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| What's the obsession with making the subway go EVERYWHERE? (1363187) | |||
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What's the obsession with making the subway go EVERYWHERE? |
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Posted by ElectricTraction on Tue Aug 18 20:49:53 2015 I've been reading through semi-serious web sites about proposed extensions of the subway to all sorts of places. Why do people seem to think that the NYC subway should go everywhere? The subway is, in it's own right, the biggest and baddest mass transit system the planet has ever seen, but it's not the be-all end-all to going everywhere. Examples:1. I have read up on the history of the Rockaway Beach Branch, with the LIRR abandoning it and all, but still, I have to wonder, who's awful idea was it to convert that to a subway? Could they not figure any way out to have the LIRR (at the time) keep it with assistance from the city for the rebuild? This thing sticks out like a massive sort thumb from the rest of the subway system, because, well, it's not really a subway. It's a subway train running a commuter rail route. It's the only route that's significantly longer than 35-40 minutes to Manhattan. It definitely should be converted back to LIRR, and re-connected with the other part of the line (yes, minor eminent domain required. That strip mall looks like no loss). 2. The Staten Island Subway. Why does this bad idea keep resurfacing? The connections through Brooklyn are by far the most practical to actually build, but they don't really buy anyone anything. The time to get to Manhattan is basically the same via that route as it is today by the Ferry. Ok, you don't have to get off and get on a boat, but it just doesn't save much time. Re-doing the North Shore Line, and maybe even building a new central subway line, all terminating at St. George all makes sense, but this concept of connecting to the subway system. WHY? WHY? 3. The 7 train to Secaucus. What I want to know here is why doesn't it get built? Sure, it would be $$$, but it is really that hard? Is there any technical reason that it is mutually exclusive to the Gateway tunnels? Ok, I know the answer to my own question, it's politics between the two states, but NJ should pay up to build this thing. It would be so beneficial to NJ, just like the North River tunnels. And, unlike the other two bad ideas, this one is actually a good idea, as it keep the system within 40 minutes of Manhattan (far less actually), and would give the system a tiny bit of balance over Manhattan. Just a tiny bit. |
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