Last night's big storm soaked the region and left thousands of homes outside of NYC without power. In fact, there are some power outages in NJ that has left PATH service suspended (or maybe it's flooding?). more ›

Yesterday, a survey revealed the unsurprising news that customers are pretty unhappy with NJ Transit's customer service, rating the service a 4.2 on a scale of 0 to 10. Now, NJ Transit is telling its customers, "Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains are subject to 30-60 minute delays in/out of NY due to power problems in one Hudson River tunnel. Midtown Direct trains are operating to/from Hoboken. PATH cross honoring rail tickets/passes at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd St." D'oh! more ›

Commutes can be a funny thing, filled with crazies and worse. Everyone's got their transit pet peeves too, like ours: the people who seem positive that if they don't blast their music at top volume they'll miss something really important. But while we have no patience for the blaster, it has one variation we can totally get behind: The singer. The person so moved by whatever they are listening to that they can't help but get into the groove and want the world to get in there with them. People like this guy: more ›

Local directions site HopStop keeps coming up with new ways to differentiate itself from GoogleMaps. First they started telling you how many calories you burn on your commute and now they've added a nifty carbon emissions calculator to their search results. more ›

This derailment of a NJ Transit train leaving Penn Station this morning translates not just into problems for NJ Transit and Amtrak—Long Island Rail Road commuters will suffer as well! The MTA said, "As a result of a New Jersey Transit train derailment near Penn Station, LIRR customers should anticipate some cancellations, track changes and delays during this evening's rush hour. NJ Transit and Amtrak will be sharing tracks 15 and 16 at Penn Station this evening as part of an effort to route their trains around the derailment. The LIRR will provide regular LIRR service from Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn and Hunterspoint Avenue in Queens." It couldn't hurt to grab a Staff Pick before you head home. more ›

A NJ Transit train derailed in the tunnel between Penn Station and the Hudson River. A rescue operation is underway to remove passengers from the train (initial reports are that only one car derailed). more ›

As one rider just Tweeted, "BITE MY LEFT NUT NJ TRANSIT!!!" NJ Transit just suspended service on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and Midtown Direct lines due to "an Amtrak power supply problem" for the afternoon/evening commute. And it was just at 7:15 a.m. when NJ Transit had to suspend service due to Amtrak's power issues! more ›

Wondering why your coworkers from outside the city are taking so long to get to the office on the first day of summer? Not their fault! A transformer fire in Brunswick, New Jersey, brought Amtrak and NJ Transit along parts of the northeast corridor to a standstill early this morning. more ›

Thanks to our bikes and the years-and-years we've been living in the greatest city in the universe, we rarely find ourselves checking directions with a site like GoogleMaps or HopStop, but a two-week-old calorie counting feature on the latter—which works for bike rides as well as train rides—might make us change our tune. If fast food joints can have calorie counts, why can't our commutes? more ›

The LIRR service disruptions, which were caused by an Amtrak train derailment in an East River tunnel on Sunday, are continuing this morning, and the MTA says get used to it. Rush hour service is expected to be affected through "at least" Wednesday. This morning the MTA reduced the number of trains that it normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush by 25 percent: a total of 22 of the 98 trains are be canceled, terminated or diverted this morning, and you can expect the same for the evening rush. On the bright side, at least everybody's keeping this situation in perspective on Twitter: more ›

After an Amtrak train derailed in an East River tunnel yesterday, the Long Island Railroad is experiencing heavy delays and a "significantly reduced" schedule this morning. 23 westbound trains are cancelled, diverted, or terminating at Jamaica Station, where passengers can transfer to the subway into Manhattan. According to the MTA, about a quarter of the trains that the LIRR normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush will be affected. Officials expect more cancellations and delays for tonight's p.m. rush as well! Let's turn to Twitter to see how people are coping: more ›

Today is President's Day, the federal holiday celebrating the birthdays of George Washington (born February 22, 1732) and Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809). The NY Times, which refers to the day as Washington's Day, notes the closings today—government offices, post offices (but the main branch on Eighth Avenue is open), schools, no sanitation pickup, financial markets—plus the fact that NYC subways and buses are on a Saturday schedule (the LIRR is on a holiday/weekend schedule while Metro-North is on a Saturday schedule). Yes, some people heading to work today got the rude awakening that the F was running along the A line between West 4th Street and Jay Street/MetroTech. more ›

Catherine Zeta-Jones is the latest to join the celebrity subway riding club, joining Madonna and two of the Kardashians. If fares keep going up, they'll soon be the only ones who can afford mass transit! According to TMZ, the actress was taking her daughter—sporting a Gryffindor bag!—to school this morning, and decided to join the commoners underground. And then, from the looks of it, hopped over to Aspen for a few runs on the fresh powder. (In reality, Zeta-Jones is waiting to find out if husband Michael Douglas is cancer-free, they are said to be finding out the news sometime this month.) more ›

Yesterday, Gov. Paterson commuted the sentence of John White, the Long Island man who was convicted of killing a teenager in a racially-charged 2006 incident, saying he wanted to "ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event." But maybe he should have spoken to the parents of victim Daniel Cicciaro Jr. before announcing his decision. "In retrospect, I would have sought the family's input," Paterson said today, after speaking with the Cicciaro family for nearly an hour about the situation. more ›

The Long Island man who was convicted of killing a teenager in a racially-charged 2006 incident had his sentence commuted by Gov. Paterson today. John White, 56, had served only seven months of his two-to-four year prison sentence for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Daniel Cicciaro Jr. when Paterson released him from prison. "While the incident and Mr. White's trial engendered much controversy and comment, and varying assessments of justice were perceived, its most common feature was heartbreak. My decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others, but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event," Paterson said today. more ›

We learned a little from the census results earlier today, and now the NY Post breaks it all down in to one depressing factoid: New Yorkers have the longest average commute in all the nation. Especially you guys in Staten Island and Queens. Here we go: more ›

There's snow on the ground, as well as patches of ice—it's supposed to stay in the mid-20s, 20 degrees below the average, today—and that's making things difficult for drivers. On Long Island, a 10-car crash closed down the Northern State in Dix Hills, while the Southern State was closed due to crashes. The Long Island Expressway was closed at multiple exits for accidents and the Hutch and Cross County are supposedly very bad as well. more ›

If you're traveling today or tomorrow for Thanksgiving, we hope that you have a safe journey. For those of us staying at home, well, just be relieved we're not fighting crowds at Penn Station or Grand Central or—shudder—a local airport on this busy travel day. more ›

After a city bed bug expert announced he had seen bed bugs on benches at subway stations as well as one bed bug "catching a ride on an unsuspecting straphanger's caboose at Brooklyn's Hoyt-Schermerhorn station," we suggested wearing disposable jumpers during your commutes. Well, keep that in mind while you watch this video, which is described on YouTube this way: "On my way to work (11/16/2010) a lady across the aisle had a look of horror upon her face. I looked at her and she said 'the bed bug'. Sure enough there it was. It was brown from being filled up with some poor commuters blood. We had just passed the 36th st in Brooklyn when the lady discovered it." more ›

[Updated] A few of our readers have noticed MetroCard vending machines fare collectors* on the Upper East Side. Situated outside a Duane Reade on East 86th Street and First Avenue, the two MetroCard fare collectors, plus a coin fare collector, are part of the Select Bus Service for the M15. more ›

Yesterday, the Long Island Rail Road said that it expected service to be normal for the Monday rush, after last Monday's switching tower fire caused the rest of the week's service to be limited—and very frustrating for commuters. LIRR President Helena Williams said, "I appreciate the challenges our customers faced during the past week and I thank them for their patience during what has been a difficult time. I would also like to thank the hundreds of railroad employees who worked around the clock to put the damaged signal and switch system back together while keeping service going and assisting our customers throughout the week." more ›

Though the trip from East Flatbush ranked #1 for the worst neighborhood from which to commute earlier this year, the recent MTA service cuts could be giving it a run for its money. Not only is it taking longer, but many commuters are having a harder time finding a seat. One told NY1, "Forget about that. What seat? You have to be very strategic and find maybe the very back of the train or the very front of the train and position yourself in such a way so you can jockey for position." Psh, savvy straphangers have been pulling that trick for years. more ›

Just in time for yesterday's evening commute, wire issues caused troubles for NJ Transit riders who were left waiting, nearly packed like sardines, at Penn Station. According to the Post, there were "delays upwards of 60 minutes," hitting the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex, Port Jervis, Montclair, and Pascack Valley lines. One weary person told WCBS 2, "One of the hazards of commuting … is dealing with delays." more ›

After enacting a huge fare hike at the beginning of the month, NJ Transit is now making good on proposed service cuts. The Star-Ledger reports that the agency, "the nation's third-largest provider of bus, rail and light rail transit cut at least two trains from each line. The cuts mean commuters might have a longer wait for trains or find cars more crowded." There has been a 2.6% decrease "in bus, rail and light rail passengers in the first week of the fare hike. Officials had anticipated a drop in ridership of up to 5 percent." more ›

The NY Post is gonna love this: A NYC Transit report has found that the Broadway pedestrian plazas have slowed down travel times on four out of five bus routes affected by the street closures. In the worst case, the M6 bus took more than 10 minutes longer to get from Central Park to Union Square during the evening rush! So does this mean the Post's dreams will come true and the DOT will let cars take over Broadway again? more ›

A new study on poverty rates in the city [PDF] reveals some information that every New Yorker already knows: taking a cab to work is the most expensive way to get there. Just 1% of the 4.3 million New Yorkers who commute take a cab to work, while most opt for the subway, and about 10% are able to walk. Traffic consultant Samuel I. Schwartz told the Times, “This reminds me of the traffic engineer’s joke about New York City. ‘Shall we walk or do we have time to take a taxi?’ Those who can afford to commute by taxi probably have the luxury of time on their side.” Hilarious. So what else does the study say about the city's commuting patterns? more ›

East Flatbush, where on average commuters spent 48 minutes getting to work in 2008! That's nearly ten minutes longer than the citywide mean, 39.4 minutes, reports the Post. Other deep Brooklyn locales offered nearly-as-grueling journeys: Brownsville residents spent 47.4 minutes door-to-door. As for East New York, the winner in a previous survey, its average commute of 63.3 minutes fell considerably to 46 minutes. Researchers say that's because people gave up on public transportation and decided to drive. more ›