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15 hours ago, darkstar8983 said:

Yeah, I've never liked the idea of the (J)(Z) running express west of Myrtle Av. It is a three-station skip, which now is pointless because of the gentrification in Williamsburg, and the switch layout at Marcy Av and Myrtle Av + crossing the Bridge into Manhattan negates almost all time savings on the (J)(Z) in the section between Essex St and Myrtle Av. 

 

In the morning rush hour, it is ideal to keep the (J)(Z) express and the (M) local in this section because the (M) runs roughly every 5-6 minutes (10 Trains per hour), creating an almost 1:1 ratio to the (J) / (Z) combined. The Marcy Av merge should indeed prioritize the lower manhattan-bound express (J)(Z) trains so that there is time-savings, and the Myrtle Av-Broadway cross-platform interchange between the (J) and (M) trains is pretty useful (especially for Jamaica Line customers who need the local stops served only by the (M) train and therefore must switch from the express to the local).  All other transfers can theoretically be made by waiting at the underground Essex St Station in Manhattan (which has the benefit of protection from the elements - rain + wind + snow) without major inconvenience. 

 

In the evening rush hour, that cross-platform exchange should be made at Essex St (which yes would require precise timing on the (J) / (Z) and (M) trains so that they arrive at Essex St synchronously. This would also require some slight holds on the (M) trains since they again run slightly less frequently than the (J)(Z) between 5:15PM and 6PM [All other times in the rush period, the (M) comes more often than the (J).]. Again, the benefit of the cross platform transfer at Essex St east-bound here is beneficial due to protection from the elements and does the same job as the Myrtle Av cross-platform transfer in the AM rush. The only reason people switch between the (J) and (M) trains at Myrtle Av in the PM rush are because riders came on the (J) train express which left Essex St behind the (M) train that passengers had missed. However, passengers at the west-of Myrtle local stops who want to go to Jamaica have to see a (J)(Z) express train bypass them before the (M) arrives to pick them up and take them to Myrtle Av for the transfer. On top of that, sometimes passengers at these stations need access to a (J) only or (Z) only stop, and sometimes end up meeting up at Myrtle Av with the wrong train of the skip-stop duo, leading to additional platform time. The big problem with the Myrtle Av switch in the PM rush is that this time, the local (M) train crosses in front of the (J)(Z) trains in both directions, blocking the Jamaica Line from having any trains pass either towards or away from Manhattan. Most often than not, this delays the (J)(Z) at Myrtle Av and even a straggling express train on the express track at Flushing Av. When the (J)(Z) cross, it blocks the Middle Village-bound (M) trains and may cause trains to stack behind them too. This causes train bunching to occur east of Myrtle Av because eventually the (M) must go to Queens and something will be delayed. 

 

To mitigate this issue, the PM rush hour (J)(Z) express service west of Myrtle Av should be changed to local.

The advantage would be additional service to the West-of Myrtle local stops, fewer switching and merges (just one merge at Essex St and one diverging at Myrtle Av). In the AM rush, there is only one merge with the (M) train at Marcy Av, and a diverging at Essex St, since switches are locked to have Jamaica Line trains coming from JC to switch to express prior to entering Myrtle Av, allowing the (M) to not have a train merge at Myrtle Av and preserving a cross-platform transfer. There would be fewer delays and running time changes to the (J)(Z) would be negligible because of the streamlining of service in the section between Essex St and Myrtle Av. Also, if there are issues on the local track, trains can always be rerouted via express, but everything is still streamlined, with the (J)(M)(Z) all on the same track

An amazing analysis.  Thank you.

If an express train were possible to run from Broadway Junction to Marcy, then it is worthwhile keeping, but the existing configuration of only skipping the three stops between Marcy and Myrtle does not seem to make any sense.  This would be even more pointed if they ever made a connection between one of those stops and (G) .  At the very least, MTA should put forth an OMNY connection to (G) to allow a similar free transfer to what exists at 59th/Lex - 63rd/Lex.

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On 9/19/2021 at 6:17 PM, darkstar8983 said:

All other transfers can theoretically be made by waiting at the underground Essex St Station in Manhattan (which has the benefit of protection from the elements - rain + wind + snow) without major inconvenience. 

 

In the evening rush hour, that cross-platform exchange should be made at Essex St (which yes would require precise timing on the (J) / (Z) and (M) trains so that they arrive at Essex St synchronously. This would also require some slight holds on the (M) trains

You missed the part in the video that clearly showed the (M) and (Z) pulling into Essex Street at the same time. The (Z) was held in the middle of the station unable to fully platform while the (M) opened its doors, closed, and pulled out before the (Z) got the signal to proceed into the station. This is more than a timing problem. This is a signal problem.

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5 hours ago, jon2305 said:

So apparently, some douchebag placed a citibike on the local track st Steinway Street (R) and......... well the video link below say's it all.

Credit to SubwayCreatures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDYJTwDxMG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The (N) train emergency break kid struck again today. Pulled an emergency break on an Astoria bound train at 36 Av

Edited by darkstar8983
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34 minutes ago, CenSin said:

You missed the part in the video that clearly showed the (M) and (Z) pulling into Essex Street at the same time. The (Z) was held in the middle of the station unable to fully platform while the (M) opened its doors, closed, and pulled out before the (Z) got the signal to proceed into the station. This is more than a timing problem. This is a signal problem.

It’s likely because the merge is like 3 feet away from the signal and ever since the 1994 WBB crash, we need to have buffer signals before merges and switches. Although a quick fix could be the installation of a second signal similar to how there are extra signals at the northbound platform of the express track at 57 St-7 Av and eastbound express at Roosevelt Av. The difference here would be a 5-10 MPH restriction to ensure there is no overrunning, because that would be a guaranteed derailment. This extra signal should be added to both eastbound tracks 

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20 hours ago, R32 3838 said:

City Hall LL can only handle an 8 car train. The Platform would have to be extended in order to fit a full sized train. I really wished they created a new local track for canal st upper have the similar layout like the proposed local to express station conversion at woodhaven blvd. This would allow Express Trains from 96th and 2nd to terminate at City hall lower level while having the (N)(Q) continue to Brooklyn. The Tracks would divide similar to what you see with the 63rd st connection.  

The original plan was to have express trains on the lower level of City Hall station, while local trains would have stopped on the upper level as a terminal station. The lower level of Canal St however, was supposed to be a Canal St crosstown line separate from the 4-track mainline above. Had the original plans went through, the MTA could have possibly studied an uptown extension & connection to the BMT Canarsie line, forming a new 4-track line.

Edited by ActiveCity
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13 hours ago, jon2305 said:

So apparently, some douchebag placed a citibike on the local track st Steinway Street (R) and......... well the video link below say's it all.

Credit to SubwayCreatures on IG: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUDYJTwDxMG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

7 hours ago, darkstar8983 said:

The (N) train emergency break kid struck again today. Pulled an emergency break on an Astoria bound train at 36 Av

I saw the R train video I let out a big oh s**t and the stupid n train ebrake kid needs to get caught quickly hell those subway savages too I saw a video of some dude yelling at em barges into a (4) cab

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6 hours ago, BreeddekalbL said:

 

I saw the R train video I let out a big oh s**t and the stupid n train ebrake kid needs to get caught quickly hell those subway savages too I saw a video of some dude yelling at em barges into a (4) cab

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10012515/Moment-Citi-Bike-explodes-tracks-Queens-subway-man-rolled-tracks.html

Quote

The bike was left on the tracks of the G/N/R line at the 34th and Steinway Street subway station on Queens Boulevard in Astoria at around 10:30 pm

Yes… the G, N, R line. 🙄

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8 hours ago, paulrivera said:

So, AEW wrestling is in the tennis stadium in Queens tonight, and the (7) train won't be running in Manhattan when those folks get out.

Epic oof. That show's been planned for 3 months.

And it was a disaster. There was also a signal issue at Queensboro by the time people started to get out of the stadium at midnight. Unsurprisingly, the train was completely full. The MTA didn’t even add any extra (N) Trains at Queensboro so people were waiting between 15-20 minutes for one to show up to Manhattan. This show was announced months in advance so I wonder why there weren’t any plans to have extra service or to postpone the G.O. to the following night. I get that Covid is still affecting crew availability but the MTA should of been prepared to receive thousands of people on the (7) tonight.

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3 hours ago, Kingsbridgeviewer382 said:

This show was announced months in advance so I wonder why there weren’t any plans to have extra service or to postpone the G.O. to the following night.

Yea, this is a weird case. Normally they're on top of whatever's going on at Citi Field and the Tennis Center and run the <7> after whatever event is there... Last night, nada. I thought about going but getting from Queens to the Bronx at that hour is way too much of a hassle.

I wonder how the LIRR did...

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4 hours ago, Kingsbridgeviewer382 said:

And it was a disaster. There was also a signal issue at Queensboro by the time people started to get out of the stadium at midnight. Unsurprisingly, the train was completely full. The MTA didn’t even add any extra (N) Trains at Queensboro so people were waiting between 15-20 minutes for one to show up to Manhattan. This show was announced months in advance so I wonder why there weren’t any plans to have extra service or to postpone the G.O. to the following night. I get that Covid is still affecting crew availability but the MTA should of been prepared to receive thousands of people on the (7) tonight.

They have the horrible habit of scheduling G.O's that require a partial suspension during busy game nights or events (like Comic Con for the past 3 years where they suspended the (7) between Queensboro & Hudson Yds).

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On 9/20/2021 at 9:34 PM, ActiveCity said:

The original plan was to have express trains on the lower level of City Hall station, while local trains would have stopped on the upper level as a terminal station. The lower level of Canal St however, was supposed to be a Canal St crosstown line separate from the 4-track mainline above. Had the original plans went through, the MTA could have possibly studied an uptown extension & connection to the BMT Canarsie line, forming a new 4-track line.

What were the plans for the Canal Street crosstown?  I imagine that to the east, the line would connect into the Manhattan Bridge [as they did before 1967 connecting with the north tracks of the bridge], but where would the line go to the west of Broadway?

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6th Ave really went to shit this afternoon. I waited for 20 minutes for a (B), gave up, got the (F), immediately went BIE and T/O spent 30 min walking the train before giving up. I don't even want to imagine how clogged up it got behind if both the express and local were running that badly.

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The (E) was sandwiched up going to World Trade Center earlier today around 5 PM. I was on one of the four to World Trade Center and as soon it was at 5 Av-53 St: It was rerouted via the (M) line due to signal problems. The other 3 were behind backed up with an (M) behind the (E) 's . 

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10 hours ago, mrsman said:

What were the plans for the Canal Street crosstown?  I imagine that to the east, the line would connect into the Manhattan Bridge [as they did before 1967 connecting with the north tracks of the bridge], but where would the line go to the west of Broadway?

Strange that they placed the station the way it did considering its crosstown plans. The first stop would logically be Bowery, followed by Broadway, and then 6 Avenue. But I guess plans changed fast enough that they settled on a station spanning Broadway to Centre Street. It’s a pretty long tunnel run from the bridge to the Canal Street platforms.

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15 hours ago, Calvin said:

The (E) was sandwiched up going to World Trade Center earlier today around 5 PM. I was on one of the four to World Trade Center and as soon it was at 5 Av-53 St: It was rerouted via the (M) line due to signal problems. The other 3 were behind backed up with an (M) behind the (E) 's . 

The other day I saw an ad on an MTA bus that said “Leave your car home and ride this bus” and I thought it was funny. They are telling people to use public transportation but the (subway) system is a mess. Damn near everyday you hear about a signal issue and my question is how do politicians and etc expect more people to use the system when the system is plagued with numerous issues all the time? I swear if it ain’t a signal problem or equipment failure, then it’s a train traffic or a merging issue.

Edited by NewFlyer 230
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23 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

And if it's not that, it's "Longer waits because we're running as much service as we can with the train operators we have available"

The (C) has to be one of the worst lines to take at this moment because of the lack of operators. What I don’t understand is why can’t the MTA run the (D) local along Central Park west on the weekends because service can be abysmal with the (C) . It is literally not uncommon to see 15-20 min gaps in between trains which is why I usually take the (1) instead. 

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11 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

The (C) has to be one of the worst lines to take at this moment because of the lack of operators. What I don’t understand is why can’t the MTA run the (D) local along Central Park west on the weekends because service can be abysmal with the (C) . It is literally not uncommon to see 15-20 min gaps in between trains which is why I usually take the (1) instead. 

Because the (D) also has trash gaps, especially now that (D) trains are limited even further with trains terminating at Bay 50 St. You could be on West End and see only 1 (D) trains running around when going to Manhattan and back. Then the next trains that's supposed to arrive might not arrive in the next 30 minutes. Even during normal weekdays, you'll still end up seeing more (A)(B), and (N) trains running around. You'll get like 3 (B) trains coming in first before a (D), sometimes the (A), and definitely the (N). As much as I wouldn't mind them running local along CPW to help out the (C), I feel doing that would make it worse for both lines because the (C) would still have to deal with the (D) running around, that's just my experience. 

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1 hour ago, BM5 via Woodhaven said:

Governors Ball is at Citifield this year instead of Randall's Island (like it usually is), and it lasts through the weekend. So all (7) riders (me included) are gonna have to deal with some pretty packed trains through Sunday night. 

At least it's still going to/from 34 St-Hudson Yards. There is a weekend shutdown south of Queensboro Plaza having the (W) take its place due to track placement. 

Weekends is usually quick entering and leaving stations, not like the regular weekdays. 

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