MTA should use its $40-million surplus to benefit Staten Island commuters

[bobtehpanda]

LMAO. I highly, highly doubt the is gonna invest in cleaning up the North Shore Branch mess it currently is, removing everything that goes with it *and* converting it to a BRT track. If they really don't wanna reactivate the North Shore Branch, they'd probably just remove it and convert it to a road just like they did with most of the South Shore Branch.

 

They've already put out a study where this is their stated intention, because light rail and heavy rail are too damn expensive and everyone wants a brand new ROW to the goddamned Teleport.

 

You don't even need the Teleport leg for a reactivation - the MTA is just being stupid at this point.

[Vistausss]

Oh, well if they are onto it then why not. I still stand by my previous point in what they ultimatetly will do but BRT/SBS is my kind of thing so I'm not against it if they really wanna do this.

[S79 Select bus servi]

yeah on BRT takes 23 mts instead of 21 mts for light rail to WSP

twice as cheap

and u can have feeder routes

[bobtehpanda]

yeah on BRT takes 23 mts instead of 21 mts for light rail to WSP

twice as cheap

and u can have feeder routes

 

The downside of this being cheap (and whether or not it needs to go to WSP is a completely different story, since that was never part of the North Shore Line in the first place) is that buses cost a lot more to operate and maintain than trains do, and carry less people (and cause less investment in development in surrounding areas.) Then again, SIR bleeds money, so I'm not sure if that's a valid argument.

[Vistausss]

If they were to use the Van Hool AGG300 (which sadly isn't allowed to run in the USA) it wouldn't be all that bad because it's double articulated.