Another Day, Another Boondoggle -4 New Metro-North Stations Break Ground in NYC. Here's When They'll Take You to Penn (New York: how much, transfer to)
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Why the need to build four new Bronx stations for an untold delay and cost of billions to bring Metro North trains into Penn when the same tracks could do it, literally tomorrow, the same way that AMTRAK does every day right now? See excerpt of article below (link):
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and other state lawmakers were on hand Friday for a groundbreaking in the Bronx that has been a long time coming: four new transit stations that will, for the first time ever, give Metro-North riders a direct line to the heart of midtown Manhattan, in the city's newly renovated -- and still under renovation -- Penn Station.
With four new stations in the Bronx, the $3.18 billion Metro-North Penn Station Access project, part of the encompassing infrastructure effort that will eventually open a new LIRR terminal below Grand Central, will bring rail service within a mile of a half-million people and mark Metro-North's largest expansion since its 1983 founding.
It seems that politicians slobber over massive construction projects. This is not necessary. AMTRAK trains run every day over the Hellgate access system. The addition of the four Bronx stations appears to be a driver. They will provide enticing opportunities to waste taxpayer money. I assume that is why they don't start running Metro North trains right now, or at least as soon as, or if, the LIRR East Side Access takes some stress off Penn Station, see Why Isn't East Side Access Running? I need to be cynical on these questions, and how much $3.18 billion proposed for Metro-North Penn Station Access project will multiply.
The East Side access has ballooned from a promised $4.3 billion to $11.2 billion. By my math that's a 400% overrun, making the quoted article generous to the MTA. Excerpt, link:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Long Island Business News
The $4.3 billion project began in 1998 with a 2009 completion date. However, true to inefficient MTA operations, the opening of Grand Central Madison has been delayed to February 2023 and with a revised $11.2 billion price tag, a 160% cost overrun.
This is a very different kind of project than East Side Access. I think there's a bit of confusion here simply because they are both commuter rail projects in the Tri-State Area does not make them equivalent. My main qualms about this project is that I think it should have only two stations in the Bronx for the Hells Gate bit that runs into Penn Station from the East and needs a station in Astoria-Ditmars for a N/W transfer and potentially as a transfer for future Triboro RX/IBX or whatever it ends up being called and a Sunnyside yards station (which is at least proposed) for getting to Long Island City and transfer to LIRR. That's not one of your options though.
Your math is still really weirdly wrong. How did you arrive at 400% overrun from $4.3 billion to $11.2 billion? This is one of the weirder math errors I've seen.
this is a very different kind of project than east side access. I think there's a bit of confusion here simply because they are both commuter rail projects in the tri-state area does not make them equivalent. My main qualms about this project is that i think it should have only two stations in the bronx for the hells gate bit that runs into penn station from the east and needs a station in astoria-ditmars for a n/w transfer and potentially as a transfer for future triboro rx/ibx or whatever it ends up being called and a sunnyside yards station (which is at least proposed) for getting to long island city and transfer to lirr. That's not one of your options though.
Your math is still really weirdly wrong. How did you arrive at 400% overrun from $4.3 billion to $11.2 billion? This is one of the weirder math errors i've seen.
Lol, what are you doing? It's almost as if you're trying to haggle the answer to a math problem like math is a US car dealership or a flea market.
I don't know why you want to defend the MTA so badly. What about why we need to delay this to build four unneeded stations. Does AMTRAK need those stations?
The new Bronx stations are aimed partly at reverse commuters, which makes some sense. But do we even know how many reverse commuters there are now and how many of those are doing WFH like everyone else?
At least one of the proposed stations in the Bronx is near a few large hospitals with many employees who come in from the suburbs. Sort of a captive group that can't WFH in most cases. But what makes the MTA think these employees who work all different hours are going to give up driving in favor of taking MNRR to the Bronx? Just so they can wait on a desolate Bronx train platform at 3am?
At least one of the proposed stations in the Bronx is near a few large hospitals with many employees who come in from the suburbs. Sort of a captive group that can't WFH in most cases. But what makes the MTA think these employees who work all different hours are going to give up driving in favor of taking MNRR to the Bronx? Just so they can wait on a desolate Bronx train platform at 3am?
I think Carl Heastie's leadership of the New York Assembly has a bigger role than any real demand for the service.
I don't know why you want to defend the MTA so badly. What about why we need to delay this to build four unneeded stations. Does AMTRAK need those stations?
How is you having bad math defending MTA? I have a lot of criticisms of the MTA, but I also have a lot of criticisms of fellow posters who sometimes seem to have no way to distinguish between what are and are not reasonable actions for the MTA to take.
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