Commuter X wrote: ↑Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:57 pm
I read somewhere that a trip from Jamaica -> NYC Penn takes 20 mins
A scheduled trip from Jamaica -> NYC GCT is supposed to take 28 mins
A trip on the 1/2/3 and the S may be able to get you from NYC Penn -> NYC GCT in fewer than 8 mins
With remote work, now the norm, time will tell if ---
Trains will be less crowded (I don't believe it)
Cut commutes by 40 mins a day (I don't believe it)
Our quality of life will improve (Really ....)
Commuter X
Arrive at Penn at 7:25 AM via the nearly always late PJ train actually due at 7:20. Depending on what car and track, may take 2 to 10 minutes to get to IRT station. Arrive there and check departure boards. Maybe you see an uptown train on local, or express. Rush like crazy to get up the right stairs, and then nothing. Phantom train. Or on the wrong track. You see an uptown train (that was not on the display) on the other track but there's no way to get to it on time. And then you wait. Maybe a minute, maybe 20 minutes, and finally an overstuffed something comes in. And sits there for a while. Finally, you're up to Times Square, and a few minutes later you are in the new and improved Shuttle area. Now here there is real improvement - unless something breaks. But hopefully you'll soon be on a shuttle train, that hopefully soon heads to GCT, and you've arrived. Of course you need to make your way up and out, maybe to the ML building or somewhere else. Now on a good day the shuttle rebuild (albeit with run down R62's) will be a few minutes faster. But overall, you probably still average over 20 minutes getting from NYP to GCT.
Same on your reverse commute, but a bit faster usually because at TS, you have one downtown platform, and whichever gets a train first will, on most days, get you to NYP sooner. Overall for the day, figure
Now a point you made - they are giving 27 or 28 minutes to get from Jamaica to GCT, 7 to 8 minutes slower. So their claim that you would save 40 minutes with ESA already is absurd. Let's try 40 minus 15 or so, netting 25 minutes. And this is just for electric train riders.
Now if you are in diesel country, and IF you just have a run across the platform twice per day, now if you are lucky you are down to 20 minutes savings daily. But if it's up and over, or there is no direct connection and you have to wait, there easily goes another 10 minutes. So now down to 10 for many. If things are working well.
Most days, though, if you don't need to get on the subway from GCT to go somewhere else, you will save the subway fare. About what, $110 per month these days?
I do wonder, now that we have the Jamaica GCT timing, where that 40 minutes savings is supposed to come from.