FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM DECEMBER 6, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
New signals
raised hell
on 7 train
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@cnglocal.com
@QNS
Commuters on the 7 train in
Queens and Manhattan experienced
a series of setback during the
fi rst week of communications-based
train control, a digital signal system
which replaced the analog technology.
Th e Metropolitan Transportation
Authority celebrated the offi cial rollout
of the “milestone” installation
on Nov. 26, but by around 4 p.m.,
delays struck seeing service suspended
between Queensborough Plaza
and Grand Central. Similar service
disruptions related to signal trouble
would occur in the days that followed.
But the MTA said it is not unusual
for there to be setbacks when installing
new technology and that CBTC
on the L train needed similar time
for confi guration.
“Th e new signal system was put
in operation throughout the 7 line
this week — we’re working daily to
iron out issues and will be working
with the supplier over the next few
weeks to optimize the system and
do other signal work on the line to
complete the transition,” an MTA
spokesman said. “We thank our customers
for their patience — once the
system is stabilized they will enjoy
the enhanced reliability and, eventually,
increased train frequencies that
CBTC signaling allows, as currently
seen on the L line.”
Th e Nov. 27 commute saw a passenger
injured on the tracks at
Willets Point and wait times for
trains at the Woodside station were
between 20 and 30 minutes with limited
service to express stops only.
On Nov. 28, was suspended
between Willets Point and 74th
Street throughout the entire evening
rush hour with commuters encouraged
to take the E, F, M and R train
as alternatives from Jackson Heights.
During the Nov. 29 commute, the
connectivity issues caused stalls to
Hudson Yards-bound trains while
the platforms at the Flushing-Main
Street Station off ered no additional
places for commuters to stand while
waiting for trains to arrive.
Multiple people took to the
Facebook group, 7 Train Blues, to air
their grievances by posting photos
of the platforms in Flushing claiming
they would need to use the pricier
option of the LIRR as an alternative
to get to work on time.
On Friday morning, Nov. 30, congestion
was so bad in train cars that
some customers were spotted riding
between cars.
Douglaston native performs at former president’s funeral
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
A Douglaston native is part of “Th e
President’s Own” United States Marine
Chamber Orchestra that will play during
the state funeral for former President
George H.W. Bush in Washington D.C.
Staff Sergeant Foster Wang, a violinist,
will honor the nation’s 41st president at
his funeral service, which will take place
at 11 a.m. at the Washington National
Cathedral.
Wang began his musical instruction at
age 4 and joined “Th e President’s Own,”
America’s oldest continuously active professional
musical organization, in August
2016. Th e Marine Chamber Orchestra was
established by an act of Congress in 1798
with the mission “to provide music for
the President of the United States and the
Commandant of the Marine Corps.”
Prior to joining the Marine band, Wang
graduated from Flushing’s Townsend
Harris High School in 2006 and earned a
bachelor’s degree in music from Harvard
University in 2010. During his time at
Harvard, Wang was under the private tutelage
of renowned violinist Lynn Chang.
In 2012, Wang earned his master’s degree
in violin performance from Th e Juilliard
School where he studied with David Chan,
concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra. Th e Douglaston native has honed
his craft with other notable violinists including
Rafail Sobolevsky and Naoko Tanaka.
Staff Sergeant Wang’s impressive credits
include performing as a fellow with
the New World Symphony in Miami
from 2012 to 2016, as well as taking
part in the Schleswig-Holstein Musik
Festival Orchestra in Germany and the
Breckenridge Music Festival in Colorado.
Wang will perform together with the rest
of the Marine Chamber Orchestra, which
is conducted by Music Adviser to the
White House and Marine Band Colonel
Jason K. Fettig.
Th e set of musical selections for Bush’s
funeral include Gustav Holst’s Nocturne
from A Moorside Suite, Kevin Siegfried’s
arrangement of “Lay Me Low” from Shaker
Songs, Aaron Copland’s “Our Town,” Paul
Christiansen’s arrangement of “My Song
in the Night,” John Williams’ “Hymn to
the Fallen,” and Samuel Augustus Ward’s
“America, the Beautiful.”
President George H.W. Bush, who died
on Nov. 30 at the age of 94, served as the
nation’s commander-in-chief from 1989 to
1993. A fi ghter pilot during World War II,
he served the country in many other capacities
prior to becoming president, including
as a Congressman from Texas, director
of the Central Intelligence Agency and two
terms as vice president under President
Ronald Reagan. He’s also the father of former
President George W. Bush and former
Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Following this morning’s service at the
Washington National Cathedral, former
President George H.W. Bush’s body will
be fl own back to Texas, where he will be
interred alongside his wife Barbara at his
presidential library in College Station.
Courier toy drive to
make season bright
Schneps Communications
— parent company of
QNS, Th e Queens Courier,
the Times Ledger and the
Ridgewood Times — wants
to make the holidays a special
time for the children of one
Queens neighborhood.
Th e company has launched
a toy drive to benefi t the children
of St. Paul the Apostle
Church in Corona.
All are invited to stop by our
offi ces at 38-15 Bell Blvd. in
Bayside and drop off a new,
unwrapped toy for a boy or
girl between ages 4 and 17. We
will be collecting toys through
Monday, Dec. 10, and the toys
will be distributed at St. Paul
the Apostle Church during a
Christmas party on Dec. 16.
Please bring whatever you
can to our offi ce and help us
make the season bright for
children in need!
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Master Sgt. Kristin duBois/released
On Oct. 14, 2016, chamber ensembles from “The President’s Own” performed a dress rehearsal for a Chamber Music Series on Oct. 16, 2016.
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