It’s had to do with a week given that New York City has actually resumed and everyday ridership depends on almost 900,000 on New York City buses and trains.
While cases of COVID-19 are declining.
It continues to be the risk of the Coronavirus that towers above the city.
But as the train system roars back to life.
We need to ask now what?
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With me is chairman and CEO of the MTA Pat Foye, Pat thanks for joining me.
Thanks for having me Roger.
Now it’s been a bit over a week given that the city’s resumed in stage 1, what has ridership resembled?
Ridership has really been an enjoyable surprise.
We understood we would get a boost, comparing the other day Monday, the 15th to 2 weeks ago prior to we increase service and the guv noted.
Announced the stage one ridership on trains and buses has actually increased an overall of 380,000 clients.
That’s about 207,000 on trains, and 175,000 basically on buses.
380,000 individuals daily is the size of a quite, you understand Medium sized transit system.
[COUGH] So, we’re [COUGH] Pleased by that.
We anticipate ridership to continue to grow certainly the summer season and this is going to be an uncommon summertime from New York City and and the residential areas.
And you understand what ridership will do this summertime is unidentified, however we anticipate to continue to construct And particularly after Labor Day presuming that you understand New York City goes into Phase Two of the guvs of New York obviously.
So you discussed those numbers.
Like I stated almost 9 hundred Thousand everyday riders, that is, you understand off the highs of the pre Coronavirus age where we’re speaking about millions, right so I’m curious there are still a great deal of individuals out there worried that they may get contaminated that there may be a 2nd wave.
For folks out there who are still reluctant, like what do you inform individuals to assure them that the New York transit system is safe to take a trip once again?
So here’s what I inform them a couple things.
One is [COUGH] I inform them that what I got on the 711 I believe it ran out Fort Washington today.
There was lots of seats, the automobile smelled and look tidy and every client as far as I can inform, and every worker putting me at a mask.
The exact same held true when I go to Penn Station and got on the 2 or 3 and after that gotten in touch with the one at chambers.
It appeared to me every client was using a mask.
Masks are actually crucial.
The guv is satisfied using a mask on public transit, a part of state law.
Employees and clients are needed to use Wear masks.
We did a physical research study about 10 days ago which suggested that train riders 92% mask compliance.
We’re upgrading that research study today and the most recent information point is 95%.
That’s exceptionally crucial.
The newest research study from worldwide consisting of a report a number of days back, from Cambridge and French universities in the UK.
Indicates that masks are actually crucial.
The trains on public transportation does not appear to have actually been vectors and producing the pandemic in any part of the world.
We think That’s real likewise in New York assisted living home, certainly meatpacking plants, and individuals’s houses have actually been substantial factors.
Obviously the general public health medical professionals and epidemiologist will figure that out.>>So even to your point about mass and how crucial they are, I’m simply curious how You are motivating authors to continue using masks.
I simply asked cuz I’ve left the last number of weekends and I’ve saw about my the folks here in Long Island where I live.
Fewer and less individuals are using masks.
Granted, they’re not riding the train or riding a train, however how do you I think Encourages there’s no chance to actually impose it.
But how do you motivate authors to continue to use masks and to be more alert when it pertains to social distancing?
Good concern multi step strategies.
So we have actually been dispersing masks in the train stations beginning last Monday, June 8, when stage one began.
We’re continuing that, we have actually got a robust messaging and interactions project.
On train cars and trucks on train platforms on the site, we’ll be doing.
We’re beginning a digital project on that.
So the mass message has actually been robustly interacted.
We’re going to continue to do that.
We’ve got workers, platform controllers and use finders wayfinders who are likewise recommending to clients, you do not have a mask and I’ll go upstairs Get one you require to be using it once again on transit, Long Island Railroad and the trains my anecdotal experience, everyone’s using them.
And the 95% information point on train mass compliance I believe is actually crucial.
In addition to that, given that the pandemic began right, the very first taste was reported in New York, March 1 or 2nd, we began sanitizing our train stations.
train cars and trucks, buses, Metro North and Long Island Railroad that continues and I’ll talk in a 2nd about a number of developments that we’re actually delighted about.
But every station is being decontaminated, unclean, decontaminated, two times a day.
Subway cars and trucks several times a day.
buses, Long Island Railroad Metro North cars and trucks st the exact same thing.
We are running a pilot today on New York City transit, train cars and trucks and buses.
Involving ultraviolet see light.
We did a pilot prior to that with Dr. David Brenner at the Irving Medical Center at Columbia University.
And Dr. Brenner verified for the very first time that ultraviolet see light eliminate the COVID-19 infection.
That’s Really crucial finding.
We are dealing with antimicrobials on and have actually released antimicrobials on all of our train cars and trucks 2 and a half or 3 times.
At this point we’re awaiting confirmation from independent laboratories, The regulators, however it seems the case that there’s a good deal of guarantee with regard to the capability of the anti microbials to eliminate the COVID-19 infection and to do that for weeks and maybe months that
They like it.
UV light in specific, I actually desired since I discover that interesting.
In regards to what you have actually discovered, it appears like there’s some development there.
How extensively is that being released?
Because you stated the server trial is that something that’s being released into every automobile today or is this sort of restricted?
So it’s a pilot?
We ran a we ran a presentation 2 or 3 weeks back and the business that we’re dealing with and there are lots of suppliers out there.
You and your audiences on doubtedly understand that ultraviolet light is a recognized innovation.
That’s Has been utilized in healthcare facility settings emergency clinic and running spaces for years.
Right, so, the infection and germs elimination [COUGH] qualities of ultraviolet C light is popular.
We’re running a pilot with the 3 stanchions, short-lived stanchions put in each train automobile.
There are 2 gadgets per stanchion.
I’d state they’re the size of a hardbound book.
[COUGH] And the operator needs to validate that there’s no one on the other train either a staff member or Or a client.
The ultraviolet light is triggered and it will sanitize the automobile.
We’re doing the exact same pilot on busses, and we are actually motivated by the development, and actually motivated by Dr. Brenner’s finding.
And to your point about social distancing, there is an app that you people presented the other day that a capability tracker app for the LIRR.
For simply self-centered factors, I’m interested since I’m a day-to-day LIRR rider.
But inform me a bit about that, how it works.
Yeah, it’s an actually cool development purchased by Phil Lang who’s president of Long Island Railroad.
Will Fisher who’s a Chief Innovation Officer and simply long island railway smarts.
It utilizes sensing units on the 90% of our fleet that is electrical.
And it will inform clients it’s a long island railway train time by the method, Apple Store or Google totally free.
You can download it, and I go to the app a number of times a day and now I’ll be going more however it provides clients information that if you’re getting on the 450 to port Jefferson, the 3rd automobile is more congested than the 5th automobile.
And perhaps the 4th automobile is the one you wanna select in regards to the capability, Passenger capability that’s being utilized.
So riders clients will have that information at their fingertips and have the ability to utilize it in regards to making choices as they decrease the stairs at Penn Station or fitness center or Jamaica, to the to the train to decide to go to a less congested automobile.
Really fantastic work done by completing will Fisher in the whole Long Island railways.
And is that innovation scalable?
like can you bring that over to the train to buses and somewhere else?
The response is obviously there’ll be various releases since those are Pieces of rolling stock are various.
But obviously, when Phil showed that out of bringing it to Metro North in the trains was the very first among the very first things we considered, obviously.
And those infrared sensing units did you did you need to include real brand-new hardware to make this work or did you utilize existing elements currently on the train?
Like how did how did you get the sensing units released so rapidly.
We utilized existing devices, for the a lot of part, there was some extra sensing units that needed to be included.
But since of the pandemic, Phil made it a top priority and I’m actually pleased with what he and his group provided for long island railway clients quickly to be broadened moving forward.
Can you inform me a bit about what strategies you have in location in case there is a 2nd manner in which’s continuously being spoken about that In reality, simply may return up.
What is sorta the fallback strategy if there is that 2nd wave or brand-new spike in coronavirus infections?
Well, appearance, we’re all hoping that’s not the case.
What we will perform in that case, as we consider it now as a theoretical matter, certainly We will aim to the guv for instructions.
He will if that were to take place, and I believe Governor Cuomo has actually done a remarkable task here in regards to stopping the spread, and flattening the curve.
But if that were to take place, we’d be aiming to the guv, the state Commissioner of Health.
We’re not public health authorities.
We’re not epidemiologists And so the choices regarding, what would take place if there were a spike.
We’ll be at a basic level made by Governor Cuomo and the state Commissioner of Health.
We certainly will remain in a position to Respond having actually simply gone through this and we’ll be utilizing the brand-new Long Island Railroad train time app.
Undoubtedly we’ll be utilizing among the sanitizing developments that were that were that we’re taking a look at it will continue to pilot.
We since we developed with Dr. Brenner, the.
COVID-19 elimination qualities ultraviolet see light.
We honestly gladly been flooded in our Chief Innovation Officer defined Has been dealing with all sorts of producers and companies on the sanitizing concern and lots of others.
And I’m curious in taking this more broadly, certainly this is this is assisting useful to folks here in the New York location.
Are you dealing with other public transportation systems worldwide to type of share finest practices, innovations like this infrared sensing unit or the UV cleaner Cleaning method.
Yeah, the response is, obviously, about an hour ago prior to this interview, I was on a webinar spoke on a webinar at that app to the American Public Transit Association, which is represents public transit companies in America.
We’ve been dealing with Get, certainly we have actually got relationships with the general public transit companies, United States.
But we have actually likewise connected to companies in Asia and Europe.
They entered into the pandemic previously then the United States of York came out earlier.
And we have actually been speaking with their trade association along with public health authorities, the Commissioner of Health of teachers at Johns Hopkins University to make certain that.
Our objective throughout has actually been to take every action we can to lessen threat to our clients and to our workers.
And that continues to be our very first top priority.
All right, finally, this is somewhat off subject, however you people have actually been working to get cell signals in trains for several years.
I understand a lot of them are linked.
I’m simply curious if there’s any upgrade on.
Wiring up those train stations, the trains and where 5G type of plays into that since it’s an individual family pet job of mine.
Sure.
So here’s the response.
We’ve got cell service in all our stations.
We are it’s public that we are dealing with the L train in between stations.
That work is is working out.
And we’ll be making a statement on that, in the future, and we’re devoted to circuitry the whole system in between stations, we understand how crucial that is to our clients nowadays.
And that’s development that we’re devoted to make.
