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| Re: Late Night R to Whitehall St (1449255) | |||
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Re: Late Night R to Whitehall St |
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Posted by BusMgr on Tue Sep 12 01:13:18 2017, in response to Late Night R to Whitehall St, posted by MainR3664 on Tue Oct 18 17:40:09 2016. Not long ago I was in Brooklyn using the "R" train from 95th Street. Doing so reminded me of its extension, during overnight periods, to the Whitehall Street station in lower Manhattan. And later, when I was looking at the NYCTA's late night subway service map, I recalled that there is another subway service terminating in lower Manhattan, the "J" train. So I began thinking about why two separate services would both terminate in lower Manhattan, mere blocks from each other, rather than operating as a single, through, service, between 95th Street and Jamaica Center, during the overnight periods. Essentially, a revival of the "RJ" service of years past.I looked at the NYCTA staff summary for the "R" train service extension (dated June 1, 2016, included in the Transit & Bus Committee Meeting package for June 2016, at page 31, for insight as to factors considered by the NYCTA in making the extension. The reasons for the extension were to provide direct access for "R" train passengers to several additional neighborhoods in Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, to make direct transfer connections to several other subway lines and the Staten Island Ferry, and to elminate the necessity of transfers to the "D" or "N" trains and a concomitant 20-minute wait. The only alternative considered by the NYCTA (besides doing nothing) was to extend the "R" to midtown Manhattan or Queens. An extension to midtown Manhattan was rejected as being impracticable for lack of an adequate relay location. An extension to Queens—presumably meaning along the IND Queens Blvd. line to Continental Avenue—was rejected for causing conflicts with maintenance work and for providing minimal rider benefits. It appears as though NYCTA never considered extneding the "R" train overnight on an "RJ" route. Such a service would appear to increase efficiency, at least marginally, by eliminating two relay locations in lower Manhattan, and their associated recovery periods. The service would provide additional through service for both "R" and "J" passengers, eliminating the need for multiple transfers (though admittedly probably for not a great number of passengers). On the negative side, "R" passengers would have a longer walk when connecting to the Staten Island Ferry, and they would lose a direct connection to the "1" train at Whitehall Street. Should the "R" and "J" trains be combined during overnight periods? Why or why not? |
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