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Talking Transportation: Higher Fares, New Ticket Rules on Metro-North Offer Passengers No Improvements

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Jim Cameron

As predicted, fares are going up on Metro-North by 5% starting Sept. 1, with another 5% hike coming next July.  

The final approval came days ago from the MTA, parent of Metro-North, which rubber-stamped CDOT’s fare hike decision.  At least one MTA Board Member called the hikes “scary” and another exclaimed that he was “actually kind of offended”.  But, hey … there is nobody on the MTA Board representing Connecticut riders so they both voted to approve the hike as did the entire MTA Board.  After all, it’s not their money.

Mind you, the MTA is also shortly expected to approve a 4.4% fare hike for New York’s Metro-North riders as well as a 25 cent increase for NYC subways and buses, so put that in your pipe of moral indignation and smoke it.

As I explained a few weeks ago, the Connecticut fare increase can be blamed on the Governor and legislature, which knowingly under-cut the CDOT budget, pretty much telling the agency to raise fares to make up the difference.  After all, they seem to assume that everyone who rides Metro-North along Connecticut’s “gold coast” is a millionaire.  

But a 10% increase in one year?  On top of a 4.5% hike just two years ago?  That adds up to a compounded 15.2% increase since 2023 … way more than inflation.  Remember, Metro-North has a captive audience and can do anything it wants.

And adding insult to injury, there are new ticket rules coming!

With more and more commuters buying one-way e-tickets (57%) instead of monthly passes (36%), those tickets will automatically be activated on purchase, not when you get on the train and activate them yourself.  Why?  Because, the railroad says, 55% of ticket holders don’t activate their tickets until they see the conductor coming around.  

But isn’t it the conductor’s job to collect those fares and put seat checks on each row?

According to MTA Deputy Chief Jessica Lazarus, “Conductors are spending more than 20,000 hours each year reminding customers to activate one-way mobile tickets”.  Really?  How did they come up with that metric? 

Requiring activation of the ticket at time of purchase, she says, will, “recapture those hours that can be better put to use for fare collection and train safety operations.”  Like enforcing the “no radios rule” and “no feet on seats”?

If you’re doing a same-day roundtrip, you won’t buy two one-way tickets but, instead, a new Day Pass.  Good for unlimited travel until 4 am the next day, day-trippers using the pass will get a 10% fare discount compared to buying two one-way peak tickets.

For hybrid commuters, after buying 10 one-way tickets within two weeks the eleventh will be free.  For Seniors, the disabled and those on Medicare the new reduced fare ticket will be valid at all times, even in the morning peak.

Make no mistake: fare evasion is a serious problem for MTA, which estimates they lose $700 million each year, most of it on buses ($315 M) and subways ($285 M).  Metro-North losses are estimated at $44 M.  Given that train fares are much more expensive than bus and subway, that’s not a lot of commuter scofflaws; just 6% of riders compared to 15% of subways riders and 37% of bus passengers.

Of course, bus riders can easily board by the rear door and subway riders can jump over turnstiles.  On Metro-North we have conductors.  It’s an hour-long ride from Stamford to Grand Central Terminal, plenty of time to look at everyone’s ticket … which they will still have to do even under the new rules.

But what about the Dashing Dan running to make his train, grabbing a seat and then trying to buy an e-ticket in a cellphone dead spot, nervously watching the conductor moving down the aisle?  No ticket to show?  You’ll get whacked with a $2 surcharge.

Here are the optics: CT lawmakers short-change the CDOT budget, basically saying “let the commuters pick up the tab.”  Now MTA makes commuting less convenient with new ticket rules.

We all end up paying more and getting no improvement.  The trains are no faster or reliable … and maybe less attractive as a transportation choice.

Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

The Movie Man: Happy Gilmore 2 ‘Worth the Wait’

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Kevin Ganey is ‘The Movie Man’

Adam Sandler’s long-anticipated sequel to the cult-classic Happy Gilmore has been worth the wait as we get another glimpse into the life of the lovable misfit golfer.

Normally I approach long-awaited sequels with apprehension. Star Wars and Indiana Jones taught me that in my formative years. And then there was exploring the franchises whose studio bosses could not take the hint that the world was not interested in films such as Jaws: The Revenge.

But not this time.

If anybody reading this review loved the original Happy Gilmore, I urge you to find a time to watch it as soon as possible. It is a Netflix release, after all. The sequel contains a myriad of Easter Eggs paying homage to the cult classic that can make you laugh and even warm your heart.

Returning stars Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, and Ben Stiller deliver; in addition to a litany of cameos ranging from golfers (Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Jack Nicklaus are among them) to current acting phenomenon Margaret Qualley to rapper Bad Bunny. There are also the expected cameos of Sandler’s comedy friends Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Jon Lovitz, and Steve Buscemi.

Much can also be said about tribute that was paid to the original cast members, who died in the three decades since its 1996 release.

There is no doubt that the critics will not laud this movie. The original Happy Gilmore was not well-received upon its release but became an instant cult classic. And while I do not believe it will leave as large of an impact as the original, I think it’s a sequel worth watching.

I believe it will be on the level of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. For perspective, I have memorized every line of The Hangover but never saw any of its sequels. Very rarely does a sequel surpass the original movie, and it’s even scarcer in comedy. But, as I have written before in my review for Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler has demonstrated his motivation is not to satisfy the critics, but his fans.

In this long-awaited follow-up, we get a more intimate and vulnerable glimpse into the title-character, who has now hit rock-bottom. Having tossed aside the golf clubs and picked up bad drinking habits, Happy is given his incentive to get back in the game: sending his daughter, Vienna (Sandler’s real-life daughter, Sunny), to a prestigious dance academy in France.

It certainly adds to the necessary tension of any sports movie, with many additional moments giving Happy more reasons to come out on top. In addition, there are important pieces of wisdom peppered throughout its runtime.

I have commented extensively about this hybrid era of movie-going where the audience is given the opportunity to watch at home or take a trip to the local cinema. My previous review for James Gunn’s Superman contained a summons to screen it at the theater, particularly an IMAX screening for its special effects. While there are actual moments that include special effects in Happy Gilmore 2, I think that the viewer will be perfectly content watching this from the comfort of their own home. If you wish to make a social occasion of this movie, feel free to search for a theater option.

But you will not be missing anything major by watching this through Netflix. Just don’t watch it on your phone (unless there are no other options). Will there be a Happy Gilmore 3 released in the next 30 years? Who knows? By that time, Sandler’s mobility will be limited, and I cannot see him performing his iconic golf swing without the use of AI.

For now though, we can all enjoy Happy Gilmore 2.

About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)

Talking Transportation: Improving Danbury Branch of Metro-North

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Jim Cameron

How would you feel if your usual means of commuting went on a summer vacation?  

Riding the ancient Danbury branch of Metro-North is hard enough, but now it’s going to be shut down for two weeks, the trains replaced by buses from Aug. 1 through 17.

The 24-mile-long, mostly single-track railroad from South Norwalk to The Hat City carries about 2000 daily riders at an average speed of 27 mph.  Now those riders will get to enjoy the “bustitutes,” which will make the journey faster than the train.

During the train outage, crews will improve the tracks and several grade-crossings. What won’t be addressed is long-discussed re-electrification of the line. Yes, the Danbury line used to be electrified, just like the main line along the Connecticut coast.

It was in 1959 that the last electric locomotive pulled a train on the Danbury branch, “under the wire.”  Why did that change? Here’s a synopsis of what I wrote a couple of years ago…

Most rail historians, like former New Haven and Metro-North veteran Jack Swanberg blame, one man for the de-electrification: Patrick B McGuiness, then-President of the New Haven. “He was not a good railroad man,” said Swanberg, a master of understatement. In his two years running the mighty, private and once profitable New Haven Railroad, McGuiness made terrible choices we’re still living with today.

At the NH Railroad, predecessor to Metro-North, McGuiness cut maintenance and laid off staff, trying to goose up the stock price.  But it was when General Motors came calling that he made his biggest error.

The New Haven’s real profits came from running passengers and freight on the main line from NYC to Boston.  Because steam and diesel locomotives were not allowed in Grand Central, the New Haven was one of the first railroads to electrify, starting in 1909, but only as far as New Haven.

For trains running north to Boston they needed to waste time and expense changing engines (from electric to steam and later diesel) in New Haven. McGuiness thought he could avoid that when GM introduced its hybrid FL-9 loco, railroad’s Prius of its day: running all electric in third rail territory, then running diesel.

In the 1950s, the New Haven ordered 60 FL-9s from General Motors, replacing their classic but boxy looking EP-2 electrics built by General Electric.  By 1959 that meant no more electric service on the Danbury branch. In 1965 they finally took down the copper-wire catenary, selling it for scrap like some sort of junkie.

But the FL-9s were not performing well.  

While the original EP electrics had 4000 hp, the hybrid FL-9s were less than half that.  And that meant poor acceleration and longer travel time, especially on commuter trains making a lot of stops.  Longer trains that used to have one electric loco now required two or three FL-9s.  And on the steep Danbury line where it’s a 360-ft. climb from the coast to The Hat City, keeping traction on slippery tracks is a problem even today in the fall and winter.

The FL-9s were also expensive to maintain and dirty, even before we cared about air pollution. In cold weather the diesels had to be kept running all night, just idling in the yard (creating noise and air pollution).  Their 25-year-life expectancy wasn’t impressive and overhauls were costly.

“It was a mistake to take down the wire [on the Danbury branch],” says Swanberg who has written extensively on the topic.   

Now CDOT seems to have given up on re-wiring the line as we await delivery of shiny new unpowered railcars from Alstom (costing $5.25 million apiece) to be pulled by new hybrid locomotives costing about $15 million each.

Meantime, it’s back on the bus this summer.

​Editor’s Notes: i) Jim Cameron is the founder of the Commuter Action Group and advocates for Connecticut rail riders. He writes a weekly column called ‘Talking Transportation,’ which is published by a number of publications in the state.
ii) ”Talking Transportation” recently won first place in the general column/commentary category in the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Talking Transportation: Congress Giveth (Renewed Life to AM Radio), But Also Taketh Away (Cutting PBS, NPR)

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Jim Cameron

Remember when commuting was fun because you could listen to the radio? 

Earlier in my career I may have been the guy you heard, both on WHCN / Hartford and later on NBC. When I started in radio in 1967, AM Top 40 was king and FM was just getting started. But in 1961 the FCC decreed that all radios should have both AM and FM bands … and that FM should broadcast in stereo. And no longer could station owners just simulcast their AM programs on their FM stations: FM programming had to be different.

Thus was born “Progressive Album Rock” on FM, usually programmed by long-haired LP fans.  That was me, again. Within years, radio listening went from predominantly AM to majority FM thanks to better audio quality and changing musical tastes.

Today the AM band is filled with syndicated political talk, foreign language shows and sports.  Only a handful of stations have real news departments (think WTIC, WICC here in Connecticut.)

Then came the all-electric car.  Because of their wiring Teslas and such could not have AM radios due to interference. What to do?

Well, Congress is expected to pass a law requiring AM radios in all cars. The bill has hundreds of co-sponsors, including the entire Connecticut delegation. No wonder: pols love being interviewed on AM stations.

“But AM radio is effectively aging out, with less than a 20% market share.  And many news / talk stations have transitioned to FM where there are far more listeners,” (think WINS in NYC) says former station consultant Steve Goldstein of Westport.

Goldstein left radio years 10 years ago to become a podcasting consultant. He also teaches at NYU and says not one of his students listens to AM. Most don’t listen to FM, either, preferring streaming services like Pandora and Spotify or on-demand media like podcasts. “AM radio is going the way of the phone booth and fax machine”, he laments.

So why save AM radio in the car when folks aren’t listening? And what will be left on FM to tune into?

If your listening habits tend toward the NPR stations at the lower end of the FM band, you’re in for disappointment. Congress has just voted to claw back (“rescind”) $1.1 billion from funds previously allocated to CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds both PBS television and NPR radio stations.

In the case of Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) we’re talking about a 10+% budget cut. That will probably mean layoffs and less local programming for shows like “Colin McEnroe.”  

At WSHU they say they’ll need to raise an additional $500,000 to make up for the loss. Elsewhere in the US it’s estimated that as many as 80 NPR stations will just go dark.

Your mail is already crowded with funding appeals, not just from public broadcasters but from other non-profits also losing federal funding.  With so many hands outstretched, how will donors prioritize their gifts? Feeding the hungry or keeping the airwaves alive?

So Congress giveth (renewed life to AM radio) and taketh away (cutting PBS and NPR). The media world (and listeners) will adapt.  

Now, if only I could find my old eight-track tape player.

The Movie Man: ‘Superman’ is a ‘Summer Blockbuster … Absolutely Worth’ Seeing

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Kevin Ganey is ‘The Movie Man’

With an alluring narrative, top-notch special effects, amicable characters, and thought-provoking themes, James Gunn’s adaptation of Superman is absolutely worth the occasion of going to the movies.

David Corenswet leads as Clark Kent (or Kal-El) and is perfect for the role. Besides his massive and well-built physique, he does justice to the superhero, who was raised in modesty (his parents, Jonathan and Martha, appear as if they were authentic elderly residents of Kansas, juxtaposed with his fast-paced city life). He curses only a few times, mostly resorting to wholesome words like “darn” or “heck”.

This is countered by Rachel Brosnahan’s performance of his cynical co-worker (and secret girlfriend) Lois Lane, always seeking the truth but giving a hint of envy for Clark’s unusually positive outlook on humanity.

Much can be said about Nicholas Hoult’s performance as archvillain Lex Luthor. Hoult perfectly personifies the man who does not possess superhuman powers, but brilliance, capital, and clout; all infused with coldhearted ambition, guided by cruelty. There is something all too familiar about the personality of this tech billionaire, who despises Superman and his kind because they remind humanity of their limitations.

He seems to be pursuing another kind of superman, the subject of the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (the Übermensch), the next step in evolution. This superman must destroy all preconceived concepts of right and wrong, which will hinder humanity’s growth to dominate. 

Gunn’s adaptation goes further than previous depictions of Superman. Despite being the starting point of a franchise that will (hopefully) be followed by many sequels, Superman’s origins are not depicted.

He is already an established superhero, beloved by the public, and working as a reporter for The Daily Planet (which also includes a steady relationship with Lois Lane that has yet to be disclosed to Human Resources.) And while the movie reminds the audience of Superman’s origins as an alien sent to earth after his home planet of Krypton was destroyed, a damning revelation is eventually made public which will break Superman’s understanding of his purpose. 

This revelation also amplifies the themes interwoven throughout the movie’s runtime, particularly about morality and heroism. Superman is not the only superhero character (this also includes the Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl), but he appears to be one of the few characters, who authentically desires to do the right thing for the right reasons, while others appear to have corrupt motives.

In a bold move, this Superman acknowledges his imperfections and has come to terms with his limitations, understanding that true greatness comes from the choices we make, not the destinies that we create for ourselves.

But beyond the character development and themes, this is an overall enticing movie that entertains the viewer in every aspect. Despite being a DC superhero movie, which tend to have dark and gritty themes, there is an abundance of humor peppered throughout its runtime. I particularly loved Lois Lane’s “interview” with Superman which ultimately morphs into an argument about politics with her boyfriend.

Gunn also brings the nostalgic charm that made his Guardians of the Galaxy movies instant hits, with a soundtrack that consists of Dad Rock and title design similar to the 1978 movie with Christopher Reeve (there is also a wholesome Easter Egg in which Reeve’s son Will—a reporter for ABC News—makes a cameo appearance.)

In addition, the special effects were truly made for the movie theater, not the most expensive 4K (or even 8K) TV that can be grabbed from Best Buy or Amazon. One of the best ways to see it is in IMAX. For those in the greater Boston area (as I was this past weekend), I suggest catching a screening in one of the Jordan’s IMAX theaters that includes “butt-kickers” (speakers installed beneath the seats).

So what are you waiting for?

This is a summer blockbuster and a family-friendly movie (in fact, I saw a family in line in which mom, dad, and all the kids were wearing their own Superman t-shirts.)

Do you need any additional reasons to catch it? Well, you might even end up watching it multiple times … I know I am seriously considering another screening.

About the Author: Having lived in Old Lyme and Lyme since the age of three, Kevin Ganey has always had a passion for movies that is beyond simply watching, but understanding the craft of cinema and and experiencing films as if they were a musical album. Kevin also has his own website devoted to movie analysis, CityOfCinema.com, and also co-hosts a podcast, Moviehouse Mystics, with Koda Uhl (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.)