The MTA is hoping that the people who complain the loudest about problems with the Second Avenue subway construction are also the people with the best ideas about how to fix them. Last Thursday night, about 75 residents congregated in a basement room at Temple Israel on the Upper East Side to ask questions and 
ICONIC SECOND AVENUE BUSINESSES STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL WITH SUBWAY CONSTRUCTION The polished floors, brand new tables, restored 90-year-old paintings and modern updates to the historic Heidelberg restaurant seem to indicate a run-of-the-mill renovation, something that happens in the normal course of operating a business. But if you look closely at the gleaming hardwood and peek 
On the otherwise calm afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 21, what was supposed to be a controlled underground blast blew rocks and debris into the streets at East 72nd Street and Second Avenue, terrifying residents and damaging a storefront. The explosion occurred as part of the Second Avenue Subway construction, and the next day, MTA officials 
By Paul Bisceglio A State Supreme Court justice has overturned a tariff meant to bolster income for the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The tariff, called the metropolitan commuter transportation mobility tax, requires employers in all 12 New York counties served by the public transportation provider to contribute 34 cents to M.T.A. for every $100 in 
By Paul Bisceglio A fire beneath a subway tunnel just north of DeKalb Avenue station caused line delays and closures Tuesday evening. The two-alarm blaze began around 3 p.m., and was caused by a shorted cable beneath a manhole, according to FDNY. Authorities removed power from the station as firefighters arrived on the scene 
by Paul Bisceglio Have a favorite subway line? So does the New York Public Interest Research Group, whose Straphangers Campaign released its annual State of the Subway report last week. The report ranks subway lines from best to worst by compiling MTA New York City Transit data from 2011 in six categories: amount of scheduled 
