Proposed overhaul of Flushing LIRR's . . . 'LOST STATION'

[T to Dyre Avenue]

I think an interesting incentive to draw riders to the LIRR from the is to make the Flushing-NYP ticket cheaper: $3.50, for example.

They should charge that same $3.50 fare for all of the Port Washington Stations within Queens. That would really relieve the Q12, Q13 and trains.

[Amtrak7]

It's no surprise that so many buses converge on the train at Main Street and it's also no surprise that those bus routes range from standing room only at best to severely overcrowded at worse when arriving and leaving from Main St. And it's no surprise that the and trains are overcrowded arriving and leaving Main Street as well.

 

The same for buses from SE Queens converging at Jamaica. Budget-wary passengers are switching to the local bus, while express bus ridership continues to decline sharply. Those x63 x64 x68 passengers are probably using LIRR now.

[checkmatechamp13]

The problem with that is there are MNCR and LIRR stations in the Bronx and Queens that are beyond subway territory. Bronx and Queens residents at those stations get charged (or overcharged) nearly as much as their neighbors in Westchester and Nassau Counties. Not surprisingly, many people settle for taking buses to the nearest subway stop. It's no surprise that so many buses converge on the train at Main Street and it's also no surprise that those bus routes range from standing room only at best to severely overcrowded at worse when arriving and leaving from Main St. And it's no surprise that the and trains are overcrowded arriving and leaving Main Street as well.

 

The buses would probably still have to converge at the station, unless the LIRR suddenly offered free transfers and everything that the subway offers. At least they would have to run fewer buses, and they would be less crowded.

 

Like I said, the marginal costs of adding an extra train are less than those of adding a bunch of extra buses, so you would think that they would try to encourage the use of the LIRR (and this applies to the Main Line as well)

 

I guess the only reason they charge the high fares is because people in Nassau and Westchester are willing to pay it. Even if the fare was only lowered within Queens and The Bronx, they might be worried that people in Nassau and Westchester might drive into NYC to take advantage of the lower fares.

 

I think that the commuter rail fares overall should be lowered by about 20-30%.

 

They should charge that same $3.50 fare for all of the Port Washington Stations within Queens. That would really relieve the Q12, Q13 and trains.

 

That would be good. It would also save them money by having to run fewer buses, and if the passengers have to transfer, they basically end up paying an express bus fare ($3.50+$2.25), so the MTA actually gains revenue.

 

The same for buses from SE Queens converging at Jamaica. Budget-wary passengers are switching to the local bus, while express bus ridership continues to decline sharply. Those x63 x64 x68 passengers are probably using LIRR now.

 

But the LIRR is more expensive than the express bus (especially during rush hours, when the X63/X64/X68 run)