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United States Government Transportation

NYC Transit Boss Unveils Sweeping 10-Year Subway Modernization Plan (nbcnewyork.com) 63

Posted by msmash from the about-time dept.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping plan to modernize the city's subway system over the next 10 years. From a report: The proposal, which new New York City Transit President Andy Byford called "Fast Forward," centers on overhauling the mass transit network's signaling system -- some of which dates back to the early 20th century -- 30 years sooner than current Subway Action Plan.

But it won't come without a good bit of pain: sources told News 4 that Byford's plan would require entire lines to be taken out of service during overnight and weekend hours for extended periods. Byford -- who took over the task of running the city's subways and buses earlier this year -- said in an MTA meeting Wednesday that the work would be split into two five-year chunks. Over the first five years parts or all of the 4,5, 6, E, F, M, R, A, C, E and G lines would receive modern signaling systems. That would include the entirety of the Lexington Avenue line, which carries the 4, 5 and 6 trains and is the most-used mass transit line in the United States.
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NYC Transit Boss Unveils Sweeping 10-Year Subway Modernization Plan More

NYC Transit Boss Unveils Sweeping 10-Year Subway Modernization Plan

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  • Ten year plan unveils YOU

  • Trains just like good old 1899.

    • Cars still have four wheels just like the Model T in 1908... not like the trains are running on steam/coal power directly.

  • Extended Periods? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    "Byford's plan would require entire lines to be taken out of service during overnight and weekend hours for extended periods."

    Every time I've visited NYC on the weekend, a line is down, or a station, or a platform, or a train, or *something*, pretty much everywhere. How would this be different?

    • Full line closures are very rare. They usually shut down small sections, or one direction, or run everything on the local or express side.

  • I have an idea: replace the existing octagonal wheels with ten-sided wheels!

  • 25Hz power? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Wednesday May 23, 2018 @02:56PM (#56660824)
    Does the NYC subway still use 25Hz power for lighting in some stations ? I remember when I use to take the subway to school that I could see the incandescent lights flicker due to the 25Hz power being supplied to them.

    • Does the NYC subway still use 25Hz power for lighting in some stations ? I remember when I use to take the subway to school that I could see the incandescent lights flicker due to the 25Hz power being supplied to them.

      More like 25 HURTS

    • No idea, but all DC-NYC trains and a sizable chunk of commuter rail systems in that area are still 25Hz/11,000 volt. Though I think they have inverters or M-G sets on the actual trains to provide 60hz power to the lights and outlets.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by kriston ( 7886 )

        First, on the IRT, now called the "A" Division of the NYC Subway, the feeders are 11,000 at 60 Hz which is converted to 120 volts AC and also to 600 volts DC. The lights in stations are 120 volts. The lights in the tunnels run on 600 volts DC. Near ticket booths, stairways, and other critical areas, there are lamps lit from the 600 volt DC track circuit.

        All of the Northeast Corridor south of New York Penn Station is 25 Hz. So is SEPTA, but the former Reading Railroad side of SEPTA which has its own conve

  • 10 years, Yeah RIGHT (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CharlieG ( 34950 ) on Wednesday May 23, 2018 @03:19PM (#56661028) Homepage

    The CBTC (aka the signal improvements) on the 7 train, which were supposed to take 7 years (chosen because it was the 2nd easiest line to do) has taken 10 years (aka 3 years late) and STILL not working
    The 7 train extension, started in 2007, supposed to be finished in 2013 had one station dropped, and STILL took till Sept 2015 (aka about 50% over)
    We won't talk about the fact that the Second Ave Subway took 99 YEARS from when it was first proposed till when it opened, and was "fully funded" by bond issues at least 3 times

    NOTHING gets done in 10 years by the MTA
     

    • My first thought when I saw this was how terrible the NCDOT is with roads. I live in Charlotte. I485 goes around the city and took over 40 years to complete. Heck, even just finishing the North Eastern..... maybe 1/5 of the road? Took them 3 years of nothing, 1-2 years of work, and then they had to get help from a private company to finish it because they ran out of money and only finished it due to a contract for future work.

      Meanwhile, for the past 7ish years, the exact same section of I85 has been "

  • Overdue and not enough (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gaiageek ( 1070870 ) on Wednesday May 23, 2018 @04:09PM (#56661356)
    Compared to Europe, Australia, and I imagine most developed countries, riding the subway in New York feels like you're in a 3rd world country. I get that "cars are king" for most of the US, but in New York City, where there's an obvious need for mass transit, and insanely expensive real estate above those tracks, it's shocking that the state of mass transit below ground seems stuck in the 20th century.
    • Unlike many European/Asian countries, the subway runs 24/7/365. It may not be perfect or modern, but it basically works.
      • It basically almost works now, but at greatly reduced capacity, and increased cost, due to DECADES of just-short-of-barely-adequate maintenance, lower speed limits due to outdated signaling and safety systems, and problems caused by disasters such as Hurricane Sandy that have yet to be fully fixed (IIRC). But just as most of us here are familiar with the concept of technical debt in software, the NYC subway system faces a version of the same thing, as does much of the rest of the infrastructure of the Unit

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by torkus ( 1133985 )

        Another person who doesn't live in NYC explaining to everyone 'how things work'.

        Yah, they run 24/7/365 ... except when they don't. Except for the dozen or more closure, re-route, skipped station, etc. posters you see in every announcement area. Except for trains that run every 20-30 minutes on a modified route that requires 2 or 3 train changes to get where one direct train normally would during the late hours of that '24'. So that 45-60 minute trip can become 2+ hours at night. It's literally faster to

    • Unlike many European/Asian countries, our subways weren't bombed during the unpleasantness about 75 years ago.

      While it may seem counter-intuitive, being bombed is one of the better ways to get your infrastructure modernised....

      • Sorry, but thatâ(TM)s bullshit. Londonerâ(TM)s hid in the Tube because it was safe from the bombing. Itâ(TM)s the oldest system in the world, but it makes NYCâ(TM)s system look antiquated. For example, WTF is it with having to still use physical tickets, or why isnâ(TM)t the ride from Hoboken to Manhattan (1 stop) integrated in to the same system?)

    • riding the subway in New York feels like you're in a 3rd world country

      If only. Even the 3rd world has nicer subways than we do.

      • Subways in 3rd world countries are built for the benefit of the elite. Nobody is riding the Pyongyang Metro line to get to their minimum wage job

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      Compared to Europe, Australia, and I imagine most developed countries, riding the subway in New York feels like you're in a 3rd world country. I get that "cars are king" for most of the US, but in New York City, where there's an obvious need for mass transit, and insanely expensive real estate above those tracks, it's shocking that the state of mass transit below ground seems stuck in the 20th century.

      Australian trains aren't that good, but most Australians will not travel on them because they live nowhere near a station. Its relatively easy to run a train network no-one uses.

  • If you take your car you hit construction zones and if you take the subway you hit construction zones. Why can you do?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by torkus ( 1133985 )

      Ride a bike because it's often faster.

      Except who has a gym to shower off in their office when real estate is so expensive businesses are building 'open seating plans' under the outright lie that employees favor that when it's simply an excuse for higher density seating? Bicycle 'parking' in a garage/secure place is about $200/month. Offices don't have bike parking...and if you leave a nice bike chained up for a day it's not unusual to have it stolen or at least damaged significantly...even in heavily popu

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