Relief for New York City’s Transit Deserts? Commuter Trains Might Help

[bobtehpanda]

6 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

I've heard that "double" service into Manhattan idea being mentioned quite frequently but the other part of the equation isn't mentioned as much. Talking about the orphaning of today's Atlantic Branch. Look at the money recently spent to renovate the Flatbush Avenue terminal and the renaming of it to Atlantic Terminal. The structure work between Bedford Avenue and Ralph Avenue as well as the ongoing renovation of the Nostrand Avenue station. With this ESA gimmick monopolizing the LIRR/ convo the spotlight dims on the other projects somewhat. Those trains that now terminate in Brooklyn are being re-routed into Manhattan. What about the ridership that presently utilizes those trains you ask ? They'll now have the luxury of detraining at Jamaica and transferring to a Brooklyn bound train, located not cross platform but in a newly constructed platform area (not) nearby. I guess those re-routes will have plenty of seating heading to Manhattan when their core ridership leaves at Sutphin. Likewise those direct trains from PJ, Babylon, and Ronkonkoma to Atlantic terminal will be history so their riders will have to make that new trek at Sutphin too. BTW those diesels that terminate at Jamaica, Hunterspoint, and LIC aren't welcome at Penn or GC either. Oh, before I forget, those double-decker  passenger cars can't fit in the 63rd St tunnel into Manhattan toward Grand Central. Meanwhile the has a third track proposal in Nassau County on the board, a completed Second Track project in Suffolk on the Ronkonkoma Branch, discussions about additional MNRR service in the Bronx along with Amtrak. All of these ideas, the Prince talking about " blowing up" the , as my man Marvin Gaye said " What's Going On" ? Not to mention SAS. For once I have to agree with the Prince. Don't blame LIRR, MNRR, NYCT, blame the   itself for this ongoing, convoluted disjointed regional planning concerning downstate transportation. I think we need someone with vision, and clout, in charge. Just my diatribe/ opinion. Carry on.

I don't disagree. The LIRR doesn't use Atlantic the way it should and the separation is BS. But Spitzer made the choice to abandon LIRR to WTC in favor of East Side Access, so we kind of made our bed.

There's legitimately a doubling of service, though. IIRC the current plan is to literally double trains, so that trains from PW, Huntington, Babylon and Ronkonkoma alternate Penn-GCT-Penn-GCT. They could do that to Atlantic, though Atlantic isn't that popular since it's still a schlep to Manhattan.

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As far as the governance, I think the problem is both too many cooks, and too much power concentrated in one person. Too many separate fiefs (Metro-North not talking to LIRR, railroads not talking to the city transit folks, etc.), but at the same time, we are overly reliant on a strong head to get things done, which is a problem. We shouldn't have to wait for the second coming of Moses Jesus to make transit function every day and into the future. Under Paterson we saw what happened to the MTA when the emperor had no clothes.

Just devolve the board to be the elected BPs and county executives and call it a day. (And probably give the board some actual power while you're at it.)