Tunnels!

Plus: the war between e-bikers and regular bikers [View this email in your browser]( Some Exciting Updates On Tunnels Plus: The MTA's computer system got hacked. Citi Bike set a monthly ridership record in May. And a feud is brewing between e-bike riders and regular bike riders over who owns the paths. By James Ramsay [a construction worker walks through an LIRR tunnel at Grand Central] Stephen Nessen/Gothamist Long Island Rail Road trains are now (almost!) ready to pull into Grand Central Terminal. Late last week, construction wrapped on the 15-year, $11 billion project to bring LIRR service to the East Side of Manhattan, which will ease pressure on Penn Station and make commutes faster for an estimated 160,000 Long Islanders who don't want to go all the way to the West Side. Crews are now putting the finishing touches on the tunnels and platforms, after which LIRR conductors will need to go through several months of training on how to pull into Grand Central. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he expects this new section — which includes a mezzanine level, four levels of platforms, 22 elevators, 47 escalators, and space for 25 retail shops — to open to the public some time next year. At that point, the governor hopes, most Midtown office workers will be ready to resume their normal commutes and office hours. The platforms and hallways, which have a similar aesthetic to the 2nd Avenue subway stations, look pretty nice. ([Here are 17 pictures that reporter Stephen Nessen took during a recent tour]( [the North River Tunnel between New Jersey and Penn Station] Edwin Torres/Gov. Phil Murphy's Office Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the Biden administration has approved plans for a new tunnel under the Hudson River into Penn Station, and signaled that half of the $11.6 billion needed for the Gateway Project, as it's known, could come from the infrastructure bill currently being worked out in Congress. But drama quickly erupted around the differences between how Cuomo wants to tackle the project — which requires both repairing Sandy-damaged tunnels and building a new tunnel — versus how the feds want to do it. The original plan, supported by both Washington and Amtrak (which owns the tunnels), is to build the new tunnel first, and then fix the existing tunnels in a way that would require closing them to trains. Cuomo, coming off the apparent success of the MTA's L train tunnel repairs that required only service disruptions rather than full cancellations, wants to keep the tunnels in operation while they're being fixed. He even threatened to withdraw New York's portion of the funding if the feds completely close any tunnels. "I’m not going to pay unless it is a smart, efficient, effective process, period," Cuomo said. "And if the federal government wants to do stupid, they can do stupid with their money. But we’re not going to do stupid with our money." Janno Lieber, the chief development officer for the MTA, only said that the state-run transit agency is now in talks with Amtrak to repair the tunnels "simpler and more efficiently." As things stand, the construction is expected to take [eight years]( to complete. — [Reporting by David Cruz]( Here's What Else Is Happening The MTA has confirmed that it was hacked back in April. The transit agency was among several organizations that had their computer systems broken into by hackers with possible ties to China, but outside cybersecurity companies who performed an audit found that nothing was disrupted. The MTA nonetheless said it's looking to add more protections for its computer network. ([Gothamist]( Mayor Bill de Blasio said he'll support a redesign of McGuinness Boulevard in Greenpoint after a teacher recently died crossing the road. Locals who've long complained about the dangerous five-lane roadway say they want a lane in each direction removed. The mayor's office said they'll speak with the community and study the boulevard before announcing further details of their plan. ([Gothamist]( Citi Bike set a new ridership record in May. The bike share company recorded 2,709,684 rides last month after expanding into the West Bronx, Inwood, Astoria, and Sunset Park. While touting the Citi Bike record, Mayor de Blasio on Wednesday also announced the locations for 30 new miles of protected bike lanes. ([AM New York]( An F train conductor received a New York State Heroism Award for abruptly stopping his train before it hit a man on the tracks. Last month, after a 35-year-old Asian man was pushed onto the tracks at the 21 Street−Queensbridge station, train operator Tobin Madathil managed to stop his train before reaching the victim. The NYPD is investigating the assault as a potential "bias incident." ([QNS]( NJ Transit is adding 60 trains to its lines, including 12 more Bayhead shuttles for beachgoers. So far, NJ Transit has seen weekday ridership hit about 30% of pre-pandemic levels, while weekend ridership is closer to 50%, suggesting a coming surge in demand for trains to and from the shore. ([NJ.com]( Several South Asian New Yorkers are running for City Council on promises to help taxi drivers escape a debt crisis. Mamnun Haq, a Brooklyn cab driver and the co-founder of the Taxi Workers Alliance, and Felicia Singh and Jaslin Kaur, who are both daughters of cab drivers from Queens, are all Democrats running in separate City Council races this year, and they're pushing for a bolder relief program for drivers left underwater from having to buy exorbitantly expensive taxi medallions. ([THE CITY]( The Times has some recommendations for hiking and biking trails to take advantage of over the warm and sunny weekend ahead. Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx. The Hudson River Greenway in Manhattan. Governors Island. All have trails. All are open. ([The New York Times]( Bikers and e-bikers: Ride safely, and be nice to each other. Seniors who've taken to e-bikes because they're easier on the body have faced some backlash from regular cyclists who think that e-bikes are 1) cheating, and 2) dangerously fast for crowded paths. ([The Wall Street Journal]( [the logo for the Classical Commute playlist] Nothing says "warm-weather jaunt in New York" — down to the sweet ding of a bike bell — like the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra's "Delicioso: Tango Aristocratico." So, WQXR included it in this week's Classical Commute playlist. [Stream it for free on Spotify](. [a photo of James Ramsay sitting on a vespa] James Ramsay was not the hacker. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. 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