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☆ Congestion Pricing Ignites an Old Rift: Drivers vs. Transit Riders
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-02 | by ( Bernard Mokam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In 2010, Filolaos Kefalas, an electrical engineer, drove a black Corvette into Manhattan for his first date with Lisa Daglian, a transit advocate. “You know you can take the train,” Ms. Daglian, 61, recalled saying. But Mr. Kefalas has his reasons for driving, he said. “Time is money,” Mr. Kefalas, also 61, said. “I try to go the quickest way possible.”The rift between Ms. Daglian, who now leads the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Mr. Kefalas did not derail their romance — they are married.

Persons: Filolaos, Lisa Daglian, “, Ms, Daglian, Kefalas, ” Mr Organizations: Committee, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: Manhattan, Bayside , Queens, United States

☆ Congestion Pricing Could Bring Cleaner Air. But Maybe Not for Everyone.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Hilary Howard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When congestion pricing takes effect in New York City later this month, officials say it will create an array of benefits: The system’s tolls will generate revenue for improving mass transit while prompting some drivers to avoid Manhattan, potentially reducing traffic and air pollution, as well as carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. For now, though, it is unclear how much the program will contribute to New York State’s ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse emissions 85 percent by 2050. And some people worry that less air pollution in some areas will be offset by more in others, despite efforts to keep that from happening. According to an environmental assessment by the authority, congestion pricing could decrease air pollution overall in three boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. The concern is that rerouted traffic could increase it in the Bronx and on Staten Island.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: New York City, Manhattan, New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island

☆ Trains Suspended Between New York and Philadelphia After Power Outage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Christopher Maag | More About Christopher Maag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

All trains between New York and Philadelphia were suspended on Wednesday evening because of fallen electrical wires that power the trains at Pennsylvania Station, according to Amtrak. The power outage stopped Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains, an Amtrak spokesman, Jason Abrams, said in an email. The power outage started at 5:05 p.m., Mr. Abrams said, adding that crews were working to restore power. Riders on New Jersey Transit will have their tickets and passes honored on PATH trains, which are running between Manhattan and New Jersey, according to a spokesman for New Jersey Transit. To avoid Penn Station, travelers also may take a ferry to Hoboken, where six New Jersey Transit lines offer service.

Persons: Jason Abrams, Abrams Organizations: Pennsylvania, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, Penn, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Riders, PATH, Jersey Transit Locations: New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Long, New, Manhattan, Hoboken, Jersey

☆ Opinion | Congestion Pricing and Confusion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “M.T.A.’s Congestion Fees Will Launch on June 30” (news article, April 27):Any congestion pricing plan must be implemented responsibly, with full consideration of its effects on vulnerable communities and the environment. Drive, concentrated in an area with many low-income residents that is already designated as an Environmental Justice Area by New York State, is deeply concerning. If this plan is to be truly transformative, its effects must be thoroughly studied and mitigated. The M.T.A.’s resistance to a proper environmental impact study and its urgency in pushing this plan forward are alarming. Rushing forward without proper due diligence is irresponsible and risks irreparable harm to already vulnerable communities.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation, Environmental, New Locations: New York State, New Jersey, Bronx

☆ Congestion Pricing’s Billions to Pay for Nuts and Bolts of Subway System
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Winnie Hu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New York City’s congestion pricing program is scheduled to begin charging tolls to drive into the busiest parts of Manhattan next month, with the aim of generating a $15 billion windfall for the mass transit system. That money would not translate into lower fares or a huge subway expansion. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees congestion pricing, has already earmarked the entire $15 billion for long-planned projects. Since congestion pricing has yet to get off the ground, the M.T.A. And now that $15 billion accounts for half the money the authority is expecting to finance its remaining projects.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: York, Manhattan

☆ Congestion Pricing Will Start on June 30 in New York City, M.T.A. Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Ana Ley | More About Ana Ley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The first congestion pricing program in the United States will begin in New York City on June 30, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced on Friday, signaling the possible end of a bitter fight over a plan that promises to ease some of the worst traffic in the nation. With months still to go before the program’s scheduled rollout, legal and political clashes still threaten to dilute or stop it altogether. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey, influential unions and some elected New York City officials — have ratcheted up a long-running effort to keep congestion pricing from taking effect. Under the program, most passenger cars will be charged $15 a day to enter a congestion zone below 60th Street in Manhattan. Taxi fares would increase by $1.25, and Uber and Lyft fares would rise by $2.50.

Persons: Philip D, Murphy, Uber Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Gov, New York, Trucks Locations: United States, New York City, Murphy of New Jersey, Manhattan

In video from WCBS, pro-Palestinian protesters could be seen clashing with police and some had lit small fires. Police officers detain pro-Palestinian demonstrators who had set up an encampment on the South Lawn at Columbia University in New York, on Thursday afternoon. Protestors demonstrate at Columbia University, on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Hirsi, an organizer with Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine, said earlier Thursday she and two other students at Barnard College – located across the street from Columbia University – were suspended for participating in pro-Palestinian protests. Barnard is an official college of Columbia University, but also an independently incorporated educational institution.

Persons: Nemat “, Shafik, –, ”, ” “, ” Shafik, Joshua Briz, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Ilhan, Isra Hirsi, Ilhan Omar, Hirsi, Columbia University –, “, ” Hirsi, Barnard, Israel, CNN’s Matt Egan, Ramishah Maruf Organizations: CNN, New York Police, Columbia University, Columbia, Israel, WCBS, NYPD, Police, Lawn, New York Times, University, Attorney, Metropolitan Transportation, Rep, Columbia Students, Justice, Barnard College –, Barnard College, Education Locations: Washington , DC, Manhattan, New York, C.S . Muncy, Columbia, Palestine, Israel

☆ Hochul Orders M.T.A. to Stop Pressuring Marathon to Pay for Lost Tolls
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Dana Rubinstein | More About Dana Rubinstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Kathy Hochul on Thursday said that she had ordered the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to drop its effort to charge the New York City Marathon roughly $750,000 for its use of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. “The marathon is an iconic symbol of New York City’s tenacity and resilience that unites communities across the five boroughs each fall,” she said in a statement. “I’ve directed the M.T.A. The bridge connects Brooklyn and Staten Island. Since 1988, the marathon has used both the bridge’s upper and lower decks.

Persons: Kathy Hochul, ”, “ I’ve Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Marathon, New York Times Locations: York, Brooklyn, Staten Island

☆ New Jersey Challenges N.Y.C. Congestion Pricing in Federal Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Winnie Hu | Elise Young | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Federal transportation officials allowed New York to move ahead with congestion pricing without fully addressing how traffic and pollution would be shifted to its neighbors across the Hudson River as drivers avoid the new tolls, a lawyer for the State of New Jersey argued in federal court on Wednesday. Now, as traffic patterns change, those New Jersey communities will be forced to shoulder the environmental burdens of the tolling program while New York receives all the benefits, the lawyer, Randy M. Mastro, said in his opening remarks in New Jersey’s lawsuit against congestion pricing. “It isn’t about whether you like or don’t like congestion pricing,” Mr. Mastro said in a courtroom in Newark. The issue is whether the Federal Highway Administration “took a hard look” at the potential environmental effects. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency overseeing congestion pricing in New York, has repeatedly said that New Jersey communities were extensively studied in an environmental assessment.

Persons: Randy M, Mastro, Mr, Administration “, John J, McCarthy Organizations: State, New, Federal, Administration, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: New York, State of New Jersey, New Jersey, New, Newark

☆ After Woman Loses Feet in Subway Shoving, Her Boyfriend Is Charged
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Chelsia Rose Marcius | More About Chelsia Rose Marcius | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A woman was struck by a subway train in Manhattan and had both feet amputated after her boyfriend shoved her onto the tracks during a dispute, the police said. The man, Christian Valdez, 35, was charged with attempted murder and felony assault for pushing the 29-year-old woman at the Fulton Street station, where she was struck by a southbound No. Officers responding to a 911 call just before 10:30 a.m. found the woman on the tracks, conscious and responsive. The woman, whom the police have not named, was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where her feet were amputated, according to the police and a law enforcement official. Mr. Valdez had previously served time in prison for slashing a woman and her child.

Persons: Christian Valdez, Valdez, Kathy Hochul Organizations: Fulton, Bellevue Hospital, Gov, Democrat, National Guard, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: Manhattan, Bellevue, New

New York City Transit workers, responding to an overnight slashing attack that injured a train conductor, stopped work to file safety complaints on Thursday morning, causing severe disruptions in subway service. During the morning rush hours, workers staged the job action at the 207th Street station on the A line and the 168th Street station on the A and C lines in Manhattan. The workers declined to fulfill their assigned jobs, leading to the disruptions, according to two transit officials with knowledge of the situation. At a news conference Thursday afternoon, union leaders said that transit workers and union representatives had submitted safety forms following the attack in the morning — a procedure allowed by their contract — and that trains had experienced delays as a result. A major concern was the lack of police presence in the subway station following the Brooklyn attack, they said.

Organizations: York City Transit, 207th, 168th, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: York, Brooklyn, Manhattan

☆ How the Subway’s Weekend Problem Fixer Spends His Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Tammy Lagorce | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

New Yorkers who take the subway on Sundays may not know the name Jose LaSalle, but they might have seen him around in his orange safety vest. Mr. LaSalle, 55, is the deputy chief of weekend service diversions and coordination for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the city’s subways and buses. That makes him the person responsible for troubleshooting and handling customer complaints at stations when there are delays and service disruptions. Every Sunday that I’m not on vacation, I wake up at 5:30 a.m. As soon as I wake up, I have this habit of checking Slack. I’m checking for service diversions, things I can prep for.

Persons: Jose LaSalle, LaSalle, Janet Rosario, I’m Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Transit Locations: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Manhattan, New York City

☆ Man Is Shot Dead on Subway Train in the Bronx
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Erin Nolan | More About Erin Nolan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Shortly after the shooting, more than a dozen bystanders remained on the station platform and on the stalled trained. They watched quietly as three emergency medical workers tried to save the victim’s life. With medical equipment strewed across the concrete floor around them, the workers performed CPR for several minutes, but the man did not respond. Shootings on subways in New York are rare and make up a fraction of the gun crimes in the city. Earlier this month, a 35-year-old man was killed and five other people were wounded in a shooting at the Mount Eden Avenue station in the Bronx during the evening rush hour.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Mount Locations: New York, Mount Eden, Bronx, Brooklyn

Nearly half of all flash flood deaths are vehicle-related, experts say, which is why you should never drive into a flooded street. Here’s what to do in advance — and in the moment — to get through a flash flood safely. A “flash flood warning” means a flash flood is imminent or already occurring, and you should immediately move to higher ground if you’re outside or in a basement apartment. The most dire alert is a “flash flood emergency,” which indicates that not only is flooding occurring, but it’s posing a severe threat to human life. “People need to realize that most people who lose their footing in a flash flood don’t get out,” she said.

Persons: there’s, ”, Bonnie Schneider, Schneider, it’s, Hurricane Ida, You’ll, Ready.gov, David Markenson, ‘ It’s, Sabine Marx, I’m, Julie Munger, Munger, “, Dr, Markenson, you’re, don’t, they’re, Ms, Lynn Burttschell, Burttschell, Eugene Resnick, ’, ” Susan Shain Organizations: National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cross Training Services, Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Sierra Rescue, FEMA, Wimberley, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York Times Locations: United States, New York City, New York, Madison, Wis

☆ She traveled every New York City subway line — and photographed every first and last stop
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Alex Rees | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It wasn’t until after photographer Rita Nannini left New York that she grew fascinated by the city’s subways. Rita Nannini Exiting the A train station at Far Rockaway—Mott Avenue in Queens, the easternmost subway station in New York City. Rita Nannini Escalators at the 96th Street stop at the end of the Q line in Manhattan's Upper East Side. Rita Nannini A flight of stairs ascends to the A train station at Ozone Park—Lefferts Avenue in Queens. Rita Nannini A decade-long photo project documenting every New York City subway line Prev Next“It’s often said it’s that (my images show) the end of the lines — the ‘last stops,’” she said.

Persons: Rita Nannini, Nannini, — Nannini, ’ ”, ” Nannini, — Parsons, Archer, it’s, Kate Jones, Jones, “, ’ ” Nannini, ‘, ” Organizations: CNN, World Trade, Brighton, Grand Central Station, Shuttle, JFK, Grand Central, Apple, Central, New, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, “, New York Locations: New York, Manhattan’s, Princeton , New Jersey, Manhattan, Forest Hills, Queens, Williamsbridge, Bronx, Brooklyn, Rockaway, New York City, Manhattan's, Coney, Broad, Bedford, East New York, South Ferry, Jamaica, —, York City, York, Inwood, ’, Midtown, New

☆ Man Is Fatally Shot Aboard a Subway Train in Brooklyn
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | More About Jonah E. Bromwich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was the latest difficult episode for New York’s subway system, in many ways the backbone of the city, which has struggled in the early going of 2024. Already this year, there have been two train derailments, one of which injured 26 people and led to significant service disruptions for days. And last week, a teenage boy was killed in what authorities said was a “subway surfing” incident, in which thrill-seekers ride atop cars. Shootings on subway trains are rare and make up a fraction of the city’s overall gun crime. In November, two people were shot on a moving subway car in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: Bedford, Stuyvesant, Brooklyn

NEW YORK (AP) — Most drivers would pay $15 to enter Manhattan’s central business district under a plan released by New York officials Thursday. Officials say that in addition to funding needed transit improvements, congestion pricing will result in improved air quality and reduced traffic. Opponents include taxi drivers, who had pushed for a full exemption. Phil Murphy criticized the traffic mobility board's proposal after some news organizations reported on it Wednesday ahead of its official release. The MTA board will vote on the plan after a series of public hearings scheduled for February 2024.

Persons: ” Carl Weisbrod, Bhairavi Desai, Phil Murphy, George Washington, Murphy Organizations: New, Revenue, Traffic, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Government, MTA, New York City Taxi Workers Alliance, ” New, ” New Jersey Gov, George Washington Bridge Locations: New Jersey, United States, Manhattan, London, Stockholm, New York City, U.S, New York, ”, ” New Jersey

☆ Los Angeles is defined by its deep-rooted car culture. Could the recent I-10 freeway fire make Angelenos rethink that relationship?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Officials encouraged people to switch to public transit to alleviate bad traffic from road closures. For native Angelenos and the millions of visitors who've traveled to the area, Los Angeles car culture is simply a way of life. According to The Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority saw a 10% bump in ridership on the E Line light rail train that runs through downtown Los Angeles on the first two workdays after the incident. While it's too early to know if public transit ridership will be up in November, a reimagined vision of traversing Los Angeles has long been overdue. The transit system simply isn't woven into the fabric of Los Angeles compared to cities like New York and Chicago.

Persons: —, who've, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, it's, Damian Dovarganes Organizations: Service, Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles Times, Los, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metro Transit Authority, TAP, California Department of Transportation, Caltrans, Wall Street, LA Transit, AP, LA Metro Rail Locations: LA, Los Angeles, California, Angelenos, Los Angeles County, Santa Monica, Inglewood, Angeles, New York, Chicago, Santa, Southern California

☆ Turn to this high-quality income play for the new year, Wells Fargo Investment Institute says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Darla Mercado | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Investors who hope to generate portfolio income while recession fears ramp higher can seek some safety in municipal bonds. Wells Fargo Investment Institute recently issued its fixed income guidance for 2024, forecasting "higher for longer" rates across the yield curve as the Federal Reserve remains vigilant to bring down inflation. Municipal bonds offer a combination of characteristics that appeal to investors: General obligation bonds are backed by the revenue of the municipality issuing them. "Going into a slowdown, you anticipate rates to fall," said Brian Rehling, head of global fixed income strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. The top marginal income tax rate is 13.3% in California and well over 10% in New York and New Jersey.

Persons: Brian Rehling, Jennifer Johnston, Franklin Templeton, Johnston Organizations: Wells, Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Federal Reserve, Fargo Investment Institute, AAA, Muni Bond ETF, Vanguard, Bond, Fed, New York Life Investments, Investors, York State, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Locations: Wells Fargo, Fargo, New, California, New York, New Jersey, York

Still, in 2005, an M&M balloon swung out of control from sudden wind bursts and hit a light pole in Times Square, injuring two people. After that, city officials mandated anemometers — instruments that measure wind speed and direction — along the route. This year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had to schedule the installation of congestion pricing tolling equipment for after the parade. Orlando Veras, a Macy’s spokesman, declined to discuss the cost of the parade, saying only that it was the department store’s “gift to the city and the nation.”Ydanis Rodriguez, the transportation commissioner, said the city’s efforts were well rewarded. “The joy and the smiles that the Macy’s balloons inspire on Thanksgiving morning brings out the kid in everyone who watches this parade — and I am no different,” he said.

Persons: Orlando Veras, ” Ydanis Rodriguez, ” Organizations: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Park

☆ Pro-Palestinian protesters snarl Manhattan traffic and limit Grand Central access as they call for ceasefire Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Aya Elamroussi | Rob Frehse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hundreds of pro-Palestinan protesters snarled Manhattan traffic and curtailed people’s access to Grand Central Terminal as they demonstrated in New York City on Friday night, in part demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. The demonstrations temporarily closed access to the terminal, one of the city’s largest transportation hubs, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro-North Railroad said online Friday night. Video also showed police keeping demonstrators back from The New York Times building on Friday. One night earlier, several protesters occupied the building’s lobby, and some of them were arrested Thursday night, police said. By 10 p.m. Friday, many of the protesters had left the Grand Central Terminal area while police officers remained for security reasons.

Persons: ”, Israel, Fatih Aktas, Amin Jaludi, ” Jaludi, “, Artemis Moshtaghian, Zenebou Sylla, Matt Friedman, Skylar Harris Organizations: CNN, Grand, Palestine, Grand Central, Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s, Railroad, New York Police Department, NYPD, Hamas, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Getty, The New York Times Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Israel, Columbus, Gaza, Ramallah, New York, Anadolu, Palestine, America

Most Americans still have to commute every day. Jenn Ackerman for The New York TimesLike a majority of Americans, Ms. Hargreaves was unable to do her work at home. Source: American Community Survey Note: Average commute length for 2020 is not included. The average commute distance changed much less, an indication that commuters are driving faster — but also, more people are driving. “A lot of our choice riders, we're still working to influence them to re-choose transit,” Ms. Tucker said.

Persons: Torie Hargreaves, Jenn Ackerman, Hargreaves, Ms, That’s, Andrea Villanueva, Villanueva, The New York Times “, ” Christopher Wiese, Dr, Wiese, “ There’s, ”, Patricia Mokhtarian, John Goodwin, Rosalind Tucker, we're, Tucker, Aimee Lee, Lee Organizations: Atlanta Washington San, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New York City Los Angeles Philadelphia Columbus Denver, The New York Times, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San Francisco Seattle Washington Midnight, Georgia Institute of Technology, Census, New York City –, Philadelphia –, Angeles –, Francisco –, Boston –, Seattle –, Chicago –, Denver –, Kansas City –, Miami –, Houston –, Minneapolis –, Washington –, Austin –, Dallas –, Atlanta –, Charlotte –, Columbus –, Nashville –, Detroit –, BART, area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Labor Department, Atlanta Regional Commission, Lifeline, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Regional Transit Authority, % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % % Locations: Atlanta Washington San Francisco Boston Kansas City, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis, Mo . Chicago Minneapolis New York, Minneapolis, postpandemic, Atlanta, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City, Atlanta Austin Boston Charlotte Chicago Columbus Dallas Denver Detroit Houston Kansas City Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis Nashville New York City Philadelphia San Francisco Seattle, South Minneapolis, North Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago , Kansas City, San Francisco, Washington, New York, Francisco, area’s

☆ Protesters shut New York's Grand Central, seeking Gaza ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Palestinians search for casualties at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, October 25, 2023. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Acquire Licensing RightsOct 27 (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas forced the closure on Friday of Grand Central Terminal, one of New York City's major transit hubs, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said. "Grand Central Terminal is closed until further notice due to a protest," the MTA said on its website, urging commuters to use alternate stations and plan for extra travel time. Israel's military widened its air and ground attacks on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Friday. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules Gaza, said its militants were ready to confront Israeli attacks with "full force."

Persons: Khan Younis, Abu Mustafa, Daniel Trotta, Cynthia Osterman, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Jewish, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, New York, Midtown Manhattan, Palestinian

Some protesters hoisted banners as they scaled the stone ledges in front of leaderboards listing departure times. After the sit-in was broken up by police, the remaining protesters spilled into the streets outside. “Hundreds of Jews and friends are taking over Grand Central Station in a historic sit-in calling for a ceasefire,” advocacy group Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media. The scene echoed last week's sit-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, where Jewish advocacy groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, poured into a congressional office building. The U.N. General Assembly approved a nonbinding resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities.

Persons: New York City’s, ” Organizations: New York Police Department, NYPD, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Penn, Grand Central, Jewish, Peace, Jewish Voice, Hamas, Ministry, General Assembly Locations: New York, Israel, Gaza, “, Washington

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