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| Re: One proposed alternative service for L riders (1385175) | |||
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Re: One proposed alternative service for L riders |
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Posted by Michael549 on Wed Feb 10 16:17:54 2016, in response to Re: One proposed alternative service for L riders, posted by AlM on Wed Feb 10 09:07:35 2016. I am going to try again.In another message, #5 - Dyre Ave & Stephen Bauman agree that the L-line has 244 cars in total. It is said that four cars out of the 212 R143s are permanently out of service due to a crash in Canarsie Yard that caused significant damage to one of them. So it's really 240 cars. Even so, 192 is what they need for the present, full-length L service. In another message Stephen Bauman said there are 212 R143's and 32 R160's that are CBTC equipped. 24 trainsets, comprising 192 cars are required for peak am operation. The rest are spares, some of which might be undergoing maintenance. The running time from Canarsie to 8th Ave is 38:30. The running time from Canarsie to Bway-Jct is 10:00. The running time from Bway-Jct to Myrtle-Wyckoff is 6:30. The running time from Myrtle-Wyckoff to Bedford is 13:00. Repeatedly the figure of 20-tph has been used to describe the current L-train rush hour service, each train packed with riders. I'm not contesting the numbers, but just making a point. In one of the messages for a "proposed Canarsie Trains via the J Line" it was suggested that 4 or 6 L-trains be assigned to this purpose. Imagine that 2-3 trains remain on the L-line just for the Manhattan-only segment. Leaving as few as 11-tph just for the Brooklyn segment of the L-train to still service those (approx.) 200,000 riders that still need to transfer to other subway lines. The above paragraph is a simplification of the issues, but that is the bare essence. There are only so many train sets assigned to the L-line. (I agree that the question of whether the MTA would create a "land-locked" Manhattan only L-train service with 2-3 trains assigned full-time with no other track access to any other line is an interesting question. Assume the answer in the affirmative.) As one "removes" trains for some other purpose, the remaining trains have to pick up the slack especially at the western Brooklyn stations with their increased ridership! This would easily create longer wait times for the crowded remaining L-trains that have to attempt to get these riders to the transfer stations. Just how much backward or forward riding just to make a transfer large numbers of riders will have to do is an unknown? In any case it will still be large numbers of folks traveling about for transfers. Shuttle buses at every station may reduce some of the ridership on the platforms. Just how much of the subway ridership switches to shuttle bus usage for the first part of their journey is an "un-known". In the past the slow moving shuttle buses has meant longer travel times and involve the need to transfer to a subway further down the road. Some folks have not forgotten that very awful entire period of frequent L-train shut-downs due to the installation of CBTC - where major portions of the L-train was repeatedly bus substituted and shuttled? The lines, non-frequent trains, wait times, transfers to buses were horrendous. The 14th Street Tunnel closure will involve the rush hours, unlike the CBTC installation. Then shut-downs occured weekend upon weekend often with mid-day and over night shut-downs to content with - for weeks on end! Now some folks act as if, "shuttle buses" are some whiz-bang solution. The walking transfers to between the G-train and the J-M-Z trains may help some riders, but how many is an open question. One would still have to take the remaining less frequent over-crowded L-trains to the G-train, wait for the G-train, then take the G-train to the station for a walking transfer, and re-enter the subway for the J-M-Z train! Increasing the wait times for over-crowded L-trains riders helps how? How does reducing service of the L-trains at the higher ridership western stations help those riders? Can L-train riders transfer to A, C, J and Z trains at the Broadway Junction station? Of course they can, they have been doing that for decades, and will continue to do so. Millions have used those stairs and escalators millions of times - it is not a big deal. Of course that transfer station is very important and helpful with any closure of the 14th Street Tunnels. Will the creation of a "proposed Canarsie Trains via the J Line" route help L-line riders at the higher ridership western Brooklyn stations? So far the answer is not looking like a slam-dunk positive! Of course, create shuttle buses and enhance service on existing buses, create a limited bus direct to/from Bedford Avenue & Manhattan, and strongly push riders to transfer to the A, C, E, 7, G, J, M, Z lines - with as much information and community involvement as possible. All of that is appropriate! All of the above will real understandable schedules and estimates of the travel times involved for each method. Large numbers of people will be inconvenienced regardless what plan is implemented, in my view - creating proposals that increase wait times and crowded-ness on the remaining L-trains is not a solution. The public will be very angry, as their travel times, and "around - aboutness increases" to very high levels. Does anyone really think that current N-train riders are "happy" or "thrilled" with their all hours round-about trips on the Sea Beach line? Think again! Mike |
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