Rail dumb, MTA! Platform at South Ferry station 1

BY PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
January 28th 2009
Oops! A staggeringly basic blunder is delaying the grand opening of the MTA's first new subway station in 20 years, the Daily News has learned. The platform at the $530 million South Ferry station is a wee bit too far from the train tracks, officials confirmed Tuesday. Recent inspections found gaps between the platform and No. 1 train cars up to 1 inch wider than federal rules allow, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority confirmed.

Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/200 ... ry_st.html

Why not just open the station now as ADA non-compliant and fix the problem when the materials are available, maybe closing the station for a weekend? Gosh, you could even have a couple of MTA people direct the wheelchair bound to the compliant part of the station if need be. It's still, in it's current state, a huge improvement over the current dungeon for people of all abilities. Regulations have strangled common sense.

JCGUY wrote:Why not just open the station now as ADA non-compliant and fix the problem when the materials are available, maybe closing the station for a weekend? Gosh, you could even have a couple of MTA people direct the wheelchair bound to the compliant part of the station if need be. It's still, in it's current state, a huge improvement over the current dungeon for people of all abilities. Regulations have strangled common sense.

Common sense and railroads what ever form don't go together for some odd reason. I agree with what your saying though especially since this thing has been set back so much already.

JCGUY wrote:Why not just open the station now as ADA non-compliant and fix the problem when the materials are available, maybe closing the station for a weekend? Gosh, you could even have a couple of MTA people direct the wheelchair bound to the compliant part of the station if need be. It's still, in it's current state, a huge improvement over the current dungeon for people of all abilities. Regulations have strangled common sense.

they can't. New stations MUST be ADA compliant. Even in the past this didn't sit well. the courts wouldn't allow WMATA to open Gallery Place-Chinatown with the rest of the Red line becuase of a lack of handicap access (it opened 9 months late) and that was long before there even was ADA.

How is one inch too much? It's barely possible for something to get caught in that little space. The ADA confounds me once again.

geoking66 wrote:How is one inch too much? It's barely possible for something to get caught in that little space. The ADA confounds me once again.

The law states that the gap can't be more than 3". at worst, its 4".

Missed it by that much!!!!

It means that the project manager(s) of the MTA were not paying attention to what the contractor was doing.

Sort of reminds me of the Brighton line debacle some years ago where they put too much ballast at some rebuilt stations and the trains wound up much higher than the platform.

Forty years ago Myrtle El trains and Myrtle Chambers subway trains shared the section between Broadway and Fresh Pond Rd. The gap ranged from 2 to 10 inches! El train conductors yelled "Watch the Gap!!" as passengers loaded/unloaded. Now we inconvenience millions to benefit a few.(and if they get on there are precious few places they can get off.) I probably would qualify as disabled under ADA, and I don't support such bu....it.

Gerry6309 wrote:Forty years ago Myrtle El trains and Myrtle Chambers subway trains shared the section between Broadway and Fresh Pond Rd. The gap ranged from 2 to 10 inches! El train conductors yelled "Watch the Gap!!" as passengers loaded/unloaded. Now we inconvenience millions to benefit a few.(and if they get on there are precious few places they can get off.) I probably would qualify as disabled under ADA, and I don't support such bu....it.

this is what they get for worrying about the little guy more than the big picture.

Now its March 2009. Will this ever open? This has taken, what now, 7 years? For a subway station on an existing line.

This is a brand new line segment. Contruction began in mid november of 05, so this has only taken 3 1/2 years. the problem here is that orignaly, when the ends of the platform were installed, they were too close to the train. and what ended up happening is that some screwball, who's been holding a powertool for so long his brain has been vibrated into scrabled eggs, took too much off without paying attention to what was going on. they realise the poblem, but the media gets a hold of it and can't help itself. Now everyone has been hanging around bad mouthing an agency which wasn't even the ones who hired, or were paying, said idiot.

There were also delays related to archaeological findings. I find the delays really frustrating because of the years of missed promises -- I mean, this was promised to be in operation in 2008, at least. Second, I have this naive notion that once the people and cash devoted to this project are freed up they can help out with the 2nd avenue subway or other key cap ex, not sure if that's correct, but I would think there's some talent diversion as long as this thing is hanging out there.

From te initial concept to now tis project as taken about 7 years. Te Second Av. Subway was first proposed around 1928, and still doesn't ave any operating trackage to show for it.

Gerry6309 wrote:From te initial concept to now tis project as taken about 7 years. Te Second Av. Subway was first proposed around 1928, and still doesn't ave any operating trackage to show for it.

Unfortunately NY is not alone in this. In Boston we have been talking about the Blue Line extension to Lynn since the 1940's and it has still not moved out of the planning stage!
At least the SAS is under construction.

I hear they are now saying SF will open in April.

Jon

It was delayed til April.