Pols: Let’s make a spot for the G train

[realizm]

 

The will do what they'll do come 2016-2020. Just be ready for the unexpected. It's most likely that the BMT Astoria Line will get its headways adjusted to make the impact on ridership slightly less stressful. The has always been logical.

 

Like leaving the as 8-car trains for the next 40 years? Yup!!

 

 

trains as 4 car sets in a growing Brooklyn community and initially proposing eliminating conductors on those trains at the cost of needed saftey measures for the riders for that matter. How about the scrapping of most of the R32s that were in good working order, knowingthat  the R44s were way beyond repair with its structural problems that were beyond any glimmer of hope? That was definitely a major blunder on the part of the MTA and I'm sure they are kicking themselves for making that major error. You know,  if we still had those R32's that were scrapped we would'nt even be having this discussion on the problems on the to begin with, we would have our 10 car sets on the I would imagine.

 

 

Makes me sort of skeptical about their reasoning sometimes....

[bobtehpanda]

I do agree they should have an oos transfer, but I guess with the jay st-metro tech transfer, there's not really a big need for another ind to bmt transfer. Even though it is out of the way depending on where you are going.

 

Granted, MetroTech is really useful, but in the context of the it's not, mostly because only one BMT line stops there, and because the doesn't directly serve it. With most BMT lines in Brooklyn, you need at least two trains to transfer to the , and presumably more transfers on the Queens end. This pretty much negates the original purpose of the line as a way to conveniently go around Manhattan.

 

IMO another great OOS transfer would be QBP - Queens Plaza, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

trains as 4 car sets in a growing Brooklyn community and initially proposing eliminating conductors on those trains at the cost of needed saftey measures for the riders for that matter. How about the scrapping of most of the R32s that were in good working order, knowingthat  the R44s were way beyond repair with its structural problems that were beyond any glimmer of hope? That was definitely a major blunder on the part of the MTA and I'm sure they are kicking themselves for making that major error. You know,  if we still had those R32's that were scrapped we would'nt even be having this discussion on the problems on the to begin with, we would have our 10 car sets on the I would imagine.

 

 

Makes me sort of skeptical about their reasoning sometimes....

 

Structurally, the R32s are great, but there are components which are starting to work less and less well, and whether or not they're replaceable is something I'm not aware of. The AC isn't so great, and the doors jam more frequently than I've seen on the other lines, so it's not like the R32s are angels of hope in a sea of broken train cars.

 

In any case, the is a completely different story - it at least has some convenient transfers to the lines it meets, and if there was -like ridership growth on the lines it ran on, then the would probably take most of the load.

[realizm]

Structurally, the R32s are great, but there are components which are starting to work less and less well, and whether or not they're replaceable is something I'm not aware of. The AC isn't so great, and the doors jam more frequently than I've seen on the other lines, so it's not like the R32s are angels of hope in a sea of broken train cars.

 

In any case, the is a cdifferent story - it at least has some convenient transfers to the lines it meets, and if there was -like ridership growth on the lines it ran on, then the would probably take most of the load.ompletely

 

That's true. I recall the problems with the R32's leading up to last summers (A)/© swap due to problems with the A/C on the R32s.

 train.

 

I'm quite amused on your metaphor on the R32's as not being like "angels of hope in a sea of broken cars". Pretty creative thinking on your part. I was chuckling to myself when you wrote that because that is a good point. But please do consider nthe fact that the MTA shops tends to hold on to spare parts to keep these cars going during their sceduled periods of maintanance. They did recently complete the overhaul of these cars that are left to increase longetivity. Not by much but it was a stark improvement over the condition they were at previously. If I'm correct, the mean distance between failures actually improved by a decent margin with these rugid, tough built cars that hs outdone the test of time.

[Cait Sith]

If trains still go to Church when Smith-9 is open, extra service can turn at Smith-9th. The to 71st with them will cause merging problems.

 

Um, how? The ran with the going to 71st. That makes 0 sense.

 

 

Structurally, the R32s are great,

but there are components which are starting to work less and less well,

and whether or not they're replaceable is something I'm not aware of. The AC isn't so great, and the doors jam more frequently than I've seen on the other lines, so it's not like the R32s are angels of hope in a sea of broken train cars.

 

In any case, the

is a completely different story - it at least has some convenient transfers to the lines it meets, and if there was

-like ridership growth on the lines it ran on, then the

would probably take most of the load.

 

 

The brakes being one of the main component issues on the R32s IIRC. The Phase II units always had problems with the brakes 'til the days of their demise.

[bobtehpanda]

Um, how? The ran with the going to 71st. That makes 0 sense.

 

IIRC, they were never both running to 71st at the same time with peak frequencies - the didn't go to 71st on weekends when the was running, and I don't remember if the ran late-nights to 71st - if it did, any merging conflicts could easily be solved by timing trains.

 

Back to topic: Even if demand warranted extending the Crosstown to 71st (It probably doesn't - LIC and Downtown Brooklyn are major transport hubs, and Forest Hills and Queens Blvd don't really compare), the is probably not the one deserving of a late-night extension. (AFAIK, most Brooklyn-Queens travel on weekends is handled by the car network, given the lack of a convenient line between Queens and Brooklyn's transit hubs and the crappy connectivity of the bus network in those areas. People using mass transit probably use the Manhattan subway lines because it's less of a pain to get to.) Now that the actually goes between Ridgewood and Midtown, it's better utilized, is a Williamsburg alternative to the , and provides more convenient transfer options, so it's probably a stronger contender.

[realizm]

The was a weekday only service much like the is now. They did'nt operate late nights.

[Grand Concourse]

As I said earlier, the point of the g is to 'shuttle' people over to the next express stop to get to manhattan. It's 4 car trains means you can run opto and save on costs of running a full 8 car train. The mta hardly seems committed to improving the R frequency, and I dunno if there's going to be a reason to run the m past myrtle av, so thus the g. IMO.

[Cait Sith]

IIRC, they were never both running to 71st at the same time with peak frequencies - the didn't go to 71st on weekends when the was running, and I don't remember if the ran late-nights to 71st - if it did, any merging conflicts could easily be solved by timing trains.

 

The was a weekday only service much like the is now. They did'nt operate late nights.

 

I was talking about the Weekdays/Weeknights (which was also what Quill Depot was talking about, hence my response to him) as service started at 9PM to CTL and ran till 5:30AM. service ended at Midnight. I remember having to take the home from Woodhaven around 10:30-10:45PM and seeing trains coming through as well.

[NewFlyer 230]

Actually there was a period when the      and    were all running along the Queens Blvd line. It was around 8-11:30PM on Weekdays when the and were running less often. The only thing that I say should happen is that the runs on the Queens Blvd Line on Weekdays or have the run late nights. BTW why are there 8 car R160's for the and R68's at Jamaica yard?

[Art Vandelay]

As I said earlier, the point of the g is to 'shuttle' people over to the next express stop to get to manhattan. It's 4 car trains means you can run opto and save on costs of running a full 8 car train. The mta hardly seems committed to improving the R frequency, and I dunno if there's going to be a reason to run the m past myrtle av, so thus the g. IMO.

There is far greater reason to run the M to Continental than there is to run the G there. 

 

 

Actually there was a period when the      and    were all running along the Queens Blvd line. It was around 8-11:30PM on Weekdays when the and were running less often. The only thing that I say should happen is that the runs on the Queens Blvd Line on Weekdays or have the run late nights. BTW why are there 8 car R160's for the and R68's at Jamaica yard?

I agree with your desires for the M and R. With regards to your questions, I think you answered your first- They are for the M! with regards to the second, perhaps stored cars from the G? 

[Grand Concourse]

And what is that reason?

[Roadcruiser1]

Maybe a better idea would be to finally build that super express track, and relocate one of the Queens Boulevard Line into those tracks while the can be moved into the local tracks without causing any problems.

[bobtehpanda]

And what is that reason?

 

The would serve as a relief for the to Williamsburg on weekends, which is horribly crowded as it is, and often suffers weekend disruptions. It would also provide more transfers to other lines, making it easier for Ridgewood residents to use lines that aren't the . Not to mention, there are probably more people on Queens Blvd who would want the than the .

[realizm]

Maybe a better idea would be to finally build that super express track, and relocate one of the Queens Boulevard Line into those tracks while the can be moved into the local tracks without causing any problems.

 

That would be the grand solution to a long-standing congestion problem plaguing the Queens Bvld Line for decades - the Queens Super Express option via the LIRR Main Line to Union Turnpike from the 63rd Street tunnel. Unfortunately for the year 2013 this would be nothing but pipe dreams. 

 

 

The original idea for a train interestingly designated the to utilize that detour into Union Turnpike. (Not kidding) But that changed during the course of history thanks to the fiscal crisis of the 70's. But you know this, just saying this for the record as we are relating to this as an option that will unfortunately never happen in this day and age.

[Grand Concourse]

The would serve as a relief for the to Williamsburg on weekends, which is horribly crowded as it is, and often suffers weekend disruptions. It would also provide more transfers to other lines, making it easier for Ridgewood residents to use lines that aren't the . Not to mention, there are probably more people on Queens Blvd who would want the than the .

but I'd believe most qb riders are likely going to want the express. If you need the M to help the L, then why not terminate at Essex instead? Of course it would be convenient to take the m b/w 53rd and 6th av from Queens directly than doing the e to b/d transfer, but is there a demand for it?

[realizm]

I was talking about the Weekdays/Weeknights (which was also what Quill Depot was talking about, hence my response to him) as service started at 9PM to CTL and ran till 5:30AM. service ended at Midnight. I remember having to take the home from Woodhaven around 10:30-10:45PM and seeing trains coming through as well.

 

Was that when they tried to run the to 179th Street to prevent the bottlenecking at 71st Ave? My memory is vague on this. 

[Grand Concourse]

No, the v would run past 9pm while the g started to run. But since it was later at night, 71st probably wasn't overwhelmed with trains. So at that point all 3 locals ended at 71st.

[realizm]

^ Good information. Thank you. Now I remember! In fact now I can remember the signs that informed that ran on weeknight evenings, and weekends, and advised that at other times "use the on the local track.". 

[Metro CSW]

Yup, It operated from approximately 6:30 a.m. to midnight.

[R32 3838]

the phase II R32s were retired because the ta didnt want to spend money on sms'ing them (brake work and a/c work) it would costed them money they would had had to re modify those brakes, BUT alot of people got in some serious shit for retireing those cars, the 44s were in shit shape since the 90s, as for the G adding cars they can only add about 2 more cars, if they made the G full length ( I dont see that happening ) then something will have to be modified, i see them going back to 6 car R46s with 2 sets of 8 car 32s (AS SPARES OR RUSH HOUR) put ins, thats the only thing they can do, if the G does get extra cars expect alot of moves and changes, thats just my opinion as as i see it thats the only choice they would have

[Quill Depot]

the phase II R32s were retired because the ta didnt want to spend money on sms'ing them (brake work and a/c work) it would costed them money they would had had to re modify those brakes, BUT alot of people got in some serious shit for retireing those cars, the 44s were in shit shape since the 90s, as for the G adding cars they can only add about 2 more cars, if they made the G full length ( I dont see that happening ) then something will have to be modified, i see them going back to 6 car R46s with 2 sets of 8 car 32s (AS SPARES OR RUSH HOUR) put ins, thats the only thing they can do, if the G does get extra cars expect alot of moves and changes, thats just my opinion as as i see it thats the only choice they would have

 

This is not the only thing they can do... I say put another set or R68A's on the line.

[CenSin]

That would be the grand solution to a long-standing congestion problem plaguing the Queens Bvld Line for decades - the Queens Super Express option via the LIRR Main Line to Union Turnpike from the 63rd Street tunnel. Unfortunately for the year 2013 this would be nothing but pipe dreams. 

 

 

The original idea for a train interestingly designated the to utilize that detour into Union Turnpike. (Not kidding) But that changed during the course of history thanks to the fiscal crisis of the 70's. But you know this, just saying this for the record as we are relating to this as an option that will unfortunately never happen in this day and age.

The practical solution is to have another fully built trunk line siphon away passengers from either side of Queens Boulevard. If I'm not mistaken, a Northern Boulevard line was planned decades ago. All that construction wouldn't have to be wasted on a single (or pair) of tracks with no stations. You build a second line with stations and you can divide up the ridership amongst the trunk lines. With that said, it's a wonder why no politician or even the MTA has ever mentioned building a sister line for the seeing how it is severely overcrowded.

[bobtehpanda]

The practical solution is to have another fully built trunk line siphon away passengers from either side of Queens Boulevard. If I'm not mistaken, a Northern Boulevard line was planned decades ago. All that construction wouldn't have to be wasted on a single (or pair) of tracks with no stations. You build a second line with stations and you can divide up the ridership amongst the trunk lines. With that said, it's a wonder why no politician or even the MTA has ever mentioned building a sister line for the seeing how it is severely overcrowded.

 

Ideally, the LIRR would upgrade its signalling and become more amenable to more frequent non-suburban traffic and lower fares, so new construction would be unnecessary, but that's not going to happen.

 

Isn't the pretty close to the , at least until Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs?

 

And just saying, any new trunk line won't necessarily solve the problem with relaying trains and conflicts at Queens Plaza unless you just completely take the 63rd St Connector out of service and reestablish the old relay track, and no matter how much you crunch the numbers, there is little demand for service to Forest Hills. Maybe if you send the to a hub like Jamaica-179th St along with the , there would be more demand along Queens Blvd for a Downtown Brooklyn service. But even then, it's doubtful that the would ever have more demand than the or .

[Grand Concourse]

Well, the whole point of the locals on QB is to take riders to the  next express stop. The main reason the R still has a big crowd is it offers a direct and easier transfer to the Lexington av lines. The M, I can't speak for since i haven't taken it in the rush hours yet. But if such a northern blvd line was to be built, it would probably require either the M or R to be moved since the G itself wouldn't do any good.

[Threxx]

Why do people want to send the back to QBL? That would simply make the route even more unreliable, as it isn't doing too well at the moment, and there's no demand... we don't want an extension (as riders)