NY Times-South Ferry Station 12/12/08

[ElliotCourtney]

Finaly the new South Ferry Station is posibly the cleanest station in the whole NYC Subway This will elimante the famous “Passengers, you must be in the first five cars in order to exit at South Ferry.” But will they still keep the station and not abandon it and wall up the tunnels??
Elliot

[Gerry6309]

The word I hear is that the loop and its approaches will remain in service, but the station will be closed. Normal routing will be into the new terminal but a train might unload at Rector and use the loop in an emergency. Off-peak 5 trains will continue to use the inner loop, but can also divert to the outer loop, now that the 1 will not stop there.

[Head-end View]

When is the new station scheduled to open?

[Gerry6309]

Early January at last indication. The pick is already done, with an extra crew assigned to the 1 to make up for the time lost in changing ends in the new terminal.

[Wallyhorse]

I still think it would make much more sense to have the old SF station become a terminal for the Lexington Line once the 1 moves to the new terminal, with it as I would do it (as noted previously):

Revival of the old shuttle between Bowling Green (short platform) and South Ferry (using the OUTER platform at South Ferry), most likely using a two-car set of R-62A's.

6 during overnight hours (extended from Brooklyn Bridge).

5 at all other times.

While it may have been deemed "unsafe" to have the 1 train stop there (though the new station was a very well needed piece of work after 9/11 when jobs were leaving lower Manhattan at an alarming rate that will allow for a new transfer between the N/R/W and 1), the station would be far less used (probably 25-40% of what it is for the 1) for a hodgepodge of the old shutte/5/6 depending on the time and day, and for that it would be safe, since ridership would likely be more in line with what that station was intended for in the first place. Since from what I have read it is what many SI Ferry riders want, it is something that should be done.

It also would be good, especially during the late night/overnight hours when women in particular (but not only) in many cases would probably be a lot more comfortable taking the subway to the ferry if they have the option to take either the 5 or 6 (depending on the hour) to SF as they may not necessairly be comfortable walking from BG to SF to get the ferry during those hours.

While I know about the first five cars issue, as long as their are posters in stations reminding people to use the first five cars at South Ferry when the 5/6 would be running there, I suspect there would be minimal problems (and regardless, it would NOT be like the 1 train since it would be during off peak hours since the shuttle would be running when all Lexington service is otherwise going to/coming from Brooklyn and it would also be far fewer people than with the 1 as well).

[Gerry6309]

Stopping the 5 at SF could be done easily since there is no added cost. Reviving the shuttle or extending the 6 will mean more trains and crews, and the interlocking plant may have to be altered to allow reverse operation on the outer loop. Does passenger load justify this expense? Plus continued maintenance of the sliding platforms? Remember the MTA is talking about cutting services, and already had to fund an extra crew for the new terminal.

[Kamen Rider]

If I've said it once, I've said it a million times

NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. the plan is stupid. the station is not unsafe due to riderhip. the design is what makes it unsafe. it was ment for cars with vesatbule doors. the station must go.

[stosh]

The new South Ferry Terminal falls short of its target;
it only serves the BMT & IRT Broadway locals. The East side riders are being shortchanged and the 2nd Avenue subway will terminate quite a bit north of South Ferry. Sad but true, 75 years ago South Ferry had far superior service. The Lexington and Broadway subways as well as the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th Avenue Els all served this Terminal. What is "new & improved" is just a slight of hand.

[JCGUY]

Um, so is this thing actually opening "by" Saturday? That's a joke of course, this thing will open when the MTA says so and you will like it.