At least we’ll have the Apple Store all to ourselves.
Tag: l train
How Much More Williamsburg Development Can the L Train Handle?
According to the Observer (and the MTA), a lot. CBTC upgrades will let the line operate at a theoretical capacity of 26 trains per hour, or one train every 2 minutes and 20 seconds or so (current capacity is 19 trains an hour, or one every three minutes or so). That represents a 38% increase in capacity, which is great considering the continued pace of development between Bedford Avenue and Myrte-Wyckoff.
At least until there is a sick passenger.
Searching for the L Train’s ‘Silver Bullet’
One quote from [Senator Dan] Squadron though struck a chord. As he noted that some rush hour trains will likely be below the MTA’s load guidelines, he let slip a key line. “This is not going to be the silver bullet, but this is real good news for L train riders,” he said. “Anyone tired of the crushing crowds and overflowing trains will now have an L train trip less likely to feel like hell.” What exactly does Squadron expect? What kind of silver bullet does he want? The MTA isn’t about to build a parallel line through Williamsburg or third-track the L train, and running trains every 180 seconds should be at least sufficient to ease some of the crowding concerns.
I can’t speak for the Senator, but his comments echo my points from last Friday – there is no silver bullet on the L train. Increased service is great, and an extra train every hour or so actually will make a difference. But no amount of automation or optimization is going to going to overcome a sick passenger on a two-track line. So overcrowding and delays will remain a fact of life, and those “residual delays” tweets will keep coming.
L Train Set for Service Bumps
Newsday (via Second Avenue Sagas):
The MTA will add nearly 100 trains each week along the L line starting Sunday… 16 additional round trips will run each weekday, 11 more will go on Saturdays and another seven on Sundays, an MTA spokesman said.
The increased service is the result of the automation upgrades that have been going in on the line for what seems like years now. As a result, the MTA is able to reduce headway and squeeze more trains onto the single-track line.
State Senator Dan Squadron – who pushed hard for these service increases – is a happy man: “Anyone tired of the crushing crowds and overflowing trains will now have an L train trip less likely to feel like hell.”
No L Train This Weekend
You’ve been warned.
Williamsburg Bars Going to ‘L’
The constant weekend shutdowns needed to upgrade subway signals on the L line is taking its toll on the blossoming Williamsburg bar scene — with hipster hangouts reporting huge drops in profits.
Weekend closures are a problem if you have a business located near one of the City’s busiest stations on weekends.
Lack of Faith
This Year’s Grinch? The L Train
In addition to ruining your daily commute, all the work the MTA is doing on the L train is hurting local businesses. In classic form, the MTA even shut down service to Williamsburg on Small Business Saturday.
Bah.
Signal Problems
How was your commute today? According to the MTA, the software problems (caused by the weekend work that shut down the line all day Saturday and Sunday??) that ruined your morning ride to work are still going on this evening. In fact, it’s so bad that @NYC_L_trains hasn’t even bothered tweeting its daily “L train service has resumed with residual delays” message.
Remember, it’s this switching software that is supposed to improve headway on the L train, making it possible to run even more trains per hour during peak times. It’ll be great. So long as there no sick passengers. And no stuck doors. And no inclement weather. And no more software glitches.
Upgrading the L Train
The MTA has announced a series of planned upgrades for service on the L line – moves that, in the long term, at least, could ease some of the overcrowding on the line. The services changes are partially a response to a request from State Senator Dan Squadron that the the MTA review the state of service on the F and L lines, and partially a response to the fact that everyone knew service on the L line was beyond capacity. (Its not just the morning rush, either – as the Times points out, service on the L train is often 35% over capacity on Saturday afternoons.)
Second Avenue Sagas has a nice rundown of all the changes that are planned. The only immediate change is that the MTA will add one additional train in the 9:00 to 9:30 morning rush period. Theoretically, this will lower crowding during this period from the current 101% to something in the mid-90% range (pro-tip – the cars at the back of the train are only running at 99% capacity in the morning rush (vs. 130% at the front) – pile in!) . Long term, the MTA will finally roll out its fully- automated train service (CBTC) on the L line. With the full implementation of the automated service, the MTA says it can run up to 24 trains an hour on the L line (currently, headway is limited to 17 trains an hour).
All of this will – in the long term – help the average commute on the Canarsie line. In the short term however, expect more weekend service cuts, as the MTA continues to implement the switching necessary to get automated service fully online by late 2012. And remember that even with the potential for 24 trains an hour, the line is still only two tracks – if one train gets stuck, everyone behind still has wait for that sick passenger to get off the train. And as new residential developments all up and down the line continue to come on line (there are still about 5,000 unbuilt housing units from the 2005 rezoning alone), those additional 7 trains an hour will pretty soon be running at capacity too.