shiznit1987

The issues with the service pattern are: 1) you sever QB from Broadway. That connection is extremely important, so much so people will ride the local all the way to places like Woodhaven/63rd Dr just to be on the . I live along QB so I know. 2) What is serving Brighton if there is now a ? This undoes the Manhattan Bridge planning from the 2000s. The issues with the are 1) Does it share the Crosstown with the or replace it? 2) Going over the WillyB ceases to help get crowds off the 3) Merging it with the means you've added zero new Queens capacity even with a new tunnel. Plus de-interlining remains unaccomplished.

This is my to Manhattan plan plus QB Bypass: The Plan: After Greenpoint Ave, a 2 track tunnel is built under the East River around India St which brings the in at 23rd st. The route runs down 23rd st then turns up Fifth Ave before then going back under the East River to Queens @ 61st. Also, the tunnel under 61st is 4 tracks (like 63rd st) because underneath the will be the train as well. Once in Queens, the route follows along 41st Rd and Queens Plaza before making it's first stop at Queens Plaza (transfer to ) then runs under the LIRR ROW until reaching Queens Blvd where it turns to run under QB until Jamaica Ave, where it turns to a new terminus @ Jamaica Ave and Merrick Blvd. Also, Woodhaven Blvd will be turned into an express stop along the existing QB subway as well. The Rationale: The Queens subway network is overloaded, and adding 4 additional tracks (two pairs) between Queens and Manhattan adds necessary capacity to the system. We achieve de-interlining with the , , , and never sharing infrastructure throughout their journey thru Queens and into Manhattan. Each line has it's own tracks. Crowds should be balanced, with both the and serving prime destinations and the 's express-63rd St combo being matched by the 's local-53rd St offering. Along with this, by running the into Manhattan from Brooklyn, we will relieve pressure off the and provide for more growth in Greenpoint/Williamsburg/Bed Stuy. An additional benefit to this plan is adding subway service along Fifth Ave, which is right in the heart of the Midtown CBD and major tourist corridor. Now, instead of cramming either the or trains, Queens riders have a new way to reach the East Side. Finally, this plan will provide significant relief to the . With passengers able to catch their beloved Broadway service, as well as a new Fifth Ave service for East Side access, at Woodside, this will help ease crowding on the Sunnyside portion of the line. Service Patterns: 179st-Hillside to WTC via QB Local->53rd st->8th Ave (20tph) 179st-Hillside to CI via QB express->63rd St->6th Ave (30tph) Church Ave to Jamaica-Merrick via Culver->Crosstown->23rd St->5th Ave->61st Tunnel->QB Bypass (30tph) Current Route (15tph) Current Route (15tph) Whitehall St/City Hall LL to Jamaica-Merrick via Broadway Local -> 61st Tunnel -> QB Bypass (30tph) Metropolitan Ave to Bay Ridge via Nassau and 4th Ave Local Stations: First Ave & 23rd St (Access to Bellevue and Tisch Hospitals) Fifth Ave & 23rd St (Transfer to , Madison Sq Park) Fifth Ave & 34th St (ESB) Fifth Ave & 42nd St-Bryant Park (Transfer to ) Fifth Ave & 50th St (Rockefeller Ctr, Transfer to ) Fifth Ave & 59th St (Transfer to ) Lex & 61st (transfer to ) Queens Plaza (Transfer to ) Woodside-61st (Transfer to and LIRR) Woodhaven Blvd-Queens Center (Transfer to ) Forest Hills-71st Ave (Transfer to ) Jamaica-Van Wyck Jamaica-Sutphin (Transfer to and LIRR) Jamaica-Parsons (Transfer to ) Jamaica-Merrick

Other than the I don't see any CI lines needing them like the or do.

Not a very informative post but: I saw the pictures from Kawasaki. These are hands down going to become among my favorite railcars. I've never been exicted for any of the NTTs but this looks awesome. Looking forward to the open gangways. Is there any chance that Jamaica will be the first in line to get them?

Why would that be?

My condolences as well.

While all three exist in abundance to be sure, no, that's actually not the reason the subway is not free. I believe NYCT's operating budget is 8-9 Billion dollars with a little over half of it covered by fares. Now, I do believe the city could conceivably carve out a 4-5 billion dollar slice to make the subways free but we need to consider what cuts would need to be made to make that work.

Those studies were done in the Mid 80s right before Archer was due to open. Nowadays I'd think it'd be smart to have the go to 179th and the to JC and make the 12tph and 18tph. Remember pre 2001 both and trains went down 53rd St. With the 63rd st routing, I think those studies are off.

There's a very simple question burning in my mind: Why didn't the MTA decide to go with HEETs as the default turnstile of choice? To me, it seems like the perfect solution: On the one hand, this reduces the need for more police/citizen interaction and on the other is nearly un-defeatable as a fare control mechanism. It's clear that the old broken windows model of policing is socially untenable...however the MTA cannot simply let the subway "be free" as it's not financially sustainable.

Some food for thought: 1) What is wrong with having a line just stay on Horace Harding all the way to North Shore Hospital? Rather than have one go from QCM to QCC and another from Jamaica to LNP why not one line all the way from QCM to North Shore Hospital along HH? 2) I do like the idea of a line straight down Springfield/Bell Blvds (OT71). I would send it to Jamaica via Jamaica Ave though. This would give it better ridership generators as it now serves as the direct linkage from Jamaica -> QCC -> Bayside. This also means the Q27 can terminate @ QCC 3) The QT64 and OT65 are total duds. No one is going to ride those past ~ HH heading northbound. Keep the Q65 the way it is and have the QT64 feed into Flushing via 46th Ave. 4) I like the QT73 except it needs to stop at QCC. No need to go further. 5) I can see why everyone in my area is beyond angry (Jackson Heights). People want to get to 74st-Roosevelt. Period. Ripping out the Q33 and Q49 will leave alot of people in the lurch as far as getting to Manhattan is concerned. Not everyone wants the . Plus the Q53 is decimated. No No No.

Let me throw the gas can into the fire.... How useful is the Concourse Exp as it is? Personally, I feel just having the run local along the Concourse 24/7 would encourage more use in the South Bronx section and siphon riders away from the . The should be the 24/7 CPW express to 207th-Inwood (cut back to Prospect Park weekends/late nights). Let the and run local to 168th St. Not only do you achieve full deinterlining, but undoubtedly improve CPW and Inwood service.

The question is can we get passengers to accept that reality (Deinterlining)? It'd be easy enough to build tail tracks at Parsons/Archer and send 30tph local and 30tph express with another 20-30 tph to Astoria and call it a day, but without that magical passageway at 63/Lex to the one wonders if you can get buy-in politically.

Speaking of Queens Blvd, let's talk about that bypass.... I've been thinking about it, and my idea is for the 63rd st line to run under the LIRR all the way to Archer Ave, where it would take over the Archer Ave Subway. There would be stops at 61st-Woodside (Transfer to ), Forest Hills-71st Ave (Passageway to 71st-Continential station), then a new stop at Van Wyck-Archer (To replace Jamaica-Van Wyck, which would close), and then on to the existing Sutphin Blvd/JFK and Parsons-Archer stations. The service pattern would look like this: Broadway Express to 96st/2nd Ave Broadway Express -> 63rd Street -> QB Bypass to Parsons-Archer No change Astoria-Whitehall 6th Ave Local -> 63rd Street -> QB Bypass to Parsons-Archer 6th Ave Local -> 53rd Street -> QB Express to 179th St (evenings/weekends cut back to Essex St) 8th Ave Local -> 53rd Street -> QB Express to 179th St Possible reinstatement to 71st-Continental This gives 30tph through the 63rd st tunnel, finally living up to it's potential, plus the bonus of maybe being able to bring the back.

I'd like to see the turn towards Manhattan as a 34th St Crosstown after Manhattan Ave. There would be stops at 3rd-Park Aves (Transfer to ), 5-6 Aves (Transfer to ), 7-8th Aves/Penn Sta (Transfer to ), and Hudson Yards (Transfer to ). I'd run the trains with T/Os at both ends, so at Hudson Yards, the train simply backs out and then runs down the QB Local to Forest Hills. The are placed in a new bypass QB Express line and the 's service is bumped to 30tph. The QB Local will be the with the now offering Manhattan service via 34th st. This will help the tremendously, with 15tph on the being able to carry North Brooklyn riders to 34th St. This also gives QB an extra Manhattan option as well. Until the QB Bypass is built we can send the up Second Ave and just have the setup as: Express 8th ave/53rd st 6th ave/63rd st Local 34st Crosstown Broadway/59st

The ultimate of course would be to send it down QB when there's no GOs going on. Either that or bring back the weekend . Plenty of people looking to go to Brooklyn on weekends.

There may be less ridership overall but demand is still there. I disagree that people traveling locally will totally avoid the subway. People in places like ENY, Canarsie, Bensonhurst use the subway to get to DTBK all the time (Bus would be too long). Here in Queens tons of people hop the from Jamaica to Forest Hills or Queens Center Mall.

Here's some food for thought regarding service cuts: 241st-Wakefield to South Ferry via 7th Ave Express. Current Service Sent down Nostrand. Runs local in Brooklyn, Express Manhattan. To make things easier from a customer standpoint, from this point forward the would become the primary Nostrand Line with the as it's rush hour supplement. and the will remain as is with the terminating at Utica during rush hours. This plan means the can be shuttle-ized outside peak periods while both the and are kept to medium distance w/ access to their home yards. Off peak, this will reduce delays and maybe even save on maintenance on the fleet.

Great map. The easiest fixes would be to have Astoria Blvd serve as a short turn terminal for the during peak periods as well as making more s turn either at 111st or Willets. I can't understand how 71st or Euclid can have such crappy terminal ops other than the MTA's refusal to properly fumigate. The ACLU can't force the MTA to ride homeless into the yard no matter how much they scream, so start putting transit cops down there and get those trains moving.

Honestly, I don't see how one less trip makes such a huge difference in track access. The is still running to 71st at that time (unless that's the next shoe to drop). The QB local gets shortchanged enough as it is. My heart goes out to riders. 20 min service on the branches? That's almost LIRR level frequency. Insane. Just make Lefferts a shuttle and be done with it. I can't see how the politicans in Brooklyn and Queens will let that slide. I can't speak for the but Astoria is hopping even at night, I can't see how cutting the moves the needle on workload...

Hey everyone, just taking a break for a moment from all the Cuomo drama to give a shoutout to a car class that needs some affection: The R68. Is there anyone here who has love for our fat friends? I remember them dominating the N/Q/B/D growing up and how their silver glow and SMEE throwback sound was such an Integral part of my railfanning experience. If you have any love for the hippo, let this be your thread!

Here's my brain fart for a Tuesday evening: After Manhattan Ave, have the cross into Manhattan and run down 34th st to Hudson Yards, w/ stops @ Park/Madison Avs (), Herald Sq(), Penn Station ( ) and then Hudson Yards. Not only is 34th primed for a crosstown subway, but the amount of pressure this will take off the is tremendous.

My idea is for a Fifth Ave subway: The 2 tracks over the Willamsburg Bridge and the other 2 from Nassau St Line form a 4 track line going up First Ave starting at Delancey. There will be a stop at 8th St/1st Ave to serve the Tompkins Sq area. Then the line turns west down 15th st and has a stop at Union Sq for Connections to the . The line then continues down 15th St until turning up 5th Ave with these stops: 23rd St (connect to M23 SBS ) 34th St (Connect to M34 SBS) 42st (Connect to ) 50st (Connect to ) 58st (Connect to ) Lex/63rd (Connect to ) The line then splits: The 2 tracks from Nassau go into the 63rd St Tunnel and down the existing QB Express. The 2 Tracks from the Willy B go up 2nd Ave to 125th St/Lex. Service pattern becomes as follows: 125th/Lex to Jamaica Center all times via 2nd Ave, 5th Ave, Williamsburg Bridge, Broadway-Brooklyn, Jamaica Line. 179st-Hillside to Bay Ridge all times via QB Bypass, 63rd St, 5th Ave, Nassau St-Montague, 4th Ave Local. Half of all trains turn at Broad St Manhattan. Myrtle Ave to Metropolitan Ave all times. Upper level restored at Myrtle for shuttle operation. Also two more things: run under new tracks under 64th st with a new stop at 64th/2nd to connect to the . Then the run up express tracks under the SAS to 3rd Ave/138St in The Bronx where they run under 3rd Ave and Webster Ave to Gun Hill. The runs under a new line along 52nd St with stops at 5th and Lex Avs then into Queens under 45th rd and Jackson Ave with stops at Court Sq and Queens Plaza. The and trains run into the new Queens Bypass under the LIRR with stops at Woodside ( ), Grand Ave, 63rd Drive, 71st Ave, Union Turnpike and Hillside/Queens Blvd (Transfer to ) where it continues down Hillside Ave to 179th St. The existing QB line has the running express to Jamaica Center and the taking over local service from Forest Hills.

In a world where the Utica Ave line exists, then yes I see the MTA running 3 services into Brooklyn overnight.

The MTA will never do such a thing. It's a nice thought, but budget realities means that if the both go to the same places then only one will suffice overnights (and weekends for that matter, hence Lex's point). The MTA will continue to run only the and into Brooklyn overnight as long as there are only two branches to serve. As far was weekends are concerned, the current pattern is already the best and pretty generous to boot seeing as the MTA could try to get away w/ having the go local after Franklin and take over New Lots.

I'm not sure how the would mess w/ the seeing as the doesn't. The both would clear Rogers w/o even touching the path of the