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In case you missed it last week, this plan looks like it may be moving forward and will greatly spur broad investment in these communities. Looks good to me! Won't get started for several years though...still great news though.
It's always good to have other options but nobody should think that adding a Metro North line is going to perform miracles for any place or increase property values or even spur development.
There are already lots of Metro North stations throughout the West and Central Bronx and they don't do much of anything for the areas.The ride costs 2 or 3 times the cost of a subway ride and trains are very infrequent compared to subway service.Other than peak rush hours they sometimes run only every couple of hours.
Rest assured that the real reason this is being done is to whisk people from New Rochelle and Connecticut to Penn Station, with occasional Bronx local stops as an after thought,just like the rest of the metro north system.
The only part of The Bronx that might really benefit from this will be Co Op City because they currently have no rapid transit at all.Clearly this will be a big improvement for them....if they are willing and can afford to pay the extra fare ! Most people in any other neighborhood along the route that has a subway option( like Morris Park and Parkchester) will choose the subway option because of cost,frequency of service,etc. Another very limiting factor with metro north for NYC residents is that it's really only good if you are going to the GC or Penn Station areas.Otherwise, guess what ? You have to pay another fare and get on the subway to continue your journey.
I know all of this because I live close to a metro north stop and close to the subway.I almost never use the metro north because it is too expensive,too erratic and too inconvenient and I am always going someplace that requires a secondary subway ride anyway.It literally makes no sense.
This sounds like a big deal but it isn't really ,except for the suburbanites who will now have an option of being delivered to the East Side(Grand Central) or the West Side(Penn Station) and that's who this is intended for.
It would be much better to extend the 2nd Avenue subway through these areas, as was originally planned !
I can agree with that...but the question is simple..would you rather have it or not? Having less transportation options guarantees minimal development in NYC...having more transportation sure doesn't hurt. And should your train line go down for some reason..you also have the option of taking the Metro-North....and you'd be glad it was there.
So while it is not a cure for anything, or a miracle worker (nobody was claiming it was), it does HELP and it does make development easier and more attractive, as we have seen in and around the new Metro-North stop at Yankee Stadium, and the Melrose station. Not every station shares in the development, but it is another asset to a community, and assists in redevelopment. So why complain exactly?
Personally I prefer the 2nd ave line going up the Bronx as well...but I will take Metro-North also.
I think it makes parkchester more attractive for instance. I think a lot of people would be willing to pay a little more for the easier commute. A lot of people ultimately don't choose parkchester because its not a quick enough commute. This gives them another option besides the crowded brutal commute on the 6. Overall this is good for bronx, good for business and over time will bump up prop values some. Commuter lines have their biggest impact in areas with homeowners generally. The west/center of the bronx at one time had a much bigger ratio of homeowners...
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 01-04-2012 at 02:57 PM..
It's always good to have other options but nobody should think that adding a Metro North line is going to perform miracles for any place or increase property values or even spur development.
There are already lots of Metro North stations throughout the West and Central Bronx and they don't do much of anything for the areas.The ride costs 2 or 3 times the cost of a subway ride and trains are very infrequent compared to subway service.Other than peak rush hours they sometimes run only every couple of hours.
Rest assured that the real reason this is being done is to whisk people from New Rochelle and Connecticut to Penn Station, with occasional Bronx local stops as an after thought,just like the rest of the metro north system.
The only part of The Bronx that might really benefit from this will be Co Op City because they currently have no rapid transit at all.Clearly this will be a big improvement for them....if they are willing and can afford to pay the extra fare ! Most people in any other neighborhood along the route that has a subway option( like Morris Park and Parkchester) will choose the subway option because of cost,frequency of service,etc. Another very limiting factor with metro north for NYC residents is that it's really only good if you are going to the GC or Penn Station areas.Otherwise, guess what ? You have to pay another fare and get on the subway to continue your journey.
I know all of this because I live close to a metro north stop and close to the subway.I almost never use the metro north because it is too expensive,too erratic and too inconvenient and I am always going someplace that requires a secondary subway ride anyway.It literally makes no sense.
This sounds like a big deal but it isn't really ,except for the suburbanites who will now have an option of being delivered to the East Side(Grand Central) or the West Side(Penn Station) and that's who this is intended for.
It would be much better to extend the 2nd Avenue subway through these areas, as was originally planned !
I disagree! Tremont Avenue, from West Farms to Westchester Square, is, for lack of a better word, desolate, other than a V.I.M. and a buffet restaurant, across from the street from the northern end of Parkchester. That strip needs some activity, and a Metro North might be the best bet to solve that!
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