Lex

Whoosh.

What?

Why that route? Is it because of the areas it passes through? If so, it'll need far greater consistency in order to really work.

That's a weird assessment, particularly since the R179s weren't even intended to replace 60-foot SMEEs. The R179s don't show too much improvement over the R160s because they were never supposed to. Production issues plagued the order for years, and even after the first cars finally arrived for testing, problems continued to crop up. The worst of them, however, were the high-profile incidents back in 2020, well after all cars had been delivered and many or all had formally entered revenue service. Their reliability may not be a serious issue now, but the continued issues that ultimately led to the MTA disqualifying Bombardier from bidding on the R211 contract left a real black mark on their reputation. It's telling that only about half a year after the link bar incident caused all cars to be grounded and a reactivation of the R32s, Bombardier sold off the division that built the R179s.

I'd jokingly say they're going to attempt combining the local Q5 with the Q60, but someone might actually try to do that. I fully anticipate the Q35 looking only slightly different from the earlier proposals at best. Speaking of bus service to/from the Rockaways, how much would you wager a certain ex-planner is going to make the rounds complaining yet again that there's no proposed bus to Sheepshead Bay?

What, is University Avenue chopped liver?

That and making 6-car sets standard across the IRT. You'd still have some (re)construction to do for this, but validation would not include an entirely different car length relative to width (and, as a result, turn radius).

That tells me nothing I couldn't piece together from your last reply to me. As such, you haven't answered the question.

And then what?

Passenger service was abandoned around a decade ago.

Given the country's bent on neoliberalism, that's not happening.

Great. Now chew on that thought for a bit.

I don't know if you've been following along, but College Point doesn't get a lot of respect around here.

That doesn't even remotely come off as an intended feature.

In that case, there'd better be a plan to fix this ASAP. Unlike ESA's clearance restrictions, this is something that is fairly easy to address, which would be a very good idea if ConnDOT wants to do even a bit of rolling stock cycling and/or direct service to/from New York.

And what would they be installed on?

And those are from what, exactly?

Like what?

So there is no reason, then?

Great. Why is it necessary to test those relatively minor features while trying to catch issues that could lead to dangerous situations before officially adding the cars to the full-time roster? Let's not forget the efforts to redo the bus networks.

And how, exactly, do you propose to test it?

Because that's more important than testing the more critical elements, right?

There are 75 of them. If that seems like a prototype to you, then I have a bridge to sell you.

That's not the zinger you think it is.

Given that it would serve Midtown and Union Square, its ridership wouldn't be great, but it would maintain a level of viability that anything with more direct ties to the would outright lack (hence that carrying air).