I went to the open house in Ridgewood yesterday and it seems like the community was very supportive of the plan.
I do think its a bit crazy that it will take two years to get the engineering process to 30 percent as they stated in their presentation. I also heard 2035 being the target date for this (which also seems like too much?).
Saw this posted on the /r/nycrail subreddit by u/R42ToMoffat:
Soooooo glad that they are going for a tunneling approach instead of running on the street. It was my biggest gripe with this project and I’m happy they listened to feedback.
Oh thank God. As a frequent user of the Los Angeles Metro, I can attest how even a short street-running segment can effectively hobble an entire light rail line.
Will both of these stations be located underground?
now with congestion pricing the MTA is finally being taken seriously
This is great stuff. I’m hoping now that they modify the Jackson Heights terminus to make it an easier transfer between IBX and subway
Glad that they finally committed to doing the tunnel. It’s such a sigh of relief.
The best thing about a tunnel is that depending on the tunnel loading gauge, they could potentially fit A-Division subway cars (Numbered Routes) through it or even the B-Division (Lettered Routes) depending on the dimensions and the line could be converted to the proper subway if they wanted to go that route in the future.
Street running would have prevented the IBX from ever being converted to a subway and would put trains at the mercy of street traffic.
IBX not connecting to the Bronx is crazy. If there’s one thing to spend a lot of money on, its this. AT THE LEAST, connect it to Laguardia
I love the bridge idea but forget about Manhattan and instead run it into the Bronx (no tunnels). Also, the bridge should be able to support both IBX and freight trains. Moving freight trains off the Hells Gate Bridge to a new bridge creates more room for Amtrak and Metro North.
NYC needs to continue building bridges and tunnels. we need them for transit, and the longer we dont, the more expensive and necessary they are. our system is a joke compared to other developed cities.
Not really. Worn out yes.
The project has undergone further refinement to ensure that it will provide the best service for passengers for the best value. In Middle Village, Queens, the MTA is progressing with the design of a tunnel solution beneath Metropolitan Avenue, rather than on-street operations, making the proposed line less prone to travel delays due to mixed traffic operations. This refinement has reduced projected running times of the new line from 39 minutes to 32 minutes and has increased ridership projections to 160,000 per day, up 50,000 from the MTA’s prior estimate. IBX’s projected annual ridership is higher than the current ridership of any other light rail system in the country at 48 million riders — the next largest is Los Angeles at 46 million riders per year.
This seems incredibly fast and would mean speeds comparable to the subway, no?
Up 50,000 a day is crazy. Why were they even considering the other option?
should just be heavy rail idc
I honestly think they don’t realize how transformative this project is. Right now there are people who just don’t travel between the two boroughs because it is just too much of a hassle. This will make it way easier.
Just look at this past week with the trains going down at W 4th. This line would have served as an alternative to get to other lines to get to Manhattan.
hoping they change their minds because honestly I feel like light rail is removing the idea of future proofing this project
