Former New York MTA Chair Kiley dies

PenneyVanderbilt

Robert Kiley, the fifth chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), died Aug. 9 at the age of 80.

Kiley served as MTA chairman from 1983, when he was appointed by then-New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, to January 1991.

He was a “principle catalyst of the system’s remarkable transportation — from a symbol of urban decay to today’s modern and vital economic engine,” said MTA officials in a press release.

One of Kiley’s most enduring legacies was the removal of graffiti throughout New York City’s subway system. He also was instrumental in advancing MTA New York City Transit’s fare system from tokens to the MetroCard.

Kiley put in place the first and second MTA capital programs, overseeing more than $167 billion worth of investments in the city’s transit network. He focused the investments on the network’s core infrastructure such as trains, buses, track, signals and thousands of components that most…

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New York’s Subway Expansion: A Disaster Only Government Could Create….An Op-Ed View

PenneyVanderbilt

New York’s Subway Expansion: A Disaster Only Government Could Create

Even those who love liberty often concede that the construction and maintenance of infrastructure are among government’s “legitimate” duties. As for folks who idolize the State, forget it: “But—but who would build roads and—and highways and bridges?” they quaver when confronting the idea of a stateless society.

In New York City, that infrastructure extends to another “public good”: its world-famous subways (or –infamous, if you’ve languished between stations on these noisy, crowded, dirty trains). The design and implementation of this rarely rapid transit dates from the early 1900s—and it shows.

Neither politicians nor straphangers can decide the SAS’s “worth” since only buyers spending their own money determine whether an exchange is equitable.

Then, in 2007, the City’s rulers undertook the “first major expansion of the subway system in over 50 years” with the Second Avenue Subway (SAS). “When fully completed…

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Chicago and Alton 1879 Depot, Independence, Missouri

John Cowgill's Literature Site

This  is  the  old  Chicago  and  Alton  Depot  in  Independence,  Misoouri.  It  was  moved  from  its  original  site  to  be  preserved  from  demolition.  Today,  it  houses  a  museum.

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MTA gears up for systemwide subway cleanup

PenneyVanderbilt

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) next month will launch a multipronged plan to clean up trash on New York City subway tracks.

Dubbed “Operation Track Sweep,” the initiative is aimed at improving the station environment and reducing track fires and delays caused by garbage and debris on the track, according to an MTA press release.

As part of the plan, MTA on Sept. 12 will kick off a two-week track cleaning “blitz” at all 469 stations. The cleanup on underground stations will be performed at night, when ridership is the lowest, MTA officials said. During the day, workers will clean tracks at outdoor and elevated stations.

In addition, MTA is working with two manufacturers to develop a portable track vacuum system that can be deployed quickly, operated from platforms and easily moved from one station to the next. Vacuum prototypes are slated to arrive in November or December, MTA officials…

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Why The Mainstream Media Refuses To Talk About The Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP]

TheBreakAway

Source: UndergroundReporter.org
Claire Bernish
August 2, 2016

United States — After two years with nary a mention from the mainstream press, the corporate windfall otherwise known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) finally earned some, albeit still inadequate, attention.

Considering a New York Timespoll from June 2015, which found an alarming 78 percent of respondents had no substantial knowledge of the looming agreement — 30 percent said they hadn’t heard or read much about it, while 48 percent had zero knowledge of it whatsoever — the dearth in coverage by mainstream media allowed the TPP to go virtually unnoticed by the public it directly affects.

From August 1, 2013 through January 31, 2015, Media Matters for America tracked how often the TPP earned a mention from the Big Three major cable news outlets: CNN, Fox, and MSNBC. During that lengthy period, CNN andFox acknowledged the TPP…

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