How should the NYC subway system be expanded?

Question

I've never been to New York City, but I've read a little about the subway system because I like trains. From what I've read, the current system is horrendously inadequate but the only talk of upgrading is the 2nd Ave line. I welcome any comments about the size, capacity, utilization, and so on about the subway system.

Answer 1

I don't know that I would call it a "horrendously inadequate" system.

Yes, it can be over-crowded at times, but given the amount of people that travel on it, the system works well a great deal of the time.

Part of the problem is that there are several lines (4/5/6 on the East side) where the current tracks are too small for the larger trains that will hold more people. I don't think the 2nd Avenue Subway is really going to ease that problem.

More cross-town service would be a big plus, and I know they are working on that by extending the 7 train to go all the way to the West Side instead of stopping at 5th Avenue.

They cannot put crosstown trains under Central Park, as it would totally destroy the carefully planned environment there. Sadly, Calvert and Vaux didn't anticipate a need for a crosstown train! They could put one on 125th Street, or maybe even 110th Street.

For people, like myself, that take the subway everyday, the more important issues are that the subway be cleaner, safer and more reliable. The minor improvements that would be great would be a public address system that can be clearly heard in all stations, Metrocard readers that work consistently (the ones at my station never work when it is cold out!), safety cameras installed, increased service on nights and weekends and station refurbishing.

Answer 2

Use small bus-like vehicles that can run on rails or surface roads and build access points for them into the system. According to some recent prototypes in Japan, this transportation device (made for standard rail) can transition from one mode to the other in 10 seconds.

This would allow feeder, overflow, and bridging routes to work with the existing system. It would make it easier to route around maintenance or construction within the hard rail subway system.

While it might also require an upgrade to the track sensor, signalling, and control system, and the construction of the ingress/egress points, it could still be a flexible and affordable solution, even if only to maintain transport capacity while expanding the current underground system.

Answer 3

The biggest problem with the system is that there are no cross-town lines north of 42nd street. This makes it very difficult to cross over, especially in the Central Park region. They need to add some cross-town subway lines.