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I wish we did have a train running over a highway like they do in Chicago. Wish Van Wyck was the one since it’s a pretty direct expressway!
We can via the (7) line extension, as well as have the (G) extended. The (7) line should branch to Fresh Meadows (where it operates above LIE) and Bayside (below LIRR ROW). The (G) would be the Northern Blvd Subway line and can extend as far East as Little Neck (turning South along Francis Lewis Blvd and operating above the LIE East of Francis Lewis Blvd).
We can also have the Lefferts Blvd branch of the (A) extended to Rosedale above the Belt Parkway (via Lefferts Blvd, Rockaway Blvd and Conduit), since the Southeast Queens area is not very dense and trains along that branch is every 15 to 25 minutes throughout the day (every 10 to 12 minutes during Peak Hours).
As far as the (E) line extension, it can only be a Guy R. Brewer Blvd Subway line (that connects with the (A) at Conduit - 137th Avenue/Rochdale - the (A) Station is Farmers/Guy R. Brewer) as this corridor has the most density in Southeast Queens and most bus customers along Sutphin and Guy R. Brewer are headed for the Queens Blvd line.
Merrick Blvd customers are more suited for the (J) line (in actuality, it would be the (Z) extension since there's not too much demand for Subway trains along Merrick Blvd - a train every 15 to 25 minutes throughout the day and every 10 minutes during Peak Hours) since people are Brooklyn bound and they use the (J)/(Z) trains for Lower Manhattan mainly to avoid the heavily congested Queens Blvd line. The extension of the (Z) to Laurelton - Springfield/Merrick is very suitable as people can take a bus to Springfield/Merrick and transfer to the Subway. If they want Midtown Manhattan or Long Island City, they can transfer in Jamaica for (E) trains (between the (Z) and (E) trains at Jamaica Center). Also, those Northwest of Baisley Blvd along Merrick Blvd can simply walk over to Guy R. Brewer Blvd for (E) trains. Not to mention that NICE Bus customers really want a connection to the (J)/(Z) trains (something that only the n4 does along Merrick Blvd/Merrick Road).
As far as the rest of Southeast Queens, if their bus is not headed North to Hollis or Queens Village (where the (J) should be extended above Jamaica Avenue, and continued North and East to Glen Oaks), they can use the Queens Blvd line extended from the (F) at 179th Street to Cambria Heights via Farmers and Linden Blvds. While the (F) would extend East to Queens Village - Springfield/Hillside, the (R) could extend to Cambria Heights via the (F) to 179th Street and then via Farmers and Linden to Springfield/Francis Lewis Blvd.
These extensions must be considered along with Triboro RX and perhaps a new Bronx to Jamaica Subway line parallel to the Q44 SBS. The Subway would be somewhat of a replacement to the Q25 (not fully replacing as the proposed QT16 should become SBS while the QT19 should be extended North to Downtown Flushing as a Local via Kissena/Parsons) with the only exception that it travels below College Point Blvd (the current Q65 route) before crossing the East River to The Bronx (below White Plains Road). The Subway would connect with Fordham Plaza as a Fordham Road/Kingsbridge Road Crosstown and terminate at Marble Hill.
Let's not forget the Rockaway Beach Rail Line, which should not enter the Queens Blvd line, but rather extend North to Astoria Blvd to stop outside of LaGuardia Airport (as a JFK to LaGuardia link line), then via Astoria Blvd into Manhattan as a 125th Street Crosstown (a station at Randall's Island would also be built). This will in no way replace the M60 SBS which is to service the Airport terminals directly.
If the subway is ever extended from Brooklyn to Staten Island it will not go from 86th street as said way upthread but from the Owl's Head Park area (just north of 68th street) straight across to Saint George, where SIRT originates. A tunnel was started in the 1920s but abandoned.
The MTA was broke before the pandemic. It will only cease to be broke when the political layer decides to run it like a business, and not a social services program, and in a few different ways.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ahmadfrw
It won't be 20 years. When the Pandemic is over, they can make that money up easily in 3 to 4 years.
The MTA was broke before the pandemic. It will only cease to be broke when the political layer decides to run it like a business, and not a social services program, and in a few different ways.
Possibly--there are many transit agencies around the world that are organized in different ways. Some are more like businesses, others are more like social services programs. Going in either direction or any number of combinations of the two can work for efficient, useful mass transit that's better than what we have in NYC and the rest of the US. Some of it is the funding mechanism involved, some of it is actual inefficiency, some of it is fraud. It's a pretty complicated mess, but one thing that is for sure is that infrastructure in the US for many reason incurs massive cost premiums that are way, way beyond that found in other developed countries for technically similar projects. MTA has at least sort of figured out something with their design-build contracts in recent years which have seen projects come in on time and in or under budget, but unfortunately that's after the incredible ****ing up of the last three really big ticket items (7 train extension, 1st phase 2nd avenue subway, and East Side Access).
Possibly--there are many transit agencies around the world that are organized in different ways. Some are more like businesses, others are more like social services programs. Going in either direction or any number of combinations of the two can work for efficient, useful mass transit that's better than what we have in NYC and the rest of the US. Some of it is the funding mechanism involved, some of it is actual inefficiency, some of it is fraud. It's a pretty complicated mess, but one thing that is for sure is that infrastructure in the US for many reason incurs massive cost premiums that are way, way beyond that found in other developed countries for technically similar projects. MTA has at least sort of figured out something with their design-build contracts in recent years which have seen projects come in on time and in or under budget, but unfortunately that's after the incredible ****ing up of the last three really big ticket items (7 train extension, 1st phase 2nd avenue subway, and East Side Access).
That's on time and under budget using techniques that have been common in many other developed countries for decades. I think part of MTA's issue might be a calcification of the idea that NYC and MTA are so wholly unique that they cannot change with the times and adopt better practices. I'd love to see MTA do larger capital projects that came in on time and under budget (and that's with a timeline and budget that would be considered reasonable in other developed countries as well).
Anyhow, recent things like the L and R train tunnel repairs were somewhat promising.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 01-08-2021 at 04:20 PM..
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