MTA President Plans Sharing of Bay Ridge Line with Transit?

Heard that new MTA Chairman's speech at Cooper Union made mentioned an expansion of transit service on unused or little-used rail lines. I don't know if he mentioned the Bay Ridge branch specifically, but this is not a new idea. Read below.

There was a plan formulated in late 60's or early '70's to use the line for transit service, but it was nothing more than a document with a proposal. It was actually an idea to realign the Canarsie Line by eliminating the elevated structure from Wilson Avenue south to New Lots Ave. The Plan called for having the Canarsie Line diverge onto the LIRR Bay Ridge branch at Wilson Avenue and continue on the Bay Ridge cut to 4th Avenue. The part of the Canarsie line south of New Lots -- all of two stations -- E. 105 and Rockaway Parkway (terminal), would be turned into a shuttle service only. The 'new' Canarsie station stop would be at Rockway Parkway and Linden Blvd.(where Linden Yards is located), and bus service would be available there for passengers to get to the 'heart' of Canarsie which is a few dlocks south on Rockaway Parkway at Glenwood Road (actual terminal).

The idea of having passenger service along the Bay Ridge line is a novel one since it would allow passengers riding on north/south running trains (Brighton, Culver, and 4th Ave. subways) to go 'crosstown' through south-central Brooklyn. The only trains in Brooklyn that run east-west are the A/C (Fulton street) and the 3/4 (Eastern Parkway) which are in north-central Brooklyn and don't readily allow for transfer to those other lines unless passengers from southern Brooklyn travel out of their way to downtown Brooklyn.

It's an interesting proposal, which may meet the same fate as it did in the 1960's-70's; that being a victim of low-priority project on the totem pole (now being behind East Side Access and 2nd Ave. Subway), and lower revenue due to slow economic times ahead projected.

Jay

Wouldn't turning the Bayridge Branch into a subway line be counter productive to the work & $ invested into make that line intermodal freight capable?

If the SI to Brooklyn freight tunnel is adopted with use of SIRR North Line, how about allowing the LIRR and/or NJT diesels to reuse/use the line to LIC for ferry and subway access - might create interest in a LIC to NYP tunnel with a break out of NYP's tracks 1-4 and the ability to connect with tracks 5-17? The NJT angle is not too far fetched since mentioned in another thread they were interested in asking for use of SIRR N.Line to access ferries on SI somewhere on this board. The SI to Brooklyn freight tunnel could gain more interest if MTA gets involved, especially if SI subway could connect to Brooklyn subways on a 2nd level.

I know this tunnel is also being back burnered, but I hate to see the $ and work already invested wasted if line turned into electric line.

hrfcarl wrote:Wouldn't turning the Bayridge Branch into a subway line be counter productive to the work & $ invested into make that line intermodal freight capable?

There's enough room on the ROW for both isn't there?

The line in places is very narrow with a cut and 1 track. Look at the area of the old Parkville Junction where the F train crosses over it. It would take condeming property and widening the row to get more tracks in there.

I suppose you could wedge a second track even there though... the ROW is wide.

But don't forget there are other ways of sharing space, time separation for example like NJT does with light rail running by day and conrail's freight running by night. Or the MTA could establish an FRA-compliant line and use FRA-compliant equipment, and let NYA trains mix in (just like the rest of long island).

Just thinking outside the bun here...

I don't think this thing will ever happen, even thought region could use more rail such as this. The second av subway was originally proposed in 1929 and who knows if it'll be finished this time around.

Dogert....I think trains will levitate and run on a cushion of air before the 2nd Ave. subway is finished, or Man will have a colony on a star system 30 light years away before that bondogle is completed. Or Mankind may have evolved into an entirely different species by time it's unveiled. Hope I didn't overdo making my point.

Ditto with the Bay Ridge going part-time frieght/part-time transit.