Lex

I'm sure at least part of that is because two axles are powered (center and rear), whereas most buses only have one powered axle.

What did Gleason do to you?

I seriously hope that's all it is.

Look, I'm no engineer, but I'm pretty sure the station is too shallow for a three-track station without making a bunch of significant road modifications (street and rail).

Still set on this damn thing...

There are things to be said about the draft. This is most certainly not one of them. Hell, i would've split the designations years ago for clarity.

Nassau? Brooklyn? What the hell are you talking about?

They probably want artics on the Q64 without placing more stress on LaGuardia...

This one serves Sections 1-3 and Bay Plaza, whereas the previous one became the current Bx26 (which served all sections prior to June 2010). The previous iteration was a rush-hour variant, whereas this is a daily, all-day variant.

There's one track that connects two levels, and trains doing what you're proposing would need to change directions three times just to double back.

"You're all over the track! Let's see some control!" Seriously, how the hell does any of that make sense?

Well, this morning's sure turning out to be fun, isn't it? Especially with this:

Even so, once something major happens, it's really easy to descend into chaos on multiple fronts. Ultimately, the operating environment deteriorates and the passengers get hit the hardest. Those passengers then get irate and sometimes end up creating a new situation (not necessarily within the same time frame, but you get the idea).

I hope they're of the weatherproofed variety.

Big oof... How fun. At least some of the trains could be kept moving. Even so, I can't help but wonder why it didn't seem like they thought to shift at least a few and trains to Cranberry and Culver...

With the reputation Thales has, they should probably push that estimate back to 2033.

Was it just too costly to repower the buses? (I'm not talking about now, but years ago.)

It's not that surprising. Even though various transit agencies have looked to Thales, more than enough have come away disappointed/angry/whatever. It got so bad that Edmonton decided to cut ties only months ago.

I really can't say it was much better before that. Such is the fate of an especially long route with a rather short express run (when compared to the route's total length)...

That reminds me of one time I was on the . The train got to Grand Army Plaza, and people got up to leave the train. The conductor made the typical announcements and the train left without delay. Notice that I never mentioned the doors opening. (Before you ask, this was within the past few years. I'm not old enough to remember Redbirds on the .)

Not to let facts get in the way of a good story or anything, but there are a few things to keep in mind: Only a portion of the B44's catchment area (and ridership) is reasonably within the subway's catchment area. Accessing public transportation, reaching your final destination, and making transfers all require walking. Walkways have varying widths, and some people move faster than others. To add to this, people typically opt for convenience, meaning they are far more likely to push for something that involves less walking. If I'm not mistaken, you discussed elsewhere how differing schedules can leave a negative impact. While it may have been in reference to operations, it nonetheless also applies to passenger connections, and that includes diving between a higher combined frequency and a lower singular frequency that is approximately half of the previous one (and with intervals that are greater than 5 minutes, to boot). Any sort of rail connection between Franklin Avenue and Crosstown will basically need a guarantee (not a mere projection, but an actual shift) that it would be used in significant enough numbers to justify restoring the second track, having full-length platforms, and establishing the rail connection. That implies that the trip would be time-prohibitive, which it would be if all northbound buses used New York Avenue (as the pre-SBS B44 ran). That, however, is not the case, especially since Brooklyn's streets are generally nowhere near as shit as Manhattan's. The rail systems of Brooklyn and Manhattan are rather accommodating, whereas the only areas in NYC Staten Island really cares about are Manhattan's CBD, Bay Ridge, and maybe Downtown Brooklyn (extremely unlikely to change anytime soon, so don't bother). By stark contrast, the Bronx network is rather limiting (all trains go to Manhattan, and all but the are rather north-south within the borough), and the Queens rail network is pure shite. If we're to focus on increasing rail service to LIC, we need to focus on these groups -- especially the eastern portions of the Bronx and Queens, which have especially poor cohesion with the rest of the larger network. Yes, there are improvements that can be made in Brooklyn, but that borough already has the easiest time reaching LIC.

I'd still pick the bus. For one, the transfer over there would be more optimal (upon reaching the transfer point, everything's in one place, unlike the pie-in-the-sky 15 tph that, knowing you, you're assuming for Franklin Avenue). For two, not many are really willing to go through a whole bunch of up-and-down just to reach their destination when they have something more straightforward. For three, Nostrand Avenue trains will already be handling Manhattan-bound crowds, whereas the buses are far less likely to (between Flatbush Avenue and President Street). To go further, thanks to how the population is distributed (and how transit is distributed, partially due to how the population is distributed), accessing LIC from points south/west of Fulton Street and Throop Avenue not already served by the is of least importance.

Oh, sure, they'll totally get off the bus to transfer to a train/gun straight for the train, only to have to transfer to another train instead of just using the bus to reach Lafayette Avenue or wherever the hell they're going.😏

It may be an okay (at best) alternative to the B48. It'll do precious little for the B44.

North-south buses (which already connect with the , to say nothing of the ones already serving LIC) and Manhattan connections (damn near everything on Broadway, along with the 6th Avenue locals, Flushing, and the ) already exist. Aside from Park Place, the primary purpose of that shuttle (thanks to not serving Downtown Brooklyn) is to provide a shortcut between points south of Franklin Avenue and points east. The absolute most I'd be willing to do with it is send it to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza, particularly since there's no north-south rail connector between points south of Franklin Avenue and points north and west of the Crosstown bend.