Collin

It's impossible to know who exactly who is essential, so I wouldn't pass judgement. Clearly the issue is they can't run normal headways because they are short crewmembers. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the trains now unless I absolutely had to.

The round robin would go from Euclid to Rock Park, then via Hammel's Wye to Far Rock, then back to Euclid.

Hindsight is 2020. The R160 order was supposed to replace all R32-R42 cars. They were well on their way to retiring everything by late 2009 or early 2010 had they not discovered problems with the R44's. While it's easy to argue that they should have a reserve fleet of older equipment, there is not unlimited space in subway yards to leave idle equipment that's just waiting for something else to break. It's also not free to keep cars ready for service. They need maintenance, inspections, etc. While it did create what is now a significant car shortage, that wasn't the case in 2010. In case anyone was living under a rock, there were massive service cuts like had never been seen before and that happened to free up equipment. As the MTA recovered and service increased, the shortage became more pronounced. The R179 order was also delayed many times over, so while it might not have been a big deal to keep the R32's and R42's for an extra 3-5 years, I don't think they were ever intended to be kept for 10+ years. I think there's a definite problem with unitized equipment in that it's hard to get the fleet numbers exactly correct, so small subfleets end up getting brought in with subsequent orders. If there's a change in the service pattern, it also affects things. It's been said that even if the R44's were kept, that about 50 R32's would've needed to stay for the BMT Eastern Division. That's entirely related to the increase in the number of 480 foot trains needed for the expanded service. Under the service pattern that was in place when the R160's were ordered, they would've replaced everything on the BMT Eastern Division and not needed to keep any R32's. It was the same problem for the R179's. Most are of 480 foot length because they were intended to be used on the services that ran R32's and R42's. However, it became obvious that more 600 foot trains were needed and that was partially resolved by the extra cars added to the order. But now it's planned to get some 480 foot R211's when they were originally all planned to be 600 foot.

New Track and Tunnel Construction May 1st to November 1st, ALL TIMES Due to construction of the Second Avenue Subway Phase 3, service via the 63rd Street Tunnel will be affected. trains will run via the between Jackson Heights Roosevelt Avenue and 5th Avenue 53rd Street, resuming normal service at 47th-50th Streets Rockefeller Center and make local stops between Forest Hills 71st Avenue and Queens Plaza during late night hours. trains will run via the between 47th 50th Streets Rockefeller Center and 57th Street, the last stop. trains will be extended to Forest Hills 71st Avenue at all times except late nights to provide extra local service along Queens Boulevard. Single track shuttle train service will be available between 36th Street and Roosevelt Island, stopping at 21st Street Queensbridge. An out of system, opposite direction transfer will be available at 36th Street.

I've read that there are harsh consequences for tripping a timer, up to and including termination. I don't get the impression there are consequences for running frequently behind schedule. If that is the case, for as long as it is, it will be hard to keep trains on schedule. I totally agree that the crews (and by extension customers) would benefit from better infrastructure, better training, and a more nurturing supervisory environment.

I feel like the R32's are cursed and won't let anyone retire them for good. Always some reason comes up for why they have to stay longer.

What's the difference? I think QB should be maxed out on both the local and express. Removing the would certainly help clear up some merging, but I wasn't sure what would replace it, which is why I didn't mention. Depends on whether 2nd Ave exists or not. If all express trains go via 53rd, then local station customers would have to backtrack to Roosevelt to go there. If all local trains go via 53rd, then everyone has to ride the local from Roosevelt to get there. Both plans suck and would result in complaints from both local and express station customers. I have two possible service patterns below, one with Second Avenue, and one without. I'm also assuming that a Queens Plaza/Queensboro Plaza transfer would be added, and whatever is necessary could be done to allow the to be extended to Queens Plaza. Without: current service pattern current service pattern QB local via 63rd, then current service pattern QB local via 53rd, 8th Avenue local, ending at WTC. CPW would be deinterlined with all express service to 8th and all local service to 6th. Washington Heights and Concourse would both have access to a local and express service. and would go express in Manhattan, but temporary platforms would be installed at 50th Street to allow them to stop there. Once Phase 3 opens: current service pattern current service pattern current service pattern QB local via 63rd, 2nd Avenue local, either ending at Houston Street or somewhere in Brooklyn if a proper connection was built. switches back to local below 59th, and temporary platforms at 50th Street removed.

Actually it wouldn't be a problem. The Forest Hills bound already stops on the inner track with the . The switches would need to be reconfigured on the Manhattan-bound side so that the also came on the inner track, and that would free up the outer tracks to turn trains. This is assuming that service through both 53rd and 63rd is already maxed out so the could not go to Forest Hills.

If service was removed from Queens Boulevard through a de-interlining plan, or rerouted via 63rd Street, then through a reconfiguring of the switches, the could terminate at Queens Plaza instead of Court Square, using the outer tracks vacated by the .

SIGNAL AND TRACK UPGRADES 10pm Friday April 10th, to 5am Monday April 13th. Due to construction in the 60th Street Tunnels, the following service changes will be in effect. trains will operate in two sections between Astoria Ditmars Boulevard and Queensboro Plaza, and between Lexington Avenue 59th Street and 86th Street Gravesend, running via the between Canal Street and Atlantic Avenue Barclays Center. Trains at Queensboro Plaza terminate on the Manhattan-bound platform. Take the for continuing service to Manhattan trains will operate all weekend including late nights via the between Queens Plaza and Broadway Lafayette Street and via the between Broadway Lafayette Street and DeKalb Avenue.

The is limited to about 18 tph even with CBTC because it has to share with the on QB, so running the express does nothing for it.

Actually, the problem is what CPW riders want. The transit system is there to serve everyone. Not just railfans. Sometimes you have to trade some efficiency in order to have a service pattern that people like. One of the unique things about the New York City Subway compared to other networks is it's ability to interline trains. It provides more one seat rides to more destinations than anywhere else. Why throw that away? I'm not saying that nothing should be de-interlined. Broadway definitely should, and maybe CPW, but not everywhere needs it or should have it done. My idea for a de-interlined CPW is: current service pattern current service pattern Norwood 205th Street, concourse express (rush hour peak direction), CPW express, switch to 8th Ave local at 50th Street. Trains lengthened to 10 cars. 168th Street, CPW local, then current service pattern. serves Concourse overnight and does not operate. This eliminates the merges at 59th Street, but preserves local service to 50th Street. The would still merge with the at 42nd Street.

I assume if Broadway trains were removed from QB, the would go to 96th at all times and the would go to Astoria. The problem with that is once Phase 3 opens and service starts, fewer trains can go from 2nd Avenue to Broadway, so Broadway express service has to be cut unless there's another place to send those trains. I had another idea regarding the merges. If the and both run the same tph and the schedules are synced properly, the can easily fit into the gaps to merge with both without having to hold. I don't know if they're set up that way now, but it's definitely something that could be looked into to improve service without significant capital spending. I don't like any de-interlining plan that would cut all upper level service to 50th Street. It forces an indirect transfer which I think would be hard for less experienced subway riders to understand. It could be possible to de-interline CPW with all express service going to 8th and all local service going to 6th, but the services on Concourse and 8th above 145th would need to be moved around. Honestly, I just prefer it the way it is, and I think most non-railfans would too, but if it became critical to increase the number of trains there, it would make more sense to de-interline.

I think they will use extra single unit R62A's for the A division once the remaining redbird work cars go away. Once the R262's come in, I think they will replace the R32 work motors (except R127 and R134) with R62A's.

I would also prefer to use electric rolling stock over diesel. While it would require the installation of wires, it would allow for faster service and be more quiet when running in residential areas. I think all lines should be separated from traffic when possible, and from looking at the map, it is possible in many locations. Otherwise it isn't really better than SBS.

I would have the Orange Line run entirely along Union Turnpike, down to Metropolitan Avenue, ending where the terminates. Instead, the purple line should go down Jewel Avenue to Forest Hills while the Black Line stays going to Jamaica. You could also do away with the green line and instead have the black or purple line through run to the same territory. All in all good ideas.

I'm not sure a Jewel Ave line, or further branching off QB would be a good idea. It just reduces the number of trains that can go to the existing terminals and increases the number of merges. I think the city should explore the possibility of light rail in heavily trafficked corridors in the outer boroughs that aren't served by subway. They can achieve far higher capacity and speed compared to an SBS route, but can be built for a lot cheaper than a subway, even if partially underground.

I think the should have infill stations added at 10th Avenue as was originally planned, and at 2nd Avenue as part of Phase 3. That would eliminate the need build an extremely long underground passage to Grand Central that customers won't like anyways. The proposed transfer would be longer than going between Times Square and Port Authority Bus Terminal. This would also allow the to function better as a crosstown line.

I think they used to run shorter trains on many lines during late night hours. They still do on the and late night shuttles which makes sense since they're OPTO. Otherwise, the only trains that are significantly shorter than the platform are the 480 foot trains, 300 foot and Rockaway trains, and the 480 foot trains when operating along the IND portion of the route.

Why was the only 9 cars for so long?

It's not really de-interlining. Just reoptimizing the service pattern. I like the changes proposed here http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com/_index/2017/05/the-future-of-the-2nd-avenue-subway/ which are somewhat similar to yours. There are some changes I'd make to that plan with regards to QB service. Current service pattern, 18 tph. Current service pattern, 15 tph. Same 2001-2010, but extended to Church Avenue. 12 tph. QB local via 63th Street to Broadway Express 10 tph. Rockaway Park to RBB, QB local from 63rd Drive, via 63rd Street, 2nd Ave local, Brighton Express 8 tph (more trains could run in Manhattan, but short turn at 55th Street).. This runs the local tracks at 30 tph and the express tracks at 33 tph. 53rd Street runs 30 tph, and 63rd Street runs 33 tph. It also allows the and to be de-interlined from Astoria down the Broadway Local tracks, increasing service (with a possible LGA extension). I looked at sending the via 60th Street, seeing that 33 tph all from different lines could be an issue. However, when coming from Manhattan, all 3 services have places they could hold without blocking other routes. I see there being fewer issues coming from Queens where all the trains would've already been operating on the same line, under CBTC signaling which would get the trains timed optimally.

I believe the and run 15 tph each during peak hours, so the QB express tracks already run 30 tph without CBTC. With CBTC, it's supposed to be increased to 33. Since the is the most crowded of the QB routes, I think it should be increased to 18 tph (12 to Archer and 6 to 179th) while the stays at 15. Could WTC reasonably turn 18 tph?

Brooklyn Bound trains run via the from 149th Street Grand Concourse to Nevins Street. trains run via the in both directions between Chambers Street and South Ferry, the last stop. trains run local between Franklin Avenue and Crown Heights Utica Avenue in both directions and are extended to New Lots Avenue. trains run local in both directions from 125th Street to Brooklyn Bridge and terminate at Bowling Green. trains are cut back to 125th Street. trains are cut back to Whitehall Street. trains are extended to Bay Ridge 95th Street. Temporary MetroCard transfer available between Rector Street and Broad Street. Consider using service across the Manhattan Bridge instead. For local service, transfer at Canal Street, DeKalb Avenue, or Atlantic Avenue Barclays Center. service suspended. Southbound trains are rerouted via the between West 4th Street and Jay Street MetroTech. Due to lack of tunnel capacity, some trains will terminate at 2nd Avenue. For added capacity, some trains are extended to Coney Island Stillwell Avenue. trains run via the to 36th Street, the last stop. service suspended. trains extended through Coney Island Stillwell Avenue to Kings Highway , the last stop. Free shuttle buses run between Kings Highway and Prospect Park in both directions making all stops. Alternatively, consider service from nearby stations. trains terminate at 62nd Street/New Utretch Avenue. For continuing service, use . Free shuttle buses run between Coney Island Stillwell Avenue and 62nd Street/New Utretch Avenue in both directions making all stops.

The last time to New Lots happened was post 9/11 when the line south of Chambers Street was damaged.

The M7's are all married pairs, so what happened to the other car in the pair? 6347 is of course done. You can see the interior was completely melted away. The stainless steel also started to melt and buckle. Impossible to repair, and probably no salvageable parts either. Assuming the other cars are not damaged beyond repair, they could be pieced into another set should any other cars be written off in the future. If they are damaged beyond repair, then they would probably be parted out and eventually scrapped. There's no reason to be in a rush to scrap anything.