While one never suffers from a lack of visible departures screens in Grand Central, I still like the idea of having my track sent to me each evening before I leave work. So I signed up for CleverCommute’s track-alert service several weeks ago. “If you want to know ‘what track is my train on’ for evening trains from Grand Central, you can sign up at our website,” says CleverCommute. “Sign up for as many as you’d like…its another great FREE service from Clever Commute.”

Alas, we’ve not received a single track alert yet. CleverCommute told me a few weeks ago they’re looking into it. Until then, I’m staring at departures screens.

Great scoop on Page 1 of yesterday’s NY Times–Page 1, as in, war and the economy and national healthcare, Page 1–about how Metro-North trains leave a minute, on average, after their scheduled departure.

Michael Grynbaum does the spadework on this one, and finds out that conductors are told to leave a minute after the printed departure time, though when they actually leave is up to them.

Metro-North didn’t seem to psyched to have one of its oldest secrets out of the bag.

The phantom minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period for stragglers who need the extra time to scramble off the platform and onto the train.

“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to lollygag,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.

Grynbaum surveyed 20 trains, and found they left 58 seconds after their scheduled time.

Call it a New York Minute–the 60-second delay does not appear to happen in other big cities around the country.

The practice has been going on “forever,” according to Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North who once oversaw departures at Grand Central Terminal.

“I was the trainmaster starting in 1970, and it was the case then. I’m sure it’s been the case since 1870 for all I know.”

After nearly three years of dissecting every conceivable angle of Metro-North travel–much of it related to departure and arrival times–I have no idea how I never ended up writing about this before. I’d noticed that trains never, ever left right at their scheduled times, but never imagined it was part of Metro-North’s official procedures.

Your guest editor is of a geekier bent than your regular virtual conductor, so here’s my favorite train-related tech tip. Did you know that the MTA’s Web site contains its own version of the Big Board — the Grand Central Terminal departure info displayed on monitors around the station?

Of course you didn’t. That’s because the MTA’s Web site is designed as if its main aim is to hide information about the workings of our transit system from from al Qaeda.

It’s there though. Even better, it updates on its own in real time! Here’s the link:

http://as0.mta.info/mnr/html/bigboard.cfm

OK so that’s all well and good - but here’s the real tip. Take this post and email it to your favorite mobile device. Then click on the link above. If your handheld is cool enough (I know this works on a Treo at least, I don’t see why it shouldn’t work on a Blackberry as well) you’ll have your own personal Big Board that you can consult for track info as you approach the station. (Be sure to bookmark it for future reference.)

With this weapon in your commuting arsenal you’ll no longer need to weave through the the clot of amateurs staring blankly at the monitors as you bust through the terminal doors at 6:17:3o trying to make the 6:18. Instead you can run straight to the beer guy and hope there isn’t a line.