Will They Ever Return?

Twitter didn't have an NYC office though, so the number of employees "based" in NYC is irrelevant.

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 8:59 pm Twitter didn't have an NYC office though, so the number of employees "based" in NYC is irrelevant.

It was probably someone remotely available with access to their rack space rented from a colocation firm to go in and swap out a dead server. They probably realized it was cheaper to ship a server to the colo and incur a "remote hands" fee to swap it in.

lensovet wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 8:59 pm Twitter didn't have an NYC office though, so the number of employees "based" in NYC is irrelevant.

When did they close them? Here's an article about their opening

The NYC office in Chelsea was definitely active prior to the lock downs and crime waves...

My bad, I had no idea. Though it does look like they were looking to reduce that office space per https://fortune.com/2022/07/27/twitter- ... ork-costs/.

lensovet wrote: ↑Sat Nov 19, 2022 5:52 pm My bad, I had no idea. Though it does look like they were looking to reduce that office space per https://fortune.com/2022/07/27/twitter- ... ork-costs/.

I think the exodus from Twitter is an extraordinary event that should not figure in the overall stoppage of transit. Most of them were working from home anyway.

No disagreement there.

MNRR ridership last Saturday was 110% of pre-covid levels. Tu-Th ridership is hovering around 70% while M/F is around 60% for both LIRR and MNR.

Perhaps worth noting here that bus and subway service does not exhibit these patterns. The weekday ridership does not have significant drop-offs on M/F and the weekend ridership is basically the same as weekday on bus. Subway does have higher ridership on the weekends but the difference is not as high as on commuter rail.

Returning to the more "macro" scope of this topic than the apparent demise of a service that I'd dare say more here than not have used (even if I never have), here is a Times article showing the depth of this displacement of office space, which could well represent the most lasting change brought about by the COVID era.

Fair Use:

With the pandemic receding, children back in school and businesses telling employees to return to the office, the companies that own big office buildings were hoping to move on this fall from a nightmarish two years.

Instead, things got worse.

More office workers are back at their desks than a year ago, but attendance at office buildings in New York, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and other cities is languishing well below prepandemic levels. As leases come up for renewal, companies are often opting for smaller offices, saddling landlords with millions of square feet in vacant space.

Higher interest rates are also weighing on the industry. Many landlords are no longer willing or able to acquire and spruce up older buildings or build new ones.

Philadelphia is experiencing a significant increase in conversion of older office buildings into residential apartments as office leases expire. Once families move in, there goes Regional Rail ridership.

Mr. Ex-Con, a like initiative is also moving forth out here:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/l ... /home.html

I think it is simply recognition that as the "go to street address" for law and financial service firms, La Salle Street is simply "never coming back". If the city (Mayoral election is next February) has some degree of success in attracting residential units to this now "ghost town", such of course will lessen the need for commuter rail (METRA) as the "target" will be knowledge workers who either have yet to start a family or the family has dispersed.

It's simply a "lose, lose"; not only for METRA but also the many businesses - restaurants, "watering holes", even shoe shine stands, that have catered to the commuter crowd, are also never coming back.

I was "in-town" this past Wednesday - a peak day for the RTO3X workers - for a funeral Mass. Walking from CUS to Holy Name (N State St) and return (a Lunch stop at Berghoff), the Loop streets just simply are not as filled as they were when I worked downtown ('70-'81).

Downtown districts don't typically have schools that are walkable, offer few to no parks, and have fewer choices for affordable food shopping. Who are they targeting to live there?

There's no shortage of loft development in near-downtown areas, but it's been targeted at higher income singles and kidless professionals.

I'd be curious to know the vacancy and foreclosure rates for some of those warehouse conversions that were all the rage 10 years ago. Those were already suffering after Covid lockdowns started the ball rolling on yuppies escaping their claustrophobic trendy housing for space in the suburbs. With 8%+ mortgages, that must be a bit more interesting trying to sell and market...

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Indeed I'd argue these conversions would increase ridership, given that parking is limited in these areas and as mentioned the amenities are not exactly suited toward residential development. So you have to take transit to actually get stuff done.

I can honestly say I've never seen anyone take commuter rail to go get groceries...

I've occasionally seen people carry a single bag of groceries now and then on the subway, but it's not really conducive to doing shopping for the whole week.

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lensovet wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 11:27 pm And Amtrak has extended its "no change fees" policy through the end of February of next year. While also not bothering to update multiple places on its website that still reference October 31, 2022.

Today I discovered that I didn’t read this updated policy carefully.

Before October 31, cancellation and change fees were waived. Currently, and through the end of February, only change fees are waived. Had a reservation for today that I had kept around just in case NJT’s train was cancelled and was surprised to discover that canceling it would cost me $29.

So slowly but surely, things are indeed going back to business as usual.

eolesen wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 10:29 am I can honestly say I've never seen anyone take commuter rail to go get groceries...

I've occasionally seen people carry a single bag of groceries now and then on the subway, but it's not really conducive to doing shopping for the whole week.

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You also haven’t seen many people living in former office spaces. Things change. People could combine trips to work and grab a bag or two every day instead of going just once a week. Plenty of people in this country don’t own cars and are unable to drive. Do you think they do shopping “for the whole week” and just walk with ten bags of groceries in their hands?