HubTalk Chronicles Podcast

Happy New Year, all. As announced this week by New York's Governor Kathy Hochul, the Brooklyn-Queens InterBorough Express will be under review by the MTA. The projected line, which was the former LIRR Bay Ridge branch, will carry 74,000 - 80,000 passengers daily between Southeast Brooklyn and Northern Queens. Project is slated for $1-2 Billion. What do you guys think about this new project? Please...

365 days came and went. Another year in the books. In this episode, we discuss every bus order, every transit transfer, the debut of OMNY cards, subway detours/general orders, and how both the American Rescue Plan and The Infrastructure & Jobs Investment Act helped saved the MTA from potential service cuts/fare hikes and how it funded projects such as the Second Av Subway, LIRR East Side Acces...

The R32 retirement run from this past Sunday was a total disaster. Its run ended early due to the rotten, despicable behavior from other inconsiderate people. Listen as the Hub calls out the horrific behavior of those who ruins the railfanning hobby for everyone. Also, the Hub will be addressing the idiocy that is Kenneth Rembert. Lastly, in 2022, the HubTalk Chronicles will be expanding to Apple...

The Phase II of the Second Avenue Subway will become a reality, thanks to President Biden's Infrastructure and Jobs Investment Plan. The project will cost $23B. Three new stations will be built along Second Avenue at 106th and 116th Sts and at 125th St/Park Avenue in Manhattan to connect with the (4)(5)(6) lines and Metro-North. Also, updates on the new New Flyer and NovaBus/Prevosts orders? Are y...

Today, President Joseph R. Biden Jr., signed his $1.2T Infrastructure Bill into full fruition. This bill now gives full leeway for our nation's crumbling foundation to be upgraded. How will this bill be helpful for the Empire State? The Hub breaks down where the money will go based for highways, water, airports, rail, and mass transit. Please listen and enjoy.  

In this episode of the HubTalk Chronicles, we will discuss and review the halting of the AirTrain to LaGuardia Airport. Environmental Review and Transportation Alternatives have been called for a review by Governor Kathy Hochul and Port Authority officials. What do you guys feel about the LGA AirTrain? Listen and enjoy.

In this episode of the HubTalk Chronicles, we will be talking about the Crosstown (G) Line. For all the (G) line customers, you guys are in luck. The SMEEs 4-car consists of R46 and R68/As will be swapped with 5-car consists of R160s. The (G) will be going back home from the Coney Island Yard to the Jamaica Yard, the first time since 2010 when the (G) was severed from Queens Blvd in the 2010 cuts....

MTA announced the environmental review process for the Metro-North Penn Station Access Project is now fully complete. Four New stations will be built in the Southeastern section of the Bronx, serving Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park, and Co-Op City. All the stations will be ADA Accessible. It will be named the Hell Gate line, which will be connected to the New Haven line. Also, sound...

Sui Ling Ko, a 34-year veteran of NYCT’s Department of Subway Car Equipment has become the first female head of Subway Car Maintenance. She will oversee the subway fleet of 7,092+ cars and the 24/7 operations of the 13 maintenance, two overhaul and locomotive shops. 5 suspects have showed up to the Steinway Street subway stop in Astoria, Queens with a stolen CitiBike and dumped it on the southboun...

Governor Kathy Hochul addresses the power outage that transpired in the NYC underground subway system from this past Sunday. Frank Anncano, a transportation industry veteran, has been appointed to be the Acting MTA Bus President and Senior Vice President of NYCT Bus. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) gives praise and a push for federal funding for the (L) Train Tunnel Project. Disab...

Today is the 30th anniversary of the tragic 1991 Union Square Derailment Wreck that has left 5 people deceased and 161 people injured. The motorman in question was intoxicated while on duty operating a southbound (4) train. He overshot two stations in the Bronx and caused one of the worst accidents in NYCTA history. The disgraced, drunk operator was found not guilty of murder but was found guilty...

This past weekend’s General Order for the headways (gap in service) for the (F) & (G) trains have been horrendous to say the least despite of the #TakeTheGToTheSea rally. A Motorman (Train Operator) is in hot water for allowing his girlfriend to drive a subway train in Brooklyn. Some subway stations and lines have been pointed out to be the most congested in the subway system. The (D) train wi...

The leadership of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York had a huge shakeup this past week. Also, with Andrew Cuomo stepping down as Governor of New York, will his plan to split the Chairperson/CEO roles (normally held by one person) will be split into two by the state Senate? What will the MTA be like under incoming Governor Kathy Hochul? Lastly, the $1.2T infrastructure plan has b...

(G) Trains are going to/from Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue during the weekends of August 6-9 and 13-16, which is from late Friday to early Monday. This is due to electrical improvements on the (F) line between Jay Street-MetroTech and Bergen Street. As a result, service changes are also coming to the (C), (E), & (F) lines. How will your weekend travels be affected by this? Well, the Hub explai...

What a month July was. The 1st R211A cars arrived on property. The agency’s employees took part in the Hometown Heros parade. $109B went for mass transit funding in the INVEST In America Act. Service changes coming to (C), (E), (F), & (G) lines next month for two weekends and a huge shift in MTA Leadership (That will be on the next HubTalk episode). Read all about it on the latest Hub Chronicl...

A Southbound B49 Bus crashed into a brownstone building at Bedford Avenue & Lincoln Road. All involved in the accident are fine with mild injuries, non-life threatening. The bus was pulled from the building this past Friday. Andrew Cuomo appoints Sarah Feinberg to be the next MTA Chairperson, the first female to ever hold the position. He also appointed current MTA Construction & Developme...

With COVID-19 cases dwindling down, masks mandates are being lifted (for the most part), restaurants, and public venues are slowly returning to full capacity. The New York City Subway system has also brought back full 24/7 service recently due to supply and demand. Also, there is an uptick increase of crime underground, making the subways unsafe in the process. How do you feel about NYC's return t...

The 2021 Mayoral Democratic Race underway and with the primaries in less in two months. The candidates talk about all things transportation in NYC in terms of Control of the MTA, Bus Access & Bike Lanes, and Commuting Plans, Cops in Subway, & BQX (Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown Streetcar route). We will discuss their answers and analyze their responses. Please listen and enjoy. 

This month, the rising fare-payment system OMNY has reached over 339K taps. We take a dive into the new and rising fare payment that has gotten popular with New Yorkers and discuss the development of OMNY, the distribution of OMNY cards, and the history of the fare payment system in NYCT. Also, a review of the Triboro RX route plan, where the operation will be between Co-Op City, The Bronx and St....

New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo is under hot water as of recent; ranging from the nursing home scandal to being accused of unwanted advances by six women to threatening State Assemblyman Ron Kim from Flushing. But the one thing that eludes from the mind of fellow New Yorkers is the way he treated ex-NYCT President and current TfL (Transport for London) commissioner, Andy Byford. In this episode,...

The Queens Bus Redesign Bus Network is currently on hold due to this pandemic. In this episode, we discuss the draft plan for the bus network for Queens. It incorporates the various discontinued routes from 2010 and as well as reroutes, shortenings, and extensions. They are also routes that has non-stop segments and all bus stops will be 1,000 feet apart for better coverage. For more information a...

Rigoberto Lopez aka the (A) Train Serial Stabber had everyone in New York City on edge. He stabbed up four people, ultimately killing two homeless people. In this episode, we take a look back at last weekend's crime in the subways that shocked us to the core, and people still saying that crime is down; SMH. Anyways, also discussing the MTA's plan to hire a company to bring accessibility to a compl...

The R179s have been around for a while. In this episode, we will take a look back of the order that cost the MTA both time and money. The R179s ranged problems ranged from door malfunctions to a drawbar couple being de-linked. This car class was labeled as "LEMONS" due to the amount of problems that this class encountered over the last couple of years. The R211A's base order will be running on the...

New York's MTA is expecting three new bus orders, which will be delivered this year. The 2021 Prevost X3-45 for MTA Bus & NYCT, the 2021 Novabus LFS/LFS HEVs for NYCT and the 2021 New Flyer XDE40s for NYCT. In this episode, we will break down the orders and discuss how many buses consist in each order and its cost per contract. This episode is 41 minutes long. So please sit back and enjoy.&nbs...

MetroNorth Yard Worker William Pepe (33 from Beacon, NY) and far right-winged conspiracy theorist Steven Rosati (28 from Lindenhurst, NY) have recently been arrested for their roles in the deadly January 6th Capitol Hill insurrections. Their actions they both took that day was awful and disgusting. It compromises the values of the MTA, their sub-agencies, and the state of New York. In my eyes, bot...