by Jeff Smith
Saw this interesting article on the NY Times web site today: Surge in Ridership Pushes New York Subway to Limit
One of the specific stations mentioned was 86th St on the Lexington Avenue IRT. I used to live on 87th and 3rd in the early to mid 90's. It was crowded then; I can only imagine now. Thankfully, I had alternatives; I often walked to work (53rd and 7th). It was close to an hour walk, at about 3+ miles, through Central Park. But a lot of people, either due to their work schedules, or more distant commutes, or their physical condition, don't have that option.
Now, the Second Avenue Subway should help a lot. That may be offset years from now, when East Side Access opens, bringing in a new crush of commuters to Grand Central, which is also one of the subway's busiest stations.
I was wondering if a solution wouldn't be to simply start a subway run at these locations. It would of course require a long deadhead run. But it might alleviate crowding at those stations.
Here's a quote from the article:
One of the specific stations mentioned was 86th St on the Lexington Avenue IRT. I used to live on 87th and 3rd in the early to mid 90's. It was crowded then; I can only imagine now. Thankfully, I had alternatives; I often walked to work (53rd and 7th). It was close to an hour walk, at about 3+ miles, through Central Park. But a lot of people, either due to their work schedules, or more distant commutes, or their physical condition, don't have that option.
Now, the Second Avenue Subway should help a lot. That may be offset years from now, when East Side Access opens, bringing in a new crush of commuters to Grand Central, which is also one of the subway's busiest stations.
I was wondering if a solution wouldn't be to simply start a subway run at these locations. It would of course require a long deadhead run. But it might alleviate crowding at those stations.
Here's a quote from the article:
For New Yorkers who rely on the 86th Street subway station on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the morning commute is a humbling experience. An endless stream of people funnel onto the platforms. Trains arrive with a wall of humanity already blocking the doorways.
As No. 6 trains pull into the upper level of the station, riders scan for an opening and, if they can, squeeze in for a suffocating ride downtown.
“You can wait four or five subways to get on, and you’re just smushed,” Cynthia Hallenbeck, the chief financial officer at a nonprofit, said before boarding a train on a recent morning.
The Lexington Avenue line is the most crowded in the system, but subway riders across New York City are finding themselves on platforms and trains that are beyond crowded. L train stations in Brooklyn are routinely overwhelmed. In Queens, No. 7 train riders regularly endure packed conditions.
Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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