IND Super Express Bypass Line (Route 131-B 8-26-77)

[Union Tpke]

IND Super Express Bypass Line (Route 131-B 8-26-77)

Source:  J. Erlitz, Drawing #IRT-SK12, in "Tech Talk", by Jeffrey Erlitz, In The Bulletin, Vol. 48, No. 2, February, 2005, Page 11.  The drawing is dated 8-26-1977.

http://tramway-null.blogspot.com/2012/12/ind-super-express-bypass-line-route-131.html

[CenSin]

The super-express connects back to the local tracks with no direct connection to the express tracks? This is very un-IND-like.

[TrainFanInfinity]

The super-express connects back to the local tracks with no direct connection to the express tracks? This is very un-IND-like.

 

I don't think so...

What about West 4th Street? What about all the Queens Blvd local stations? They all only have local track connections. :<

[N6 Limited]

Interesting to see actual maps

[bobtehpanda]

The super-express connects back to the local tracks with no direct connection to the express tracks? This is very un-IND-like.

 

It actually makes a lot of sense; it gets rid of the need for the to merge onto the local, and probably ends up making service more reliable and easy to schedule that way.

[CenSin]

It actually makes a lot of sense; it gets rid of the need for the to merge onto the local, and probably ends up making service more reliable and easy to schedule that way.

Looking at the part where the 63 Street tunnel currently connects to the Queens Boulevard line, I would say they could do better. If they're going to have a lower level, they could at least widen the upper level and bring the connection to both the express and local tracks.

 

 

I don't think so...

What about West 4th Street? What about all the Queens Blvd local stations? They all only have local track connections. :<

The IND might have had space constraints. A junction that would also allow express tracks to interchange traffic would make the tunnel over 12 tracks wide. As far as I know, no junction in the NYC subway system exceeds a width of 8 trackways. Even the highly-flexible junction at 145 Street on the Central Park West Line requires only 7 trackways.

 

But I'm not talking about junctions where different trunk lines interchange traffic; I'm talking about junctions where [provisioned] lines merge. The characteristic IND-style junctions I speak of can be found at:

• Central Park West / 145 Street junction south
• Central Park West / 59 Street–Columbus Circle junction south
• 8 Avenue / 50 Street junction south
• 6 Avenue / 47‒50 Streets–Rockefeller Center junction north
• Queens Boulevard / Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard junction east
• Queens Boulevard / Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike junction east
• Queens Boulevard / Forest Hills–71 Avenue junction east
• Northern Boulevard / 36 Street junction east
• Pitkin Avenue / Euclid Avenue junctions east
• McDonald Avenue / Church Avenue junction south

Clearly, Queens Plaza is the exception, and not the rule. There might have been reasons (which I'm too lazy to research right now) that prevented a more flexible connection. (My guess is space constraints given the curviness of the connection to the Broadway line and the fact that there's no space between the express and local tracks east of Queens Plaza.) Everywhere else, flexibility, capacity, and speed are the hallmarks of IND design.

[bobtehpanda]

Looking at the part where the 63 Street tunnel currently connects to the Queens Boulevard line, I would say they could do better. If they're going to have a lower level, they could at least widen the upper level and bring the connection to both the express and local tracks.

 

 

The IND might have had space constraints. A junction that would also allow express tracks to interchange traffic would make the tunnel over 12 tracks wide. As far as I know, no junction in the NYC subway system exceeds a width of 8 trackways. Even the highly-flexible junction at 145 Street on the Central Park West Line requires only 7 trackways.

 

But I'm not talking about junctions where different trunk lines interchange traffic; I'm talking about junctions where [provisioned] lines merge. The characteristic IND-style junctions I speak of can be found at:

• Central Park West / 145 Street junction south
• Central Park West / 59 Street–Columbus Circle junction south
• 8 Avenue / 50 Street junction south
• 6 Avenue / 47‒50 Streets–Rockefeller Center junction north
• Queens Boulevard / Briarwood–Van Wyck Boulevard junction east
• Queens Boulevard / Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike junction east
• Queens Boulevard / Forest Hills–71 Avenue junction east
• Northern Boulevard / 36 Street junction east
• Pitkin Avenue / Euclid Avenue junctions east
• McDonald Avenue / Church Avenue junction south

Clearly, Queens Plaza is the exception, and not the rule. There might have been reasons (which I'm too lazy to research right now) that prevented a more flexible connection. (My guess is space constraints given the curviness of the connection to the Broadway line and the fact that there's no space between the express and local tracks east of Queens Plaza.) Everywhere else, flexibility, capacity, and speed are the hallmarks of IND design.

 

The design with the highest capacity is the design with the least amount of switching. If this had been completed as planned, service would be as follows:

 

All express services use the 53rd St tunnel.

Local services east of Forest Hills use the Bypass.

Local services west of Forest Hills use either the Crosstown or the 60th St tunnel.

 

Such a setup would allow the and to be extended further into Queens, since neither would be slowed by doing local stops east of Forest Hills, and travel times to Manhattan would still be able to remain reasonable.

 

Doesn't east of Forest Hills have a lower level used to turn trains and enter Jamaica Yard? That's probably the single reason it doesn't have a bypass track that directly links the express tracks, because you would need to punch through.

[CenSin]

The design with the highest capacity is the design with the least amount of switching.

The highest capacity designs are also the ones with the least flexibility. On the extreme end favoring pure capacity, there would be zero switches aside from the ones at the terminal. Ostensibly, a well-placed and well-designed switch outweighs the capacity cost with flexibility benefits. As long as the dispatchers aren't actively exercising the switch, it can be locked into a certain position and train traffic wouldn't cause interference. Capacity is only reduced in the event that trains actually merge or diverge.

 

 

If this had been completed as planned, service would be as follows:

 

All express services use the 53rd St tunnel.

Local services east of Forest Hills use the Bypass.

Local services west of Forest Hills use either the Crosstown or the 60th St tunnel.

 

Such a setup would allow the and to be extended further into Queens, since neither would be slowed by doing local stops east of Forest Hills, and travel times to Manhattan would still be able to remain reasonable.

And the track connection I mentioned would have no effect on the capacity if the and weren't sharing tracks anyway.

 

 

Doesn't east of Forest Hills have a lower level used to turn trains and enter Jamaica Yard? That's probably the single reason it doesn't have a bypass track that directly links the express tracks, because you would need to punch through.

The trick is to do what they did at Northern Boulevard / 36 Street. They widen the tunnel, move the local tracks outwards, and then have the lower-level tracks ascend. They can dodge the yard tracks that way or even make a connection with the yard tracks before ascending. They would have to widen the tunnel anyway for the ramp in either situation.

[Lance]

A bit of backstory is required on this track map. The design we see in this map is the second version of the bypass. The original as part of the '68 Program for Action was only one track for peak-direction express service from Jamaica and/or SE Queens. The MTA intended to run such a service during rush hours only. Besides the usual NIMBY-ism that was against the project altogether, there was community push-back, especially in Forest Hills, where they were trying to revitalize the area into something akin to a miniature Midtown. Community leaders wanted bi-directional, full-time service on the bypass (or at least all-day weekday service) to provide more service. 

 

Another thing to note is that this version of the super-express isn't one at all. With the stops at Woodside and Northern Blvd, this would be its own line.