Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).

Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain

 #1414986  by lpetrich
 
GirlOnTheTrain wrote:MTA Estimates 200,000 Riders To Use 2nd Ave Subway Each Day
“On Day One, we will see it serve more than 200,000 people on that line. That’s more than Chicago’s and Boston’s systems combined,” MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said earlier this month at an agency board meeting. “On Day One, we will decrease crowding along the Lexington Ave. line by more than 23,000 people on an average weekday.”
The EGE wrote:Boston's Red, Orange, and Green lines all exceed 200,000 passengers per day. Each. Someone didn't do their research.
I'll hunt down the numbers.

The Second Avenue Subway is intended to take pressure off of the Lexington Avenue line. That line has 1.3 million passengers per day (IRT Lexington Avenue Line - Wikipedia), more than every North American rapid-transit system except for New York City's and Mexico City's (List of North American rapid transit systems by ridership - Wikipedia). Chicago has 753,600 and Boston 560,500, more than the Second Avenue Subway's prediction of 200,000, and the largest ridership less than that prediction of Anglo North American cities is in Los Angeles, at 153,000. WIkipedia's page lists Panama City's as 180,000, and Santo Dominigo's as 177,844 (Dominican Republic). Turning to List of North American light rail systems by ridership - Wikipedia, that prediction is neck-and-neck with Los Angeles's numbers. Turning to Commuter rail in North America - Wikipedia, this prediction is neck-and-neck with GO Transit of Toronto, Canada.

So while the Second Avenue Subway will be surpassed by several North American urban-rail systems, it will still have impressive ridership.
 #1423247  by Jeff Smith
 
A little dated, but interesting: rtands.com
Since the Second Avenue Subway opened Jan. 1, ridership has grown consistently by approximately 8,000 daily riders each week, reaching 155,000 daily riders as of Jan. 27.

“The opening of the Second Avenue Subway was a singular event, and New Yorkers have been quick to embrace the new line, with ridership climbing quickly,” said Ronnie Hakim, the MTA’s interim Executive Director. “The fact that so many daily riders are using the new line has also helped to ease crowding during the morning rush at key stations on the Lexington Avenue line, making commuting easier, faster and better for thousands of New Yorkers.”
 #1423248  by Jeff Smith
 
More: Patch.com/new-york
Second Ave Subway Is Stealing Riders From 4, 5, 6 Lines: MTA
Ridership data released Wednesday shows that the Second Avenue Subway is changing how Upper East Siders commute

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — It was a given that when the Second Avenue Subway opened on the Upper East Side on New Year's Day it would change how the neighborhood commutes. But the rapid speed at which Upper East Siders have embraced the Q train has surprised MTA officials.

Ridership on the Second Avenue Subway line increased by an average of 8,000 riders a week in January, peaking at 155,000 daily riders according to MTA data released Wednesday. After just one month the daily ridership is nearing the projected 200,000 daily riders MTA officials said the new line would service.

"The Second Avenue Subway has already become an integral part of the Upper East Side and these ridership figures show just how important this expansion project is to the neighborhood and our economy," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "This project is proof that government can still get big things done and these early ridership numbers send a clear message that when we deliver on our promises New Yorkers respond."

The new Q line has also eased the burden on the nearby 4, 5 and 6 lines which run on Lexington Avenue and have long been some of the most crowded lines in the city. Daily weekday ridership at Upper East Side stations on the Lexington Avenue line has dropped 27 percent — 46 percent during peak morning rush hours of 8-9 a.m. — compared to January numbers from 2016, according to the MTA.
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 #1423284  by railfan365
 
it's good that the SAS is well subsxribed. But with proof that the line is a major benefit, why is the MTA taking so projecting such a long time to get Phase II done? After all, at least 1/3 of the tunneling is done already, and they're planning to have untility relocation done in 2019 - so why pace the project to take until 2029 to accomplish?
 #1423370  by GirlOnTheTrain
 
See above.
The new Q line has also eased the burden on the nearby 4, 5 and 6 lines which run on Lexington Avenue and have long been some of the most crowded lines in the city. Daily weekday ridership at Upper East Side stations on the Lexington Avenue line has dropped 27 percent — 46 percent during peak morning rush hours of 8-9 a.m. — compared to January numbers from 2016, according to the MTA.
 #1431975  by Head-end View
 
So the new line has been in operation all of four and a half months and already one entrance (83rd St. I believe) to a new station is closed due to a broken down escalator. They didn't even make it to the six-month mark without this crap starting already! Back in January, when I saw those outdoor escalators to the new entrances, I predicted this would happen. Now let's see how many months (or years) it takes to get that escalator running again. Welcome to NYC. :(
 #1432497  by trainbrain
 
All mechanical things break occasionally. Since the escalator was outdoors that was most likely the problem and they may modify the entrances to include doors.
 #1432536  by Head-end View
 
Good point.........but surely you're not implying that repairs to public facilities are done faster in the more affluent parts of the city............. :wink:
 #1432540  by BigUglyCat
 
trainbrain wrote:All mechanical things break occasionally. Since the escalator was outdoors that was most likely the problem and they may modify the entrances to include doors.
This situation bothered me since it was first announced. An escalator is a mechanical device that needs ALL possible protection from the elements. It will get enough abuse just from day-to-day use. Doesn't that seem simple and obvious? Who could possibly think something like this will survive and function in an relatively unprotected state? I need a puzzled or disbelieving emoji here. :(