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Subways vs Els


Bus Guy

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Ive been wondering how many people actually care what takes them where they have to go, say for example the old Brooklyn Els (Myrtle, Lexington, Fulton, 5th, and over the Brooklyn Bridge) and the Manhattan Els (2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th) were back in place. Now how many of you would take them over the current system or take the current system over them and why?

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i would take the Els because traveling underground for a long time gets boring even with an RFW because all thats in the tunnels are wires signals and walls and columns but up on an elevated structure you get to see New york from a different point of view, you see things tat you cant see once the train goes into a portal. The only downside is the noise the trains make on the Structure when they curve.

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Guest lance25

I think it's a case by case issue. In certain instances, it would be much better to take the subway over the elevated if both continued to exist. Take the Fulton Street elevated over the subway of the same name for example. Since the elevated and subway would meet each other at Grant Av, let's say someone needed to get to downtown Brooklyn from Grant Av. That person would take longer to get to his destination if he took the elevated line as it has to make more stops. The same would apply with the 9th Avenue line, what with both the IRT 7th Avenue line and the IND 8th Avenue line just a block away for the most part.

 

However, there are a few cases where elevated lines and subway do not parallel each other and probably would get a lot of ridership. Case and point, the Myrtle Avenue line south of Broadway and the 3rd Avenue line in the Bronx. Then there the capacity issue. Right now, the east side lines are at or near capacity because there's no alternative. But if the IRT 2nd Avenue still exists (just 2nd, this and 3rd would probably be overkill), it'd still see a significant amount of patrons, regardless of its close proximity to Lexington Avenue.

 

What it all boils down to is where the lines are and who are taking to the trains.

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From a transit fan's point of view, I'd prefer an el because you actually get to see some cool stuff while getting to your destination.

 

As a commuter...I can't really speak on that level, because I've never lived in a city with an el or a (finished) subway.

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I like the elevated portions, as long as they're no where near my house. If the 2nd or even 3rd Avenue El was still up then I definitely would not be living on the East Side.

 

There's a plus side to living near an el, one, your mortgages/rent would be a lot cheaper & two, someone once wrote a comment on youtube on a J train video,(he lives near an el) that he stayed by someone & he couldnt sleep due to the lack of an el train line.

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Actually you get used to the noise. I remember being young, and being really annoyed with the West End Line. It takes some time to get used to it, but once you do the sounds of the trains put you to sleep.

 

I used to live a couple of blocks east of the Brighton Beach station, and whenever we would do shopping on Brighton Beach Avenue, that train would shriek as loud as anything because the curve was right before the station.

 

My parents and grandmother hated it, but me being the little railfan that I was would love that sound. There was all of the noise from the cars, buses and people in the area: What's one more sound on top of it? Of course, if I lived there for 40 or 50 years, I'd probably be deaf (which is why long-term, I'd prefer to live near a subway line)

 

I'm surprised my grandmother isn't totally deaf: She spent 30 years of her life living in Brighton Beach, and her childhood was spent in Borough Park near the West End Line.

 

As far as commuting goes, it wouldn't really matter either way. Els have the advantage of fresh air, but you're also more exposed to the cold in the winter (I was born in Peru, so I don't mind the heat in the subway in the summer). I guess els have a more scenic view, though.

 

I like the elevated portions, as long as they're no where near my house. If the 2nd or even 3rd Avenue El was still up then I definitely would not be living on the East Side.

 

I'm sure if the els were still in the area, the UES wouldn't be the wealthy neighborhood it is today. I can't picture a billionaire wanting to live a block away from a noisy elevated.

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I am sure if the Third Avenue Elevated was still around it would be retrofitted to deal with the noise levels, and it would have been the only surviving elevated line in Manhattan which would make it extremely popular with tourists. Like the Chicago El's the Third Avenue El if left alone would have been just, or maybe even more popular then the ones in Chicago.

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Ive been wondering how many people actually care what takes them where they have to go, say for example the old Brooklyn Els (Myrtle, Lexington, Fulton, 5th, and over the Brooklyn Bridge) and the Manhattan Els (2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th) were back in place. Now how many of you would take them over the current system or take the current system over them and why?

 

I'd just take what ever is closer to where I am and gets me where I need to go with the least amount of transfers.

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There's a plus side to living near an el, one, your mortgages/rent would be a lot cheaper & two, someone once wrote a comment on youtube on a J train video,(he lives near an el) that he stayed by someone & he couldnt sleep due to the lack of an el train line.

 

Yeah, rent is a lot cheaper because you've got trains making tons of noise at all hours of the day and night. I'm speaking as a regular New Yorker, and not as some hyped up rail fan.

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