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Transit experts propose ending NYC's 24/7 subway system
DAN RIVOLI
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, November 30, 2017, 12:01 AM
Imagine New York without its 24/7 subway system?
The experts at the Regional Plan Association did, and they believe it's key to building a reliable transit system for a growing metropolitan area.
The radical idea to snuff the pride of New York is one of dozens of recommendations in the research group's latest regional plan — the association's fourth region-wide blueprint since 1929 — being released Thursday.
“We think that the days of the 24/7 subway system in New York are coming to an end,” RPA president Tom Wright told reporters of the “controversial” idea.
There are 60 other ideas in the RPA’s grand plan for the metropolitan region:
Closed subway entrance on West 181 St. and Ft. Washington Ave.
(HANDSCHUH, DAVID)
Debris from crumbling wall falls onto Brooklyn subway tracks
SEE IT: Group helps straphangers file MTA complaints to Cuomo
New MTA subway car models unveiled at the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station
RPA is unveiling its full plan Thursday at The New School, with elected and government officials from around the region.
Officials with the RPA acknowledge that politicians would surely slam some of the proposals. But together, the proposals could add nearly 4 million people and nearly 2 million jobs to the region by 2040. But sticking with “business as usual” would cut those numbers nearly in half.
To that end, RPA believes that closing the subway overnight from Monday through Thursday will help bring the subway system into the 21st Century — in 15 years.
With overnight weekday ridership averaging 85,000 passengers, keeping trains running "doesn't make sense," Wright from the RPA said.
Instead, RPA officials believe that the MTA can add shuttle buses to handle thousands of commuters each night.
Some worry the region’s economy would take a hit without a constantly running subway.
(SCHWARTZ,MICHAEL ,FREELANCE,NYDN)
"The cost of that, not just in terms of dollars but in terms of performance of the system the other 20 hours of the day, is no longer worth it,” Wright said.
The MTA did not return request for comment.
Riders and transit experts had a Bronx cheer for the tone-deaf idea of nixing overnight subway service in a city that never sleeps.
“That’s a horrible idea because I work overnight sometimes. New York City is a city that’s 24 hours,” said Saud Alshaikh, 26, a pharmacist in the Upper West Side, “I hope it doesn’t go through.”
Stephanie Porto, 35, a photo producer, thought it would be painful for construction workers or nurses who work all hours of the day.
“Public transport shutting down at any point seems like a false solution,” Porto said.
There were some riders who’d be willing to suck it up, though they acknowledged it would be most painful for late-night workers.
“If it were a short term thing that would be a small price to pay for the subway working better,” said Dave Bernath, 50, a TV executive. “If you work late night and got to get somewhere, it doesn’t make sense.”
Closure of the subway system over night will be the most painful for late-night workers.
(HANDSCHUH, DAVID)
Mitchell Moss, NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management director, panned the “elitist” proposal.
“The RPA board should be embarrassed by this recommendation,” Moss said. “The RPA board members and officers needs to take the subway after midnight and see that they’re jammed with working New Yorkers, not the leisure classes who attend cocktail parties and galas.”
Andrew Albert, a riders representative on the MTA board, said the region’s economy would take a whack without a constantly running subway.
“People don’t want to wait out in the street at the bus that will come even less frequently than the train, most likely. You cannot do that,” Albert said. “You’ll lose people permanently if you force them onto buses.”
Riders, too were incensed at being asked to give up their subway creature comfort that made New York the city that never sleeps.
Former MTA boss Tom Prendergast, who is now an RPA board member, said that 24/7 service was one of the “absolutes” at the agency when he joined in 1982.
MTA: Where does the money come from?
This “absolute” has waned over the years, he said, pointing to overnight Fast Track repairs that take segments of train lines out of service and the round-the-clock closure of the L line’s Canarsie tube for 18 months.
“There’s a conflict between improving 24/7 service on all lines every day versus getting that work done,” he said. “The argument that needs to be made is, absent some significant way of changing of how work can get done in the system and make sure critical maintenance gets done, the system will continue to deteriorate over time. Then it reaches a point where it’s unacceptable.”
“It’s going to spur a dialogue,” he added.
Transit experts propose ending NYC's 24/7 subway system
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DAN RIVOLI
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, November 30, 2017, 12:01 AM
Imagine New York without its 24/7 subway system?
The experts at the Regional Plan Association did, and they believe it's key to building a reliable transit system for a growing metropolitan area.
The radical idea to snuff the pride of New York is one of dozens of recommendations in the research group's latest regional plan — the association's fourth region-wide blueprint since 1929 — being released Thursday.
“We think that the days of the 24/7 subway system in New York are coming to an end,” RPA president Tom Wright told reporters of the “controversial” idea.
There are 60 other ideas in the RPA’s grand plan for the metropolitan region:
Closed subway entrance on West 181 St. and Ft. Washington Ave.
(HANDSCHUH, DAVID)
Debris from crumbling wall falls onto Brooklyn subway tracks
- Raise money through new taxes, like charging drivers to enter Manhattan’s business center, tolling major roads and highways, adopting a cap-and-trade program for emissions, and a tax based on vehicle-miles traveled. Build dense housing near transit stops throughout the region.
- Extend subway lines around the city and build out overcrowded stations.
- Create a regional rail network that allows trains to flow unimpeded through the tristate area, such as building a new facility south of Penn Station that could allow rail to bring travelers between Long Island and New Jersey without switching trains.
SEE IT: Group helps straphangers file MTA complaints to Cuomo
New MTA subway car models unveiled at the 34th St.-Hudson Yards station
RPA is unveiling its full plan Thursday at The New School, with elected and government officials from around the region.
Officials with the RPA acknowledge that politicians would surely slam some of the proposals. But together, the proposals could add nearly 4 million people and nearly 2 million jobs to the region by 2040. But sticking with “business as usual” would cut those numbers nearly in half.
To that end, RPA believes that closing the subway overnight from Monday through Thursday will help bring the subway system into the 21st Century — in 15 years.
With overnight weekday ridership averaging 85,000 passengers, keeping trains running "doesn't make sense," Wright from the RPA said.
Instead, RPA officials believe that the MTA can add shuttle buses to handle thousands of commuters each night.
Some worry the region’s economy would take a hit without a constantly running subway.
(SCHWARTZ,MICHAEL ,FREELANCE,NYDN)
"The cost of that, not just in terms of dollars but in terms of performance of the system the other 20 hours of the day, is no longer worth it,” Wright said.
The MTA did not return request for comment.
Riders and transit experts had a Bronx cheer for the tone-deaf idea of nixing overnight subway service in a city that never sleeps.
“That’s a horrible idea because I work overnight sometimes. New York City is a city that’s 24 hours,” said Saud Alshaikh, 26, a pharmacist in the Upper West Side, “I hope it doesn’t go through.”
Stephanie Porto, 35, a photo producer, thought it would be painful for construction workers or nurses who work all hours of the day.
“Public transport shutting down at any point seems like a false solution,” Porto said.
There were some riders who’d be willing to suck it up, though they acknowledged it would be most painful for late-night workers.
“If it were a short term thing that would be a small price to pay for the subway working better,” said Dave Bernath, 50, a TV executive. “If you work late night and got to get somewhere, it doesn’t make sense.”
Closure of the subway system over night will be the most painful for late-night workers.
(HANDSCHUH, DAVID)
Mitchell Moss, NYU Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management director, panned the “elitist” proposal.
“The RPA board should be embarrassed by this recommendation,” Moss said. “The RPA board members and officers needs to take the subway after midnight and see that they’re jammed with working New Yorkers, not the leisure classes who attend cocktail parties and galas.”
Andrew Albert, a riders representative on the MTA board, said the region’s economy would take a whack without a constantly running subway.
“People don’t want to wait out in the street at the bus that will come even less frequently than the train, most likely. You cannot do that,” Albert said. “You’ll lose people permanently if you force them onto buses.”
Riders, too were incensed at being asked to give up their subway creature comfort that made New York the city that never sleeps.
Former MTA boss Tom Prendergast, who is now an RPA board member, said that 24/7 service was one of the “absolutes” at the agency when he joined in 1982.
MTA: Where does the money come from?
This “absolute” has waned over the years, he said, pointing to overnight Fast Track repairs that take segments of train lines out of service and the round-the-clock closure of the L line’s Canarsie tube for 18 months.
“There’s a conflict between improving 24/7 service on all lines every day versus getting that work done,” he said. “The argument that needs to be made is, absent some significant way of changing of how work can get done in the system and make sure critical maintenance gets done, the system will continue to deteriorate over time. Then it reaches a point where it’s unacceptable.”
“It’s going to spur a dialogue,” he added.
Transit experts propose ending NYC's 24/7 subway system
That's a terrible idea
