Fulton St TC and SF Terminal...When's it gonna end?

The MTA service advisories say that all the weekend trackwork that is causing the 2, 3, AND 4 to scrape the wall and turning the 1 at 14th St and the 5 at Grand Central is supposed to end Fall 2006.

Well, here we are in good ol' Fall 2006 and there is no sign of the end! Is this gonna go on forever? For gosh sakes, I'm sick and tired of this. I HATE coming to New York on a weekend (which is when I'm usually visiting) only to see the 2, 3, and 4 scraping the wall. I miss the great Broadway express runs. I miss the great Lexington Av express runs above 42nd St. Heck, when I went to Yankee Stadium a couple weeks ago, I took the (4) train...and it was a long, slow, boring local ride that disappointed me severely when it is usually a fast, thrilling express run.

Anyway, my point is the GOs are supposed to end Fall 2006 and it is now Fall 2006, so why does it seem like they are not going to end for a while, if at all (until the SF Terminal and Fulton St TC are completed)?

It's true...there's only something like 2 months or so GOs on the 1 line south of Chambers left from what I've heard. For the Fulton St, I don't know. I have a feeling they will be extended again since the work to the 1 Line in the WTC is not yet finished.

I know what you mean about the weekends though, it's tough traveling around there but at least the MTA keeps its passengers well informed of what's going on well in advance.

arrow wrote:It's true...there's only something like 2 months or so GOs on the 1 line south of Chambers left from what I've heard. For the Fulton St, I don't know. I have a feeling they will be extended again since the work to the 1 Line in the WTC is not yet finished.

I know what you mean about the weekends though, it's tough traveling around there but at least the MTA keeps its passengers well informed of what's going on well in advance.

Oh well, good. I can handle two months. I'll try to schedule a trip after that. That way I can ride the 4 express again!

I'm new to this forum, so pardon me if all this has been hashed out before, but can anyone explain WHY the service changes are so draconian? On the Lexington line, why does express service end at 42nd st-aren't there any interlockings south at 14th or City Hall? And on the 7th Ave/Broadway line, why make express train local only to make local trains quasi-express? It seems much more complicated--and inconvenient--than it needs to be.

-Robb

travelrobb wrote:I'm new to this forum, so pardon me if all this has been hashed out before, but can anyone explain WHY the service changes are so draconian? On the Lexington line, why does express service end at 42nd st-aren't there any interlockings south at 14th or City Hall? And on the 7th Ave/Broadway line, why make express train local only to make local trains quasi-express? It seems much more complicated--and inconvenient--than it needs to be.

-Robb

I AGREE WITH YOU! There is no reason for all this madness/confusion.

What the MTA SHOULD do:

Cut the (5) back to East 180th St as a Dyre Shuttle. Send the (4) express to Brooklyn Bridge (there is in fact a switch south of the loop on the express tracks). Keep the (6) as it is.

On the West Side, they should keep the (3) as it is, but end the (2) at 14th St running express (this way Bronx (2) riders can get express service in Manhattan). Then, send the (1) to Flatbush Av. Also have a crew change at Chambers if necessary.

The MTA is stupid for not thinking of this. The latter of the two works out the best because Bronx riders get their (2) express service in Manhattan, and no other routes are diverged dramatically. I mean for God's sake, the (1) runs local UNTIL 42nd St then runs EXPRESS to 14th!!! Are you kidding me? Imagine the confusion at Penn Station, one of the most heavily used stations by TOURISTS: The (2) and (3) services the platform normally used by the (1), and the (1) services the platform normally used by the (2) and (3). Passengers needing the downtown (1) local (seems to be a popular choice at Penn, don't know why) wait on the platform. Then they see a (1) come in on the express tracks. Imagine the mad rush of confused passengers running down the stairs and back up the express platform stairs like terrified horses. SOMEONE COULD GET HURT! I am SHOCKED nobody has gotten severly injured yet (though maybe it DOES happen, the MTA just covers it up). A disgraceful job on the part of MTA Operations and Planning.

At least its all gonna end soon.