When EV Grieve tried to take the train out east this weekend

Don't mind all these Penn Station photos. Bored. Was trying to go Belmont Park the other day. First post for the race: 1 p.m. Unfortunately, no one told this to the LIRR, who thought the first post was 3 p.m. So there wasn't a train for the 75 or so people standing around waiting to go to Belmont. Eventually, an LIRR manager type came out to talk to the group and offer an apology, but blamed Belmont officials for the snafu. Another train was promised, though after waiting an additional 45 minutes, we got antsy and left for plan B.

On the bus to Belmont (and no one apparently likes to go the the racetrack anymore)

As I've mentioned, the MTA eliminated train service to Belmont Park race track. (You can take a shuttle bus now courtesy of the New York Racing Association.) Yesterday, the Times paid a visit to the park to see what was what as fans watched live races and the Kentucky Derby simulcast.

Here are a few passages:

For more than a century, the Belmont Special carried throngs of thoroughbred lovers, inveterate gamblers and people who just craved a festive day in the Belmont Park grandstand to the doorstep at one of the grand palaces of American horse racing.

and...

The Belmont Special has been losing ridership for years — a sign of a sharp decline in racing attendance across the nation. Railroad officials say that made it a logical choice to cut. “We’re talking about 100 customers a day, on average,” said Joe Calderone, a railroad spokesman.

and...

On weekdays, the train carried 30 to 35 people last year; so far this spring, the shuttle has carried 7 to 9 passengers a day, Mr. Cook said.

It is a far cry from when train service to Belmont began, on May 4, 1905, the day the park opened. Forty thousand people journeyed to see the inaugural running at the track, most traveling by train in a “pall of soft-coal smoke,” The New York Times said, adding that “when the trains were full the throng had to stand wherever it was when the gates closed until fresh trains could be run in.”

and some logic...

Racing association officials, who lobbied against the elimination of direct train service, estimate that the park will lose more than $5 million this year because of the cut, while the authority says it will save about $112,000.

[Photo: Robert Stolarik for The New York Times]

Belmont Park opens today

Oh, and now that the MTA has discontinued its train service to Belmont... here's one solution...

According to the New York Racing Association:

Beginning on Wednesday, April 29, The New York Racing Association, Inc. will provide free shuttle bus service between Belmont Park and the Queens Village station of the Long Island Rail Road for its patrons affected by the suspension of the “Belmont Special” by the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Bus service to Belmont Park remains unaffected by the cuts and fans may take either the Q2 or the Q110 from Jamaica directly into the track. Those using a Metrocard can get a free transfer from the subway to the bus or between buses.

The shuttles will depart the corner of Springfield Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue at 12:30 p.m., while return service will be provided 15 minutes after the last live race. There will be drop-off and pick-up points at both the clubhouse and grandstand entrances at Belmont Park.

LIRR discontinues service to Belmont Park

Going to the Belmont Park race track during the summer is one of my favorite things to do in the city. It's so simple. Just jump on the LIRR -- the Belmont Special or, as some people I know call it, the Pony Express -- at Penn Station for the 30-minute ride to the park in Elmont. It feels as if you're hundreds of miles from the city. It's a classic, old-school track. The track opened in 1905.

I can go on, but.... Acccording to the AP, as part of the state's budget cuts, the LIRR will discontinue service to the track at the end of this month, when racing resumes. However, the train will run on June 6 for the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown. The one day you don't won't to get stuck on a train (or anywhere) with 75,000 yahoos.

While cuts are necessary, it seems odd to target this route -- especially when the state is counting on more revenue from the park for its budget.

In any event, there are other public transporation options...

Q110 (MTA Bus):
Service provided every 20 minutes to and from Belmont during racing days. Buses are available at Parsons Blvd. and Hillside Avenue and from Parsons Blvd. & Archer Ave., and various locations eastbound on Jamaica Avenue and Hempstead Avenue in Queens. These buses pick up and discharge directly outside the admission booths at the west end of the track. Connections: Transfer from F Train at Parsons & Hillside; Transfer from E Train at Parsons & Archer.

Q2 (MTA Bus):
Originates at the Jamaica Bus Terminal (165th Street & 89th Ave.) and runs along Hillside Ave. to 187th Place to Hollis Ave. and ends at Hempstead Ave. and 225th Street adjacent to Belmont Park. Connections: Transfer from F Train at 169th Street or 179th Street stations.

Here's in part what the New York Racing Association had to say about the (at the time, proposed) cut in service:

While the New York Racing Association (NYRA) recognizes that the MTA needs to balance its budget, no other proposed service cut so directly affects one business, one employer, one industry as does the proposal to eliminate LIRR service to Belmont Park (except for Belmont Stakes day).

For more than a century, the railroad has brought fans to Belmont Park, a 445-acre landmark on the Queens-Nassau County line, bringing patrons from the most mass-transit dependent population in the nation to one of the best known sporting venues in the world.

And here are the old tokens the LIRR used for service to Belmont (circa 1972):



[Belmont Park photo via WallyG's Flickr account]

Another season comes to a close at Belmont Park

The Fall Championship Meet at Belmont Park ends Sunday. The Park will be dormant until the spring.

To commemorate the end of the season, here's a look back at Belmont Park fashions in 1957...If we shot this today, how many of the spectators would be wearing sweats or cargo pants?

"Changing for the bettor"

As you may know, the OTB outlets will stay open now that the city and state hashed out an agreement deal two weeks back.

Now that all this drama is settled, I hope we can see some OTB commercials, like this one from 1986:



Bonus!

An ad from 1986 for Belmont Park:



[YouTube videos via MyCommercials]