Small Projects that would greatly Improve the Subway?

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Some ideas:

Rodgers and 149th St Junctions for obvious reasons (though idk how simple this could actually be; I've seen creative solutions proposed that aren't just full reconstructions that would massively disrupt service for an extended period of time).

Extending the  to Co-Op city. Not only would it fill a transit desert (Co-Op city is pretty populated), but it'd allow for a new high-capacity terminal. Currently, local  trains have to end at Parkchester during rush hours which causes delays. A new terminal could allow both  and  to go all the way to Co-Op city and the  could use the 3rd track to run express between Parkchester and Pelham Bay Park, essentially creating a "super-express" of sorts.

Adding tail tracks to 8th Avenue on the . This would fix the capacity limitations that currently allow the  to only run about every 3-4 minutes at best. The  is one of the busiest lines so fixing terminal capacity to double possible throughput seems like it'd be a no-brainer, especially since the  has CBTC. Fixing Canarsie Rockaway Parkway could be done by moving where people board the train further north on the platform allowing trains to enter at higher speeds. (the current platform is way longer than a 480ft  train).

Extending the Nostrand Avenue line 1 stop to Avenue L or M. Flatbush Av-Brooklyn College is a terrible terminal because of the bumper blocks and being 2 side platforms rather than an island platform, forcing customers to figure out which side the next train will depart from, potentially costing them. Especially if Rodgers junction is fixed, Flatbush-Av Brooklyn College might be the next biggest limiting factor on the IRT.

Make the LIRR Port Washington Branch some sort of frequent low-cost regional rail to provide people a legitimate and cost-effective option to the . This would reduce crowding on one of NYC's busiest subway lines and connect people further out in Queens better with the city. This could also better make use of the new capacity East Side Access allows.

Fixing Myrtle Junction in Brooklyn - Andrew Lynch wrote a piece on this a while back I believe.

 

Any other idea for relatively small simple projects that could have massive benefits?

I think these sorts of projects would have unbeatably good cost/benefit ratio but are passed up for sexier projects that add more tangible infrastructure/benefits (like SAS). I'd be curious to know how in the 1960s the MTA got political support for these smaller projects like Chrystie St Connection and Harlem-148th St that have massively improved the subway system without actually doing that much. I think part of the issue is in America, whenever there are small projects that can or *need* to be done to fix road infrastructure, they're just done no questions asked, but anything related to improving or expanding the subway - even small things are seen as expenses that need adequate justification and become political footballs. If somehow our politics at least in NYC could normalize doing these small sorts of projects as just part of maintaining the subway system, we'd be a lot better off.

[zacster]

Instead of just tail tracks at 8th Ave, extend the line to meet up with the 7 at Hudson Yards, with a stop in the Meatpacking district.

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3 hours ago, zacster said:

Instead of just tail tracks at 8th Ave, extend the line to meet up with the 7 at Hudson Yards, with a stop in the Meatpacking district.

I agree that ultimately long term that could be a good idea, but that starts to become a larger project.

Honestly really frustrating how no one ever discusses adding tail tracks to the . According to MTA data pre-COVID, the  train faced the worst overcrowding of any subway line during rush-hour, and just adding simple tail tracks could increase capacity by 50%+. I'd argue it's the best possible investments on a cost/benefit ratio of all the projects listed above.

[Vulturious]

3 hours ago, zacster said:

Instead of just tail tracks at 8th Ave, extend the line to meet up with the 7 at Hudson Yards, with a stop in the Meatpacking district.

Funny, but instead I have the  replace the  outright.

[CenSin]

10 minutes ago, Vulturious said:

Funny, but instead I have the  replace the  outright.

You don’t mean the other way around? Or you mean to put an sticker on all the R188s?

Those R143s and R160s aren’t going under the East River to Queens without brand new tunnels.

[Vulturious]

1 hour ago, CenSin said:

You don’t mean the other way around? Or you mean to put an sticker on all the R188s?

Those R143s and R160s aren’t going under the East River to Queens without brand new tunnels.

Yeah I'm very much aware of the big issue the Steinway tunnel has. Widening isn't possible especially with how skinny those tunnels are even for current trains running through them. To be honest though, sooner or later those tunnels need replacing when considering its history as well.

This doesn't necessarily mean they should do what I did or even the other way around for that matter. This was mainly just for shits and giggles.

[ArchytectAnthony]

An idea I have is building a short tunnel connection in Downtown Brooklyn, from the Montague St tunnel west of Court St to the outermost tracks at Hoyt-Schermerhorn. To keep it brief, This will allow trains to extend to Euclid avenue via Fulton Local, while  trains can run Fulton Express and be extended to Lefferts Blvd, all while dedicating more  trains to the Rockaways. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by ArchytectAnthony

[Vulturious]

19 hours ago, ArchytectAnthony said:

An idea I have is building a short tunnel connection in Downtown Brooklyn, from the Montague St tunnel west of Court St to the outermost tracks at Hoyt-Schermerhorn. To keep it brief, This will allow trains to extend to Euclid avenue via Fulton Local, while  trains can run Fulton Express and be extended to Lefferts Blvd, all while dedicating more  trains to the Rockaways. 

You're not the first to come up with this idea, but it's not a bad idea, either. Only issue is how it would skew, how possible, how expensive, and if it is overall worth it.

[ArchytectAnthony]

17 hours ago, Vulturious said:

You're not the first to come up with this idea, but it's not a bad idea, either. Only issue is how it would skew, how possible, how expensive, and if it is overall worth it.

Oh yeah, you're right i forgot to mention i based this off what I saw in vanshnookenraggen's site lol. Since my version of this is just a short connection, kinda like a brooklyn version of the 21 st connection in queens, it shouldnt cost too much, even with inflated prices. I do think this could be worth it since with just a short tunnel, the fulton st line and the rockaways can gain a lot better service than what they have right now.