Is overcrowding on Lexington Av and Canarsie lines overhyped?

[East Broadway]

Im just asking is it possible to run (4)/(5) trains on 2 minute headway each? so every minute one train comes?

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

Im just asking is it possible to run (4)/(5) trains on 2 minute headway each? so every minute one train comes?

 

It can take a full minute to load/unload the train at most of the stops within Manhattan and then have it fully depart the station. Trains would have to literally run on eachother's tails to have a frequency that high which could make the service in between stations really slow.

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

Im just asking is it possible to run (4)/(5) trains on 2 minute headway each? so every minute one train comes?

 

It can take a full minute to load/unload the train at most of the stops within Manhattan and then have it fully depart the station. Trains would have to literally run on eachother's tails to have a frequency that high which could make the service in between stations really slow.

[Princelex]

I've been hearing this topic from a passengers point of view, one that I'm VERY familar with, but as one who has done all of the Lexington Ave lines as a conductor now, I can tell you whoever started this topic is a bloody fool because the overcrowding on the Lex and Canarsie Lines is REAL. Last week, I had to do the and at after 3pm, I had to leave LOTS of passengers on the platform from 86th St - 51st St because it was just too damn packed on the train. It's really tough to close the train down when you have people who swear their asses are small enough to squeeze into a tight space when they know damn well that it just ain't working and I wind up closing them out of the train.

 

The Lexington Ave Line and the are no joke and I respect both lines much more now that I am an employee than I did as a passenger.

[Princelex]

I've been hearing this topic from a passengers point of view, one that I'm VERY familar with, but as one who has done all of the Lexington Ave lines as a conductor now, I can tell you whoever started this topic is a bloody fool because the overcrowding on the Lex and Canarsie Lines is REAL. Last week, I had to do the and at after 3pm, I had to leave LOTS of passengers on the platform from 86th St - 51st St because it was just too damn packed on the train. It's really tough to close the train down when you have people who swear their asses are small enough to squeeze into a tight space when they know damn well that it just ain't working and I wind up closing them out of the train.

 

The Lexington Ave Line and the are no joke and I respect both lines much more now that I am an employee than I did as a passenger.

[Grand Concourse]

Oh I know how the Nostrand Avenue Line works lol and I never rode the from any of the station every again during the AM rush. From the Bronx on the or you def won't get a seat @ East 180th Street. I had to backtrack by going all the way to Eastchester-Dyre Avenue just to get a seat so I have a one seat ride to Brooklyn w/o having to take the !

 

When I used to ride the daily in the am rush, I would wait towards the front or any place not across from the turnstiles to get a seat. It's not really impossible to get a seat as long as the train just pulled into the station. I'm more the 'waiter' type. [i would prefer not to stand at all costs up the Nostrand segment - don't want to be bothered by the damn kids that get on.] If it is the rush hour, I know another train is outside the station and worse comes worse I take the and transfer to either the or by Nevins.

If the bell rings [indicating the train is clear to go], I can run from the main entrance [ train side] to the platform [aiming for at least the middle of the train if the bell hasn't sounded yet] easily. Short distance running isn't too bad for me.

[Grand Concourse]

Oh I know how the Nostrand Avenue Line works lol and I never rode the from any of the station every again during the AM rush. From the Bronx on the or you def won't get a seat @ East 180th Street. I had to backtrack by going all the way to Eastchester-Dyre Avenue just to get a seat so I have a one seat ride to Brooklyn w/o having to take the !

 

When I used to ride the daily in the am rush, I would wait towards the front or any place not across from the turnstiles to get a seat. It's not really impossible to get a seat as long as the train just pulled into the station. I'm more the 'waiter' type. [i would prefer not to stand at all costs up the Nostrand segment - don't want to be bothered by the damn kids that get on.] If it is the rush hour, I know another train is outside the station and worse comes worse I take the and transfer to either the or by Nevins.

If the bell rings [indicating the train is clear to go], I can run from the main entrance [ train side] to the platform [aiming for at least the middle of the train if the bell hasn't sounded yet] easily. Short distance running isn't too bad for me.

[Wallyhorse]

*Insert facepalm image here*

 

... And the money for this is coming from where exactly...?

 

Keyword there was "might."

 

Columbia might very well see the SAS being extended across 125th street and a chance to give students easier access to the east side as something worth investing to see Phase 2 extended. Plus, by the time that would get built, we might very well be in a different economic situation than now.

[Wallyhorse]

*Insert facepalm image here*

 

... And the money for this is coming from where exactly...?

 

Keyword there was "might."

 

Columbia might very well see the SAS being extended across 125th street and a chance to give students easier access to the east side as something worth investing to see Phase 2 extended. Plus, by the time that would get built, we might very well be in a different economic situation than now.

[CenSin]

Keyword there was "might."

 

Columbia might very well see the SAS being extended across 125th street and a chance to give students easier access to the east side as something worth investing to see Phase 2 extended. Plus, by the time that would get built, we might very well be in a different economic situation than now.

The word "might" suggests that you expect a high probability of this happening than most people with common sense to know that an urgent phase 3 and 4 (which are more urgent) don't even have the funding secured much less a non-urgent crosstown subway for Colombia. A school does not justify a crosstown line. As much as I would like one, I know better than to think it might happen; it likely won't happen.

 

You'll find reasons to build for everything, but you should stop to think about the people who actually has to make the decisions. Does it make sense after considering the costs and what else more useful could be done with the money and labor that is in short supply?

[CenSin]

Keyword there was "might."

 

Columbia might very well see the SAS being extended across 125th street and a chance to give students easier access to the east side as something worth investing to see Phase 2 extended. Plus, by the time that would get built, we might very well be in a different economic situation than now.

The word "might" suggests that you expect a high probability of this happening than most people with common sense to know that an urgent phase 3 and 4 (which are more urgent) don't even have the funding secured much less a non-urgent crosstown subway for Colombia. A school does not justify a crosstown line. As much as I would like one, I know better than to think it might happen; it likely won't happen.

 

You'll find reasons to build for everything, but you should stop to think about the people who actually has to make the decisions. Does it make sense after considering the costs and what else more useful could be done with the money and labor that is in short supply?

[TwoTimer]

Its like who is Columbia that they can dictate transportation policy to get a subway dug across 125th just so its students and staff can get a one-seat ride to the east side? (not Midtown, as the outside its door will get them there faster). And oh BTW, disrupt central Harlem in ways that it may not survive? 2av is a wasteland, but it will reemerge once construction is done or moves north of 96 (which is purely residential, not mixed use like it is south of 96).

[TwoTimer]

Its like who is Columbia that they can dictate transportation policy to get a subway dug across 125th just so its students and staff can get a one-seat ride to the east side? (not Midtown, as the outside its door will get them there faster). And oh BTW, disrupt central Harlem in ways that it may not survive? 2av is a wasteland, but it will reemerge once construction is done or moves north of 96 (which is purely residential, not mixed use like it is south of 96).

[Gorgor]

Yes, screwing up and closing down portions of 125th Street for at least 10 years just to build a crosstown subway when there's already a north-south subway every 1-2 blocks is definitely the answer.

 

Extending the Second Avenue Subway downtown is FAR more important than any of that, but how about we all come back to reality for a second because we all know that it will never get built. Not only do we not, nor will we ever, have enough money to complete the project, but that expenses far outweigh any possible economic gains.

[Gorgor]

Yes, screwing up and closing down portions of 125th Street for at least 10 years just to build a crosstown subway when there's already a north-south subway every 1-2 blocks is definitely the answer.

 

Extending the Second Avenue Subway downtown is FAR more important than any of that, but how about we all come back to reality for a second because we all know that it will never get built. Not only do we not, nor will we ever, have enough money to complete the project, but that expenses far outweigh any possible economic gains.

[TriboroughBridge]

dude please, I take the train in BROOKLYN and every time I take it, it's sardine packed! I wait at franklin ave for at least a half hour waitng to see how long it takes for the packed trains to die down. & on the weekends I take the a lot & yes the entire train is sardine packed.

 

So I dont think it's overrated.

[Andres]

Overcrowding on the Lex Line is not overhyped, i once rode the from City Hall to Hunts Point in the bronx and the train got packed like a can of sardine's the train and stations where so crowded that the train skipped 3 stops and didnt stop until 125th. What needs to be done is add more trains to the schedule rise the frequency from every 5 or 10 minutes to 2 or 3 minutes between trains. i've seen alot of trains at Westchester Yard laid up ready to go but are not even touched.

[Trainmaster5]

Overcrowding on the Lex Line is not overhyped, i once rode the from City Hall to Hunts Point in the bronx and the train got packed like a can of sardine's the train and stations where so crowded that the train skipped 3 stops and didnt stop until 125th. What needs to be done is add more trains to the schedule rise the frequency from every 5 or 10 minutes to 2 or 3 minutes between trains. i've seen alot of trains at Westchester Yard laid up ready to go but are not even touched.

The problem with adding those trains you see laid up in the yard to the overcrowded Lexington corridor can be summed up in one word, money. You would have to add more train crews to the payroll, do more maintenance to the fleet, and more frequent track work to the corridor causing more service disruptions. Thus, it boils down to cost/benefit. Is it worth it? Can it be justified? I don't pretend to know the answers. Just playing devil's advocate here. Carry on.

[datDude]

The problem with adding those trains you see laid up in the yard to the overcrowded Lexington corridor can be summed up in one word, money. You would have to add more train crews to the payroll, do more maintenance to the fleet, and more frequent track work to the corridor causing more service disruptions. Thus, it boils down to cost/benefit. Is it worth it? Can it be justified? I don't pretend to know the answers. Just playing devil's advocate here. Carry on.

 

During rush hour to me it seems the 6 runs as frequent as possible, as soon as one leave the station another is waiting to enter,(albeit slowly) so i dunno how much more trains could possibly run.

 

To be honest during rush hrs its all the same to me, any train I take is packed like sardines and sometimes you cant even fit on the 1st train that comes. I mostly take the 123 and 456 lines (mainly 2 & 5) though so maybe that has something to do with it, I don't take the letter trains consistently during rush hrs to speak on those. I've never noticed the Lex Av line significantly worse than the 7th ave, they both suck at times. but numbers don't lie so if they say lex ave line is the most overcrowded i wouldn't doubt it, but head and shoulders above the rest im not convinced.

[West End]

I don't doubt that the Lexington Avenue Line is overcrowded, nor do I doubt the stretch between Union Square and Bedford on the is packed, but is it overhyped? Perhaps. People forget how disgustingly crowded the is between Lexington/53rd and Penn Station during rush hour. I usually have to wait for one or two trains to pass at 5th/53rd before I can get on during the evening rush. It's much worse than the and comparable to the Lexington Avenue Line easily.

[Gorgor]

I don't doubt that the Lexington Avenue Line is overcrowded, nor do I doubt the stretch between Union Square and Bedford on the is packed, but is it overhyped? Perhaps. People forget how disgustingly crowded the is between Lexington/53rd and Penn Station during rush hour. I usually have to wait for one or two trains to pass at 5th/53rd before I can get on during the evening rush. It's much worse than the and comparable to the Lexington Avenue Line easily.

 

The is significantly more crowded than the ?!?

 

In the mornings sometimes when I would take the and there were delays between 59th and 51st Streets I'd get off and transfer for an . It was crowded, but I was easily able to get on the first train and I'd say that the car I was in was 3/4 filled at most.

[Trainmaster5]

I don't doubt that the Lexington Avenue Line is overcrowded, nor do I doubt the stretch between Union Square and Bedford on the is packed, but is it overhyped? Perhaps. People forget how disgustingly crowded the is between Lexington/53rd and Penn Station during rush hour. I usually have to wait for one or two trains to pass at 5th/53rd before I can get on during the evening rush. It's much worse than the and comparable to the Lexington Avenue Line easily.

 

The station at Lex/53rd is crowded mainly because it's a transfer point with the AND it's the first stop in Manhattan for the . It's the access point for the East Side/Lex sevice on that line. The trains are crowded between that station and Penn station because of the added ridership from the Lex local. That was the justification for removing the from the 53rd/Lex station. Too many people at that particular station from the combined , , and trains created an unsafe overcrowding condition so the was moved to 63rd St instead. In comparison the ,,and lines are crowded from one end of Manhattan to the other.

[azspeedbullet]

Reading this thread makes me hate my job in lower manhattan. i currently hate my commute every day during morning and evening rush hour, i wish i can avoid it. I take the train to 14st/union square and then the or to bowling green. Any time during the day, those trains is always always packed, getting on/off the or is a pain...To avoid the rush i could take the to the but those trains dont run that often compare to the and the (4)/(5)

[chrisliz09]

its funny i been on that same line working and i never ever see wha i hear people saying on here, for one the is always running at 2-3 mins during the rush hour unless something happen like an emergency. than the is every 4-5 mins or so. yea sometimes its a little more but they run back to back i be at 42nd and sometimes im in bk at atlantic ave and i see trains running every few mins on the i just sit there and lol because its all the time so idk where people get off saying its an half hour wait and alway over crowded? its not all that way some yes but not all. i want too know why do people forget its a very over crowded city and not the trains that are at fault? a ten car train every 3-4 mins is just nuts and too be ocrowded or over crowded is even more nuts. we need too remember that this city has over 15million people in it that live here and another 1.5 million that work here out of state, all running on a subway system that was made over 90 years ago back when they had no idea we would have this much people living here, so yea its bad but it could be way way worse than a few over crowded trains we could be at a stand still.

[West End]

The is significantly more crowded than the ?!?

 

In the mornings sometimes when I would take the and there were delays between 59th and 51st Streets I'd get off and transfer for an . It was crowded, but I was easily able to get on the first train and I'd say that the car I was in was 3/4 filled at most.

 

The is the only train that connects to both Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal directly that also provides a one-train ride to Midtown East. Until the LIRR East Side Access is complete, the will be packed like sardines toward Midtown East in the morning rush and toward Penn Station/PABT in the evening rush.

 

I never said the is significantly more crowded than the (4)/(5)/(6), just comparable.