How to improve subway service on the weekends

[Guest lance25]

Shut down segments of certain lines. This is happening on the Brighton line now more or less. I just think of Columbus Circle. Seems like it's taken about 5 years to rehab that whole station (which is ridiculous in my opinion) and now that it's "done" parts of it could be rehabbed again. In sum, I think shutting down segments of lines would help station rehabs to last longer and perhaps cost less in the long run. Maybe you could decease overtime, etc.

 

I don't see that happening, especially if they are increase shuttle bus service.

[Law]

Shut down segments of certain lines. This is happening on the Brighton line now more or less. I just think of Columbus Circle. Seems like it's taken about 5 years to rehab that whole station (which is ridiculous in my opinion) and now that it's "done" parts of it could be rehabbed again. In sum, I think shutting down segments of lines would help station rehabs to last longer and perhaps cost less in the long run. Maybe you could decease overtime, etc.

 

Another example would be the Broadway-7th Av Line, almost every weekend so far the was split into two segments, and the (2)/(3) had to run local for construction and station rehab (uptown)

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I don't see that happening, especially if they are increase shuttle bus service.

 

I don't believe they provide shuttle service on every line that they shut down, so theoretically they could save some money that way, particularly lines with duplicate service.

[Guest lance25]

They'll have to provide some sort of alternate besides the normal bus routes as those will be jam-packed with riders that would usually use the subway.

 

Plus, some lines don't have bus routes that duplicate the subway line. Look at Brighton. If they shut down the entirety of the line and have riders rely on the regular buses to get from Atlantic Av, they're looking at a two-bus ride at the least for any stop south of Church Av.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Another example would be the Broadway-7th Av Line, almost every weekend so far the was split into two segments, and the (2)/(3) had to run local for construction and station rehab (uptown)

 

 

The 7th Avenue line is pathetic in terms of how long weekend service has been rerouted with no subway service to South Ferry. I thought all of that rerouting was for the new South Ferry station, but that station has been open for sometime now. Back in September I used the 7th Avenue line and saw that they still had the trains rerouted and I don't see any good reason for it. Looks like they're doing a station rehab on a few stations, but such little has been done from the last time I rode that it's very hard to justify that as a reason.

[Guest lance25]

Seventh Avenue south of Chambers St was shut down a couple of months ago because of ongoing Port Authority work on the World Trade Center site and the rebuilding of Cortlandt St.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Seventh Avenue south of Chambers St was shut down a couple of months ago because of ongoing Port Authority work on the World Trade Center site and the rebuilding of Cortlandt St.

 

And what about all of the other routes that were rerouted? I just think passengers have suffered enough with this never ending construction down there every weekend. I mean this has been ongoing for at least 4 or 5 years now.

[Guest lance25]

Now when you say "down there", what exactly are you talking about?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Now when you say "down there", what exactly are you talking about?

 

I mean Staten Islanders were told, yeah you'll be inconvenienced for a while but you'll have a beautiful new South Ferry station. Now the station is up and running and they still can't use the station on the weekends. Mind you completion of the station was delayed by about a year. And even if they're doing work related to Cortlandt St. and the towers, etc. why can't they continue to run the trains normally WITH the normal express service on the weekends up to Chambers Street? So you have local service for the most part and then a shuttle buses at Chambers St, which of course cannot run in sink at all with the ferry... It's stuff like this that makes me avoid the subways at all costs during the weekends. I think 4 -5 years of this nonsense is enough. I'm just wondering how long this is going to continue before they're finally finished with the 7th Ave line?

 

P.S. I thought they finished that area near the WTC site originally when the MTA claimed that they finished it ahead of schedule? So what exactly is there left to do??? Insanity...

[Law]

P.S. I thought they finished that area near the WTC site originally when the MTA claimed that they finished it ahead of schedule? So what exactly is there left to do??? Insanity...

Not the MTA, the PA

[Guest lance25]

Remember, the line runs next to the World Trade Center site. If the Port Authority needs to do work in that area, the has no choice but to comply.

 

Also, regular service can't run to Chambers St because of the way the line was built. If the was to terminate at Chambers St while the and trains were running express, there would be massive delays. Looking at the track maps, the would have to cross over and terminate on the downtown express track. Then it would have to reverse over to cross onto the uptown express, then uptown local tracks, moving at a slow speed as the switches are pretty close together. And that's not including the confused passengers that inevitably pop up. That's why every time the gets truncated, it terminates at 14 St/7 Av and the and run local south of Penn Station.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Not the MTA, the PA

 

Well for the past 4 - 5 years if they're going to have service like this on the weekends, they could be rehabbing stations down there because whenever PA does finish, those stations will need serious work. I don't use the 7th Ave line or the subway frequently anymore since I don't take the ferry, so are they re-doing any of those stations down there (i.e. Chambers or 14th street)?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Remember, the line runs next to the World Trade Center site. If the Port Authority needs to do work in that area, the has no choice but to comply.

 

Also, regular service can't run to Chambers St because of the way the line was built. If the was to terminate at Chambers St while the and trains were running express, there would be massive delays. Looking at the track maps, the would have to cross over and terminate on the downtown express track. Then it would have to reverse over to cross onto the uptown express, then uptown local tracks, moving at a slow speed as the switches are pretty close together. And that's not including the confused passengers that inevitably pop up. That's why every time the gets truncated, it terminates at 14 St/7 Av and the and run local south of Penn Station.

 

 

I just have a hard time fathoming how one line can knock out express service on two lines. I remember doing that stupid switch too. Jumping off of the #1 to switch over to the 2 and 3... In a way it's been a good thing because more people are riding the express bus, which means more frequent service for us on the weekends in SI.

[MikeGerald]

1) The #1 train line literally runs THROUGH the World Trade Center site, not beside, not "around", etc, but THROUGH the World Trade Center site. What happened in the late 1960's and 1970's when the towers and complex was built was that the whole complete surrounded the #1 train tunnel.

 

2) Remember it was the Cortlandt Street station on the #1 line that was pierced by the steel beams from the WTC, and had to be closed.

 

3) Yes, as a Staten Islander, I know and have lived through all of the issues with the #1 line, and its various problems on the weekends over the past 20 something years. The bus substitutions that occurred with the loop station, the building of the temporary ferry terminals, the various work projects at WTC, the various closings and re-openings of the South Ferry station, the various G.O.s that affect the #4 and #5 lines, and the N-W-R trains at Whitehall Street, let alone the various changes in services over that time.

 

4) Another thing that has to be considered is the ferry schedule itself with its weekend 30 and 60 waits between boats. Plenty of times - when waiting for the shuttle bus at Chambers Street it was guaranteed that one would miss the ferry and have to wait an hour for the next boat, especially after 7pm.

 

5) As was reported Staten Islanders have the highest commuting time in the country, and it often seems like nothing will ever be done about that. Having to take the Bus-Ferry-Bus-Subway or the Bus-SIR-Ferry-Bus-Subway on the weekends - means nothing less then a 90-minute if not a 2-hour trip just to get anywhere.

 

Just a couple of points.

Mike

[INDman]

Providing good week day service is more of a priority then weekend service. It is up to riders to make alternet travel plans. Weekend work is nothing new, it's been going on for the last 15 to 20 years on the scale we see today.

[Fresh Pond]

Another example would be the Broadway-7th Av Line, almost every weekend so far the was split into two segments, and the (2)/(3) had to run local for construction and station rehab (uptown)

 

You gotta remember, all of the stations notrh of Times Sq are the original 1904 stations. Its time for them to get rehabbed, as you can see at Dyckman St, and points north

[R32 3348]

1st step would be ELIMINATE these strip maps, I can't tell you when was the last time I've seen an R-142 running along the line it was originally assigned to 1999 and the R-160's electronic strip maps also don't seem to be doing well, I was on the and my car said it was the . Remember being on the , according to the map it was the to Bay Pkwy. Its wayyy too large of a system to truly believe cars are gonna stay on there set routes forever. The more conventional inside electronic signs used on the R-44's and 46's work much better.

 

ALSO, removing the service information box from subway maps doesn't help either.

The issues with the FIND occur much less frequently now. It is actually very rare to find an issue with the FINDs, and this is coming from someone who rides the 5 days a week. The strip maps are here to stay for a while, unless the decides to replace them in the future.

 

P.S. I thought they finished that area near the WTC site originally when the MTA claimed that they finished it ahead of schedule? So what exactly is there left to do??? Insanity...

What you heard about was the Port Authority rescheduling their work on Greenwich St. (the street the travels under in Lower Manhattan) so that the scope of work they had to complete would be much less disruptive to passengers. They are by no means done with the work.

 

 

 

 

 

That line towards the bottom of the image is Greenwich St., and the tunnel structure. They are still filling in the empty space under the structure during weekends, and working on rebuilding the Cortlandt St. station as we speak. Greenwich St. won't be reopened until mid-2012, and the Cortlandt St. station isn't set to reopen until September next year, so we're still in for about another year of WTC-related service changes.

Well for the past 4 - 5 years if they're going to have service like this on the weekends, they could be rehabbing stations down there because whenever PA does finish, those stations will need serious work. I don't use the 7th Ave line or the subway frequently anymore since I don't take the ferry, so are they re-doing any of those stations down there (i.e. Chambers or 14th street)?

Besides Cortlandt St., no they aren't. But there are stations in much worse shape than either Chambers St. or 14th St. that the is currently addressing.