New Part of the 7 Subway Makes its First Trip Friday — for the Mayor -WSJ

[realizm]

 Keith Bedford for the Wall Street Journal

Tracks are laid for the MTA’s 7 subway line extension.

 

The extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to the West Side isn’t scheduled to open to passengers until summer of 2014 — with one exception.

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed Monday that plans are set to run a
 
The extension of the No. 7 subway line from Times Square to the West Side isn’t scheduled to open to passengers until summer of 2014 — with one exception.
 
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed Monday that plans are set to run a “dignitary train” on Friday for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, so the politician who spearheaded the city financing of the new line’s extension through the site of the Hudson Yards development can get in one celebratory trip before leaving office at the end of the year.
 

Mr. Bloomberg will ride a No. 7 train from Times Square, where the line ends now, to the end of the extension at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, at noon on Friday, MTA officials said.
 
Read more: Source

[CenSin]

Damn. And I had my hopes up that I could take pictures this week.

[realizm]

Yeah forget it the crowds are going to be huge. Imagine Times Square riddled with reporters, cameramen and officials as well as officers. I mean pics are legal of course, in the subway but it would be difficult because of the crowds. 

[CenSin]

Does anyone know that the track layout looks like at 34 Street? I recall seeing 3 tracks and 2 platforms in early plans, but they might've been scrapped due to cost concerns. The switch in the photo looks very much like the IND-style high-speed switches installed in many areas.

[realizm]

Does anyone know that the track layout looks like at 34 Street? I recall seeing 3 tracks and 2 platforms in early plans, but they might've been scrapped due to cost concerns. The switch in the photo looks very much like the IND-style high-speed switches installed in many areas.

 

Source: http://www.mta.info/capconstr/7ext/images/7%20Line%20Project%20Map%209-14-2012.pdf

[Kamen Rider]

Yeah forget it the crowds are going to be huge. Imagine Times Square riddled with reporters, cameramen and officials as well as officers. I mean pics are legal of course, in the subway but it would be difficult because of the crowds. 

Last Mets game at Shea, waiting for the TOMC, you were lucky if you could move an inch.

[jake1985]

11th avenue.. is that in jersey?

[realizm]

Last Mets game at Shea, waiting for the TOMC, you were lucky if you could move an inch.

 

Man it was that bad? I've heard it was a huge crowd but didn't know it was that crowded.

[CenSin]

Last Mets game at Shea, waiting for the TOMC, you were lucky if you could move an inch.

Those standing along the edges of the platform must've had one hell of a time staying on it.

[j express]

@jake1985 No. Its in NYC its a proposed station between 34 St and Times Square not yet constructed. This is just the 34 st extension we are talking about.

[Grand Concourse]

Last Mets game at Shea, waiting for the TOMC, you were lucky if you could move an inch.

in the middle cars it wasnt too bad. But yeah, i do agree on that. Anything less than the 11-car train wouldn't work. It's amazing how the folks can cram into the low vs for the yankees playoff games.

 

As for this, wow time flies and i'm glad to know this segment will open eventually. I just wonder how many r188 maps they will need to 're sticker' to reflect the addition? Like will the 7 be almost or more than half r62as and r188s by summer?

[Around the Horn]

in the middle cars it wasnt too bad. But yeah, i do agree on that. Anything less than the 11-car train wouldn't work. It's amazing how the folks can cram into the low vs for the yankees playoff games.

 

As for this, wow time flies and i'm glad to know this segment will open eventually. I just wonder how many r188 maps they will need to 're sticker' to reflect the addition? Like will the 7 be almost or more than half r62as and r188s by summer?

All R188s come with 34th on the map already...(its covered)

[CenSin]

All R188s come with 34th on the map already...(its covered)

Oh god… You mean the display is NOT flexible? Should the politicians actually agree on extending the line anywhere else, there's going to be a lot of work on these new trains.

[bobtehpanda]

Oh god… You mean the display is NOT flexible? Should the politicians actually agree on extending the line anywhere else, there's going to be a lot of work on these new trains.

 

Reengineering a circuit to put in more LEDs and printing out new sheets isn't that difficult.

 

In any case, we should finish the SAS first, and even then there are more pressing priorities than a Far West Side subway line extension (and let's not even get into the whole Gateway vs. Secaucus extension conversation)

[Dj Hammers]

The LEDs are already there.... they're just covered up by the overlay that slides over the LED array. Just a matter of printing out new strip map overlays and editing the 7 line programs.

[Fresh Pond]

The LEDs are already there.... they're just covered up by the overlay that slides over the LED array. Just a matter of printing out new strip map overlays and editing the 7 line programs.

You don't even have to do all that. The program for Hudson Yards as a terminal is already there. The Hudson Yards stop is already there on the strip map, all you have to to is remove the strip map covering, then remove that black strip that's covering up the Hudson Yards stop.

 

Shouldn't take no more than a few minutes per car...

[Turbo19]

You don't even have to do all that. The program for Hudson Yards as a terminal is already there. The Hudson Yards stop is already there on the strip map, all you have to to is remove the strip map covering, then remove that black strip that's covering up the Hudson Yards stop.

 

Shouldn't take no more than a few minutes per car...

Don't encourage the hoards, dude.

[realizm]

All R188s come with 34th on the map already...(its covered)

 

The LEDs are already there.... they're just covered up by the overlay that slides over the LED array. Just a matter of printing out new strip map overlays and editing the 7 line programs.

 

 

 

The Hudson Yards stop is already there on the strip map, all you have to to is remove the strip map covering, then remove that black strip that's covering up the Hudson Yards stop.

 

Exactly.

 

Found one out of my archives. Arrow points to the tape after where the purple line ends. That should be 34th Street:

 

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Don't encourage the hoards, dude.

I'm shocked no one's done it yet. People have stolen some of the builder plates already.

[Turbo19]

I'm shocked no one's done it yet. People have stolen some of the builder plates already.

And the very same people then bitch that the cars look like shit. For all f**king shame.

[LIRRHicksville]

Oddly, with this extension, there is still no connection of the 7 with any other IRT route.  All incoming equipment must enter via the crossover at Queensborough Plaza's upper level from B-division (N, Q) tracks.

[realizm]

Oddly, with this extension, there is still no connection of the 7 with any other IRT route.  All incoming equipment must enter via the crossover at Queensborough Plaza's upper level from B-division (N, Q) tracks.

Have no idea why they did that, probably to slash costs of a costly junction to the rest of the IRT system. But in the plans of the extension calls for an underground 7 block stretch of tail tracks to supplement Corona Yard capacity.

 

The move of say R62A's from the maintainance complexes into the IRT Flushing line is a hell of an operation. I observed it one time. It seemed that it reverse railed into Pacific Street from the Manny B (BMT 4th Ave Line) S/B from who knows where (207th Street shops, via 6th Ave IND?), went back up the N/B track to the Manny B (via Broadway?) to its destination in Astoria for access to the , towed by locomotive and cab.

[Eric B]

Oddly, with this extension, there is still no connection of the 7 with any other IRT route.  All incoming equipment must enter via the crossover at Queensborough Plaza's upper level from B-division (N, Q) tracks.

They should have found a way to tie in the 8th Ave lower level they insisted on severing for that. That would have put the existing ramp to good use.

[realizm]

1)First LUTZLOL on Mayor Hylan and the IND's attempt to prevent an IRT extension with this lower level @ 42nd Street on 8th Ave. It didnt work.

 

2) Its going to be a heck of a steep radial curve to hit the tail tracks from the to the 8th Ave line otherwise totally agree. For 207th Street Overhaul and Maintenance Shop/Concourse Yard access or CI Complex access. But I guess its about slashing costs and preventing cost overruns. I mean: If they can't build a simple station on 10th Avenue.....

 

[CenSin]

They should have found a way to tie in the 8th Ave lower level they insisted on severing for that. That would have put the existing ramp to good use.

After a bit of thought, it would seem difficult to do with an active tunnel above, and dense development around the tunnel. Any curve from the 8 Avenue line to the extension would have to go under buildings, and I don't think the ramp goes deep enough to avoid basements or support structures. A Duane Reade cashier at 34 Street–8 Avenue told me that the rumbling behind the wall was from the subway trains. The trains were right behind the wall. Perhaps the ramp could be extended further to go below the former 42 Street lower level before curving to join the new extension, and it's possible that it'll require some engineering miracle to bore a tunnel like that.