flagging area

    -On your phone while in operation

    -excessive use of unsubstantiated (no dr lines) sick

    -excessive AWOL

    -behavioral issues (fights with coworkers, etc.)


    These are not difficult jobs, but they are demanding, and they require you to be focused. It's not for everyone. You have to pay attention to what you are doing and be aware of what you are doing at all times. Don't get complacent...especially when you're new.

  21. When you guys yard post do you do it for the entire day or does it end up like 3 hours yard post and 5 hours hammering the subways. I tried to visualize everything. Sounds like hard job alot of times. Moving trains early in the morning and then boom you're operating the q train all the way from Brighton beach to the city.


    Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


    All posting as a student for Train Operators, you will be assigned to a trainer, and work your trainer's job under their careful observation for the entirety of the run. So minimum 8 paid hours. During that time, you will also be able to ask questions, and the trainer will go over certain things with you. Specifically regarding yard posting, your trainer should take you out to walk around the entire yard to familiarize you with the layout and any important physical characteristics, as well as the locations of towers, crew rooms, the barn, the car desk, key switches, and where the various yard leads will take you. They can also answer any questions you may have about the equipment in that yard.



    I don't know when they started but it covers all types of revenue trains (A and B division), work trains and what problems you can encounter with them. Not a fair test if you were never trained on both divisions and work trains. It's not held against you though.


    Odd...this is different than the questions in the simulator, I assume. Why make newer people take tests with work trains questions on it when they were never familiarized with it? Doesn't seem to serve much purpose...






    See above.


    As far as I know, he's done. He mixed a low home and a marker signal. They ain't trying to hear excuses.


    Next week is the final test and road ops practical. Feeling pretty good but the ecams are THE WORST! LOL! Took 3 trips for me to get the hang of it. I'm pretty sure our test is gonna be on that equipment. SMH....


    If you are talking about the 62s, that's hands down the best equipment in the system when you get a hang of it. Take a light brake, wait for it, and hold it. Those are the best braking trains in the system, so if you need more you can grab more and you'll get it. Feather down to release to smooth out the stop at the end. Never go all the way to running release and you'll be fine. Don't dip below 20 pounds at high speeds (>10 MPH) and you'll avoid lurching the train.


    Only train in the system you can fly into a station at 40 MPH and make a smooth stop without grabbing more than 40 pounds of air at any point.

    So I hope that school is redundant when it comes to practice. How do people practice a move and then 3 weeks later expect people to remember what they learned. On top of that learn signals by eye sight and definition by verbatim? Its amazing. Not trying to sound like a know it all. I don't know anything. But I can tell alot of people make mistakes in this field when they're not paying attention. If you got ADD you're definitely challenged in this field.




    Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk


    Signals are less complicated than you'd think, we see them all the time and eventually it becomes second nature. The important thing is knowing what to do when you see a signal. Plenty of people can tell you what a yellow signal means, but will you slow your train to such a speed that you won't hit the red signal you didn't see hidden behind that box or cable? Or will you be the guy sitting on your hands on the famous bench at 2 Broadway talking about ("I slowed down, but I didn't see the signal")?


    Route familiarization is just like driving. It takes time, but eventually you learn where all the "turns" are, which "lights to avoid", etc. In the beginning it will seem overwhelming, just carry route guides, respect your yellows, and before long you'll know where all the signals are.

    • Upvote 2

  22. Democrats disilusioned by big business neo liberals and hippie social justice warriors need to come together with working class Republicans who support family values, who are fed up with big business government / tax breaks for the rich and screw everyone else / government by organized religion.


    And they need to form a viable third party.


    This third party needs to have the following positions:
    -Advancement of worker pay and benefits

    -Government debt reduction

    -Lower taxes on business...coupled with tax penalties on companies that excessively reward executives well beyond the level of employees, as well as tax penalties to companies that outsource jobs.

    -High taxes on rich individuals, making investment income not subject to beneficial tax rates, and eliminating deductions for the rich

    -Bringing back Depression era financial controls that take the risks of the financial system and place them back in the hands of decision makers instead of the taxpayers or the debtors to said financial company (aka homebuyers with mortgages)

    -Universal, single payer healthcare for all which permanently decouples healthcare from employment. Or, an individual mandate to purchase insurance that also decouples healthcare from employment, which opens up insurance markets and allows REAL COMPETITION to keep costs down. If going the second option, companies providing employer sponsored healthcare must immediately boost employee compensation by the amount the company spent on that employee's premiums the following year plus any raise schedule to go into effect.

    -Reduction in pension benefits for all politicians to roughly match the benefits of public sector workers, and politicians no longer receive "free" healthcare (unless we go single payer, in which case they participate the same as we all do, and don't have no premiums).

    -Increase in funding for key consumer protection agencies such as the FDIC and PBGC.

    -Elimination of all stock options, futures, and derivative contracts as allowable compensation for executives. From now on, only shares of company stock, or restricted stock (which can't be sold for a specified period of time) are allowed. These are easy to value to determine the cost of compensation on the date of issue, and prevent companies from manipulating the price of shares to hide the real cost of compensation. Executive compensation will never be reigned in without pitting shareholders against executives.

    -"Golden parachutes" are not tax deductible to corporations.

    -Higher taxes on hedge funds and private equity funds, by eliminating the loophole that lets them treat certain "performance fees" as capital gains instead of ordinary income.

    -Companies may not hold derivatives in excess of 200% of their investments. The goal of derivatives is hedging, not speculation.

    -Eliminate ROTH IRA. All IRA, 401k, 457, SIMPLE IRA, SEP IRA accounts become tax deductible, with any gains taxed at preferential capital gains rate only. This is fair because there are caps to what can be contributed, so rich people can't use these to avoid taxes more than anyone else.

    -Eliminate payroll taxes. It should not cost a company more to hire American.

    -Mandatory minimum sentences for repeat offenders and for violent offenders. Denial of visitors for violent offenders. All forms of rape, other than statutory, classified as "violent."

    -Voluntary solitary confinement allowed in jails (aka protection from being in gen. pop)

    -"Opt out" clause. Anyone with a life sentence or greater who wishes to die may opt into the death penalty, saving the taxpayers money.

    -No more country club minimum security prisons. Medium security prison is as good as it gets. No more weights in prison. Don't allow violent offenders to become even stronger for when they are released. No pools or athletic fields. They can run or jog, but rehab should be as academic, occupational, education, or arts based as possible - not athletic.

    -Juveniles with a previous felony conviction are automatically tried as adults upon being accused of a second felony, provided they are at least 12.

    -Greater financial penalties for fraud, theft, misappropriation of assets, etc. Debt owed as a result of court award (which cannot be less than damages) cannot be discharged or reduced in any way through bankruptcy, etc.

    -Overturn Citizens United, restore contribution limits for individuals. Corporations are legal entities, but they are neither people nor US citizens as allowing them to workaround campaign finance laws essentially gives certain rich individuals a "double voice" in government. Paid advertising is compelled speech, not free speech, as something which must be paid for cannot be free.

    -Term limits for all US Senators and Representatives. 2 terms.

    -Cabinet members prohibited from working in any industry they oversaw for 4 years after leaving office. Cabinet members prohibited from working at any company they worked previous to their governmental service, ever.

    -Congress cannot vote itself a pay increase without at least a 51% job approval rating as conducted by all 4 major polling companies - Gallup, Pew, Public Policy, and Harris Interactive.

    -Congress cannot take vacations during any partial government shutdown.

    -All student loans must be fixed rate, and the rate must be disclosed at loan origination.

    -All colleges claiming non-profit status must separate their athletic budget from their academics budget, and any restricted donations. Stop dipping into academic budgets and wasting students' tuition dollars on unprofitable college athletics at most schools. Any school that fails to do this, loses its nonprofit status.

    -Colleges must keep administrative and capital expenditures under a certain percentage of the budget or lose nonprofit status. This is how you slow tuition increases, since administrative headcount and constant capital projects are why private college is so expensive. Colleges should not be free (unless through a need or merit based scholarship program), as everyone should have skin in the game. Setting GPA minimums to "keep" free tuition creates incentives to fudge grades or dumb down the quality of education so students keep free tuition, whereas the goal should be preparation for a career.

    -No TPP or other harmful-to-the-American-worker trade deals.

    -Anyone who is not disabled, a primary caregiver, over 65, or can demonstrate hardship in commuting (IE lives in the middle of nowhere w/no car) must volunteer at least 25 hours a month to a qualifying charity to receive welfare through food stamps or TANF.


    And - this is important:

    -No official nationwide party policy on "cultural" issues such as religion in schools, gay marriage, transgender bathroom usage, abortion, gun control, etc. These are ultimately STATE and even LOCAL issues based on what people in those areas want. It may sound harsh, but the reality is everyone except the .01% of this country that controls everything benefits if the above are implemented - black, white, gay, straight...doesn't matter. We all benefit. These other issues are far more divisive and we MUST table them for the much more significant fight ahead. I realize it's hard saying that to someone - telling a gay man who loves his partner his right to marry that is under attack must wait to be protected by a party, or telling a black woman the cultural issues in her community need to be settled at the local level...but this is exactly true. Because honestly, NONE of ANY of this will matter where we are headed. In less than 40 years we are looking at the following life, unless we act to change it.


    -Work until we die. At a shrinking pool of increasingly less skilled and lower paying jobs, which won't come with benefits.

    -Skyrocketing medical bills, which are made worse when our work becomes dangerous because all the non dangerous work is gone or replaced by technology

    -Less time with our families, and leisure

    -More personal debt which ensures that we will work until we die. We may never actually pay it off, so we won't be able to leave our kids with anything

    -An end to homeownership as we become slaves to landlords that extort us for rent while we never actually use home equity to grow wealth as generations have before us

    -More and more dangerous communities, as people increasingly turn to crime or lawlessness to try and get out of the cycle of poverty

    -Having a decent job doesn't guarantee you anything, as Wall Street market manipulations and crashes caused by greed threaten to wipe you out completely every few years. Having a pension or 401k won't mean anything, as Social Security and pension benefits will be cut due to "deficits" while your 401k will be subject to Casino-Or-Crash just like everything else.

    -In a severe event, even your money at the bank won't be safe, since the FDIC is underfunded and won't be able to pay you 100% of what is insured should the bank become insolvent. The PBGC, also underfunded, won't be able to save your pension when it goes bankrupt, and that will be reduced too.

    -This will lead to an influx of older people into the workforce when there are no jobs.

    -And hopefully by this point, people will be out in the streets with pitchforks hanging politicians and the rich from trees.


    This is the future if we don't put aside our differences and come together with a "for the people" party. Establishment Democrats and Republicans have shown they don't give a shit about us. Get this stuff done, then we can go back to warring over culture. Because it won't work when our culture is "work for nothing until you die, borrowing to pay your bills like a slave, in debt forever"

    • Upvote 4
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