Free Republic

Metro link, Southern California's commuter rail for the Greater Los Angeles areas is in tough times in this recession, unfortunately, they are controlled by unionized taxpayer funded liberals. Just like other liberals, they don't learn a damn thing. In every scenario where funding is down and profits are low, they do the worst thing. In this case, raising rates. All while the worst recession in 70 years is taking place. Metro links problems are largely connected to the economy. With people out of work or earning less, they are not able to afford tickets to commute to LA, San Bernardino...

SNIPPET: "A team of researchers convened by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security began a series of tests today at 20 MBTA stations to determine how airborne contaminants would spread in a terrorist attack on Boston's subway system." SNIPPET: "The findings will help guide the design of future detection systems and help strengthen evacuation, ventilation, and other emergency response plans on mass transit across the country. "We hope to use the data from the two to come up with a model to predict the behavior (of chemicals) in other subway systems," Lustig said."

China State Construction Engineering Corp, the largest contractor in China, has bagged a subway ventilation project worth about $100 million in New York's Manhattan area, marking the construction giant's third order in the United States'infrastructure space this year. The contract was given to China Construction American Co, a subsidiary, the Wall Street Journal quoted a source as saying. "The new project, along with the $410-million Hamilton Bridge project and a $1.7-billion entertainmet project it won earlier this year signals China State Construction's ambition to tap the American construction market," said Li Zhirui, an industry analyst at First Capital Securities.

A bugged-out exterminator went berserk ...fatally plunging a knife into a fellow straphanger's neck after they argued over a seat. Cops rushed to the train and nabbed the alleged killer thanks to a quick-thinking train conductor, who locked the doors. Jerry Sanchez, 37, got on the northbound train at Rockefeller Center about 2 a.m. He confronted Dwight Johnson, demanding he move a bag from the seat where the attacker wanted to sit. Johnson, believed to be homeless, refused and punched Sanchez in the face. Sanchez pulled out a steak knife and stabbed him several times in the neck and face....

In a story that first surfaced Sunday in The Washington Post and was reprinted by FOXNews.com, President Obama’s subordinates have expressed a desire to get a grip on the nation’s rails. Administration officials cite poor management and lack of oversight as their reasons for taking over the light-rail industry, which leads me to wonder: could the American people take back the federal government using the same line of logic? Cities affected by the federal usurpation would include Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and every other city, large or small, that uses a rail system, such as a subway. Washington...

The driver of a Boston subway train that stopped just inches short of a woman who had fallen onto the tracks says she expected the worst. Charice (shuh-REES') Lewis told CBS's "The Early Show" on Wednesday that she said to herself, "Please God, let this woman be OK" before getting out of her cab to check. Lewis said the woman just smiled at her.

British spies have foiled a terrorist plot by a suspected al Qaeda operative to blow up the New York subway. The plan, which reportedly would have been the biggest attack on America since 9/11, was uncovered after Scotland Yard intercepted an email. The force alerted the FBI, who launched an operation which led to airport shuttle bus driver Najibullah Zazi, 24, being charged with conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The Afghan is alleged to have been part of a group who used stolen credit cards to buy components for bombs including nail varnish remover. The chemicals bought were...

Note: The following text is a quote: October 28, 2009 ICE agents arrest Albanian national wanted for murder in Italy The Albanian national also faces criminal visa-fraud charges NEW YORK - An Albanian national, who was convicted in absentia for a murder in Italy, was arrested on Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Ferdinand Marku, also known as Edmond Voli, faces visa-fraud charges for knowingly and intentionally making false statements on a federal immigration application. Marku, 39, was convicted in absentia, in Rome, Italy, for the November 2000 fatal stabbing of a victim near a subway station...

A civil judge in Dallas ruled late Wednesday that the real estate arm of the Subway sandwich chain violated the rights of an Army reservist when it stripped him of his two restaurants while the reservist was serving in Afghanistan. Grant Walsh, an attorney for Leon Batie Jr., said the ruling settles the biggest legal issue in a case that has dragged on for more than two years – that the chain's real estate affiliate broke the law when it terminated leases at two central city Subway franchises without a court order.

Afghan-born American resident Najibullah Zazi, 24, has admitted ties to al Qaeda, according to officials investigating a home-grown terror plot against the New York subway system. Najibullah Zazi has been under investigation for almost a yearThe suspect has admitted contacts with extremists in Pakistan and may strike a plea deal over allegations that he attended a military training camp, according to US media reports of law enforcement officials. He denies involvement in any terrorist acts or plots. A car journey last week by Zazi from Denver, where he now lives, to the Queens district of New York, his previous home,...

BULLETIN -- NEW YORK POLICE AND FBI RAID HOMES IN QUEENS IN TERRORISM INVESTIGATION.6 minutes ago from BNO Headquarters

SNIPPET: "Bashir al-Ameriki, born Bryant Neal Vinas, was in the right place at the right time. He caught a wave of online jihadi activism dominated by some really interesting and aggressive individuals, and he rode that wave all the way to glory - sort of. Now he's a prized possession of the United States of America. I have to assume there are a number of indictments either pending or under seal, because Bashir likes to talk."

WASHINGTON – Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains focused Tuesday on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, and why the train failed to stop even though the emergency brake was pressed. At the time of the crash, the train was also operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond in case of an emergency. Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was unclear if the emergency brake...

CNN producer Vito Maggiolo saying "one train on top of each other."

While serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army Reserve, Leon Batie Jr. dodged roadside bombs and scrambled to safety when rockets pierced the night sky. When he returned to Dallas in early 2006, another battle loomed. As Batie was returning from Afghanistan, he learned he was being stripped of the two Subway restaurants he bought before mobilizing. The stores were sold to Subway insiders, with one transaction yielding a Subway executive a $100,000 profit, according to a lawsuit Batie filed last year in state court in Dallas County. One issue in the case is set for trial this week.

Many women taking the crowded train in Tokyo opt for women-only carriages during the rush hour to avoid gropers. ADVERTISEMENT Now, for fear of being accused of groping, some are asking for carriages reserved for men as well. Ten shareholders of Seibu Holdings, which runs trains in the Tokyo area, have petitioned for carriages reserved for men. "There have been many cases of groping, as well as false charges of groping, on Seibu Railway," the shareholders said in a notice seeking a vote at the company's annual meeting next Wednesday. "While measures against groping, such as setting women-only carriages, have...

The Department of Homeland Security is dismantling a next-generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems, U.S. officials said. Robert Hooks, a deputy assistant secretary, said the department no longer believes it is necessary to expand the pilot program, as he told Congress in July, because of resource and technology limits. Hooks said a long-planned alternative sensor system, set for initial deployment late next year, also will not be available nationwide until 2012, to allow for more testing. The deactivation of the pilot program in late March marks a setback in U.S. efforts to...

MIDI: DON'T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY

Mere days after an Air Force One backup buzzed Lower Manhattan, panicking thousands and reviving memories of 9/11, VP Biden scared the bejabbers out of straphangers...."I would not be . . . suggesting [my family] ride the subway." Biden is famous for his dumb utterances.......but there's a real cost to fomenting panic -- if the consequence further depress NY's economy. Time to zip it joe.

Please pay no attention to what the Vice President actually says when it differs from the official White House line on swine flu

Vice president Joe Biden said today he would tell his family members not to use subways in the U.S. and implied schools should be shuttered as the swine flu outbreak spread to 11 states and forced school closures amid confirmation of the first U.S. death. Biden made his comments during a brief interview on NBC's "Today" show during an interview with Matt Lauer. "I would tell members of my family, and I have, I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. It's not that it's going to Mexico, it's you're in a confined aircraft when one person sneezes it goes...

Biden: Don't Ride The Subway! (VIDEO) Joe Weisenthal|Apr. 30, 2009, 8:22 AM| Tags: Economy, Health, The Way We Live Now, New York swineflusubway.jpgHey New Yorkers, take a cab to work today. Or walk. Your Vice President Joe Biden says you should avoid both planes and subways. NBC New York: "I would not be at this point ... [be] suggesting they ride the subway," Biden said when asked whether he would advise family members to use public transportation. Biden made his comments during a brief interview on NBC's "Today" show during an interview with Matt Lauer. The vice president said if...

Joe Biden just told people not to ride the subway or ride airplanes. He also called Matt "Sam".

Unless the state intervenes, in five weeks New Yorkers will face steep fare hikes on buses, subways and commuter rail lines. They'll also face deep cuts in train and bus service. ... Five years ago, the MTA's labor costs were $5 billion. Now they are nearly $7 billion. The big drivers have been pension and health-care costs, up 42%. MTA employees, even those who perform what might be called retail jobs, like station clerks, can retire as early as 55 with generous pension and health benefits. This is not compensation for a lifetime of low wages. Average pay for the...

A young woman brutally raped in a Queens subway station says her heart was broken when a judge threw out her suit against two transit workers who ignored her cries for help. Speaking for the first time since the ruling, Maria Besedin said Thursday she never expected the toll booth clerk and train conductor who witnessed the 2005 attack to be heroes and put their own lives in danger. But, she said, they didn't even call 911, or yell, "Stop!" Besedin hoped to have her day in court so a jury could decide if the MTA staffers were negligent for...

SNIPPET: "Fourteen years ago today Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway." SNIPPET: "A final note - Aum Shinrikyo operatives, on the order of the cult's leader, underwent flight training in Florida. There is no evidence that they made any attempts to use this training. It is just an odd, disturbing coincidence."

Its back again! Subway's 5 dollar footlong menu has expanded for a limited time to include every sandwich except the Subway Feast and Philly Cheesesteak. Just as the first one, sales of Subway sandwiches are expected to skyrocket. The reason is because in times like these when we can no longer afford what we would like to eat or do. With subway giving the oppertunity to purchase a footlong sanwich with choice of any toppings for only five dollars, (Plus tax. Unfortunately the left got us there as well.) is a golden oppertunity for poor families who must cope with...

I took this pic today on an NYC subway. Now, I am FINE with advertisements, religion, etc... This just struck me as a tad overdone. I hope you can make out some of the words: Jesus, Paradise, Misunderstood, 1,500,000,000 followers, Peace or Terrorism. And my personal favorite: Chauvinistic VS Chivalry.

No, it wasn't your imagination. Pants were in short supply along four lines of the New York City subway system on Saturday. The No Pants! Subway Ride, organized by Improv Everywhere each January, is a chance for New Yorkers to ride the rails unencumbered by the burden of jeans, slacks or trousers. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/weird/Undeground-Pants-Down.html

I have a dark blue card from Beijing Subway that I have been using. It says 一�通 on the front. I use it on all the "regular" lines, 5, 13, 2, 1, 10 etc. and of course the system takes RMB2 from the card each time. I was hoping to be able to put RMB25 on the card, then use that same card on Airport Express 机场快轨, but the person at one of the stations said I couldn't. Is he right? MUST I buy a separate card for 机场快轨, even if I have enough money on my 一�通? Thanks. It's...

Mass transit is on the brink, and there's no single, simple fix. Ravitch wants a tax on all worker payrolls downstate - 33 cents for every $100, yielding $1.5 billion a year. Burdening businesses with new costs at this tenuous time is not to be taken lightly. But it is necessary. Second, he calls for new tolls on East River and Harlem River bridges - which would net another $600 million a year. That won't be painless either. But it, too, is necessary. Third, the plan calls for a new approach to fare hikes - inflation-adjusted increases every two years....

Exclusive: NY Rail Plot Details Based on 'Reliable' FBI Source New Information in Last 48 Hours Led to Public Warning By RICHARD ESPOSITO Nov. 26, 2008 Uniformed police officers have flooded New York City's Penn Station, home to the Long Island Rail Road, following a warning from the FBI of a "plausible but unsubstantiated" threat of a terrorist bomb attack against the system during the holidays. FBI says terrorists may have orchestrated a plan targeting LIRR commuter rails. Law enforcement officials tell ABCNews.com, the plot involved a "Madrid-like attack," a reference to the synchronized bombing of the commuter rail system...

November 26, 2008 Al-Qaeda threat to New York subway, says FBI (John Smock/AP) Subway passengers will see extra police patrols this weekend Times Online The FBI has received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report that al-Qaeda terrorists may have discussed attacking the New York City subway system during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, US authorities said today. Russ Knocke, spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that the FBI warning to New York law enforcement agencies meant that there may be an increased police presence in New York and other large metropolitan areas this weekend. The report indicated that al-Qaeda terrorists...

Nov 26, 2008 5:00 pm US/Eastern "Feds Warn Of Terror Plot Against NYC Subways Homeland Security: Expect Larger Police Presence In NYC And In Major Cities Across U.S. During Holidays" ARTICLE SNIPPET: "NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Federal authorities are warning police of a possible terror plot against the New York City subway and train systems during the holiday season, prompting local officials to beef up security at stations. An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press says the FBI has received a "plausible but unsubstantiated" report that al-Qaida terrorists in late September may have discussed attacking the subway system. A...

The humble cop who took down an illegal immigrant who shot two other officers last night in a Queens subway station said today, "I'm not a hero." Lt. Gary Abrahall put four bullets into Raul Nuñez, who jumped a turnstyle and then coldly shot two cops -- Shane Farina, who was critically wounded, and Jason Maass, who was grazed with a bullet -- with one of their own guns. "The cops that took the bullets, they're the heroes," Abrahall said today outside his house. Farina took a bullet in the abdomen and it exited through his sternum. "[Farina] is doing...

STRAPHANGERS DIVE FOR COVER IN RUSH-HOUR CHAOS A fare-beater caught sneaking into a Queens subway last night coldly shot two cops with one of their own guns after he knocked them to the station-platform floor, authorities said. The gunman then bolted - weapon still blazing at the wounded Anti Crime transit cops - and ran into a lieutenant who dodged the suspect's bullets and pumped four of his own into him. The heart-pounding, rush-hour shootout at 5:15 p.m. had straphangers ducking for cover at the F-train station at 21st Street/Queensbridge in Long Island City. The shower of bullets lasted less...

From the National Geographic website... A video showing a black bear opening the front (unlocked) door of a Subway restaurant, and getting some free samples... VIDEO: A Bear Walks Into a Restaurant...

Is this guy a Muslim? A jihadist? I have no idea, and I am not saying he is. But the possibility cannot be dismissed out of hand when he chants “Allah” and mutters in Arabic while attacking a man he does not know with a hammer. In a sane society, government, media, and law enforcement would be calling upon American Muslim groups to do something about this – to face up to the capacity of Islamic texts and teachings to incite violence, and to institute comprehensive, honest, inspectable programs teaching against jihad violence and Islamic supremacism. But this is hardly...

How The West Was Won The rapid and unexpected decline of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq was officially recognized this week, when Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding the Marine Expeditionary Force, turned operational control of Anbar Province over to the Iraqi army and police. Anbar, a vast expanse of desert the size of North Carolina, had been the stronghold of the Sunni insurgency. For years, foreign fighters loyal to al-Qaida had sneaked across Iraq's northwestern border with Syria, into Anbar and down a "rat line" of safe houses in Haditha, Ramadi and Hit. From Fallujah, the arch terrorist Zarqawi...

As the SEPTA subway train rocked forward, a thirty-something guy leaned over near the doorway and gently planted a kiss on the little boy at his side. When the train neared the Fairmount Avenue stop shortly after midnight on Thursday, the man reached out like an adoring parent and directed the 3- or 4-year-old tyke to an open seat. Then he flew into a monstrous rage. Without uttering a word, police said, the unidentified man whipped out a double-claw hammer and began bludgeoning a 20-year-old man who was dozing off in his seat. For five long minutes, SEPTA surveillance cameras...

With a tremendous splash and a profound thud, 30 old subway cars were dropped into the ocean off the coast of Cape May this morning, enlarging the nation's most extensive artificial reef system. State officials say the 18-ton cars -- stripped of their windows, wheels, axles and flooring -- will soon become home to a variety of ocean species. "They provide a very good habitat for marine life," said Hugh Carberry, the state Department of Environmental Protection's reef coordinator.Workers dump New York City subway cars into the ocean off of Cape May on Monday. After a five year moratorium, New...

Monkey triggers Tokyo subway chaos By Kyung Lah CNN TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- A monkey stopped morning commuters in their tracks at one of Tokyo's busiest subway stations this week, as it curiously peered down at them from its perch atop the departures and arrivals board. Monday marked the third time a monkey has been spotted in the capital this month -- surprising, because the beasts usually live in the mountains and hills outside Tokyo, more than a two-hour train ride away from the city center.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Jacksonville police say Reginald Peterson needs to learn that 911 is not the appropriate place to complain that Subway left the sauce off a spicy Italian sandwich.

It will be standing room only - literally - when NYC Transit runs some subway cars without any seats, hoping to squeeze more riders inside. The agency is planning a pilot program featuring a train with flipup seats in four of 10 cars. The flipup seats will be locked in the up position during rush hours, meaning everyone inside the car will have to stand, the Daily News has learned. "Each car will be able to carry more people," NYC Transit President Howard Roberts said of the no-sitting strategy. "It means more capacity. It gives the ability to pick up...

FLOWER MOUND -- Oh, Subway Jared wouldn't be smiling about this.A 14-year-old was assaulted and robbed of his Subway mascot costume Friday afternoon as he stood outside the sandwich shop. Three teens are suspected of taking the outfit after jumping out of their car.The victim suffered a slight arm injury when the teens tackled him and removed the sandwich costume. He also reported that the car ran over his foot as the teens fled; the victim was treated at the scene.Hours later police arrested the teenaged boys after witnesses and other employees took down a description of a car used...

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Ads promoting Islam are to be placed on New York subway cars in September, but a U.S. congressman finds people sponsoring the messages unacceptable. "I have no problem with the ad itself, but I have a very, very real problem with those behind it," Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said Tuesday. He is urging the Metropolitan Transit Authority to reject the ads. The campaign is to feature ads on 1,000 of the subway system's roughly 6,200 cars. The main sponsor is a grass-roots organization, Islamic Circle of North America. The ads, simple black-and-white panels,...

New York City subway to host Muslim recruit campaign Siraj Wahhaj has defended convicted would-be bombers and labeled FBI and CIA agents "real terrorists," according to a report by the New York Post. He is now attempting to convince New York City residents that Islam is a religion of peace by promoting advertisements for the Islamic Circle of North America. The campaign has been approved by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and is set to run four weeks in September during Ramadhan. Wahhaj, a former member of the Nation of Islam, was named by U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White as one...

NEW YORK — A Muslim group, in collaboration with a Brooklyn imam once investigated as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, paid $48,000 to run Islamic advertisements on the city's subway cars this September. The ad campaign — known as the "Subway Project" — was designed to inform people about Islam and dispel common misconceptions about the religion, a representative for the Islamic Circle of North America told FOXNews.com. The story was first reported Monday in the New York Post. But the effort to plaster 1,000 subway cars with pro-Islamic messages has given new life to...

MUSLIM SUBWAY ADS LINKED TO TERROR PLOTS - New York Post Jul 21, 2008 ... An Islamic group plans to blitz 1000 subway cars with advertisements this September in a campaign being promoted by a Brooklyn imam whom ...

IT NEVER FAILS: Murphy's Law. When applying for jobs, the one place you do not want to call you back inevitably will. I encountered this annoying fact applying for jobs in Richmond, when I landed one at the local Subway. Of all the interesting, vibrant-looking places in my area that I could have worked, this was definitely my last choice. But the only other places I had wanted to work told me it would be a few weeks or months, and I had to have something ASAP so that I could pay the rent. At first glance, the job didn't...