Readers: Build the multibillion dollar train!
COURIER LIFE, OCTOBER 25-31, 2019 37
Transit honchos are considering
a new billion-dollar passenger
train that would run through
southern Brooklyn, Queens, and
the Bronx in an effort to better
serve the transit-starved outerboroughs,
authorities announced
on Oct. 15.
“Over the last 15 years, over
half of job growth has been in
the outer-boroughs,” said Maulin
Mehta, a senior associate at the
Regional Plan Association, which
fi rst proposed the commuter rail
in 1996. “But right now, a lot of
the train service is very Manhattan
centric.”
The Metropolitan Transit Authority
will test the feasibility of
retrofi tting a series of pre-existing
freight lines for use ferrying commuters,
offering crosstown service
from the Brooklyn Army Terminal
in Sunset Park to East New
York, before veering north parallel
to the L line through Brownsville
and Bushwick, and on to distant
Queens and the Bronx.
The train, which the Transit
Authority has dubbed the Triboro
Line, would make 11 stops at
new and preexisting stations in
Brooklyn, providing connections
to the R, N, D, F, Q, 2, 3, 5, and
L trains. In all, the train would
make 22 stops between Brooklyn
Army Terminal and Co-Op City in
the Bronx.
Readers had a lot to say online:
Build this and I will seriously
consider selling my car. Not expecting
this to come to fruition in my
grandchildren’s lifetimes to be honest.
Henry Ford from Bay Ridge
Every few years this comes up. It
would be great to see any new train
lines, but I’d love to see a spur that
went right to LGA. Maybe some
crosstown service in Manhattan at
125th st.
Jim from Cobble Hill
Bronx route needs to travel East-
West and extend into Washington
Heights. That proposed route towards
Co-op City basically avoids
the more highly populated half of
the borough and connections to
other subways besides the 6.
Guest from NYC
Super. As an ex-Brooklynite and
avid G train-user, this is one of best
ideas for transit expansion ever. Just
fi nished up 2nd Ave subway which
has been my lifetime wait.
Pconti from Bronx
What are they smoking? $1-2 billion???
This will cost $10-20 billion,
easy. These are the same people who
spent $6 billion to build three stations
on the Upper East Side and $80
million per station to install elevators.
Embarking on this boondoggle
is a fool’s errand. Maybe they could
get this done for $1-2 billion if they
imported 100% Chinese slave labor
and the lowest quality materials. We
need to stop electing common-sense
and mathematically challenged morons.
Frugal from Manhattan
We don’t need another study or
underground train that’s diffi cult to
access. We did the study on the BQX,
it works, it’s a lot cheaper, it’s accessible
to everyone and it can actually
happen in our lifetimes. Let us not
get distracted and start building the
BQX.
BQX from Brooklyn Queens
First of all, this isn’t a new idea,
and the Triboro RX has been brought
up numerous times before. Although
it would help many outlying areas, it
feels that it always gets defeated one
way or another. In some of those defeats,
it was mainly due to freight
lines who don’t wish to share their
tracks with this that involve such a
line. For some reason, I have the tendency
to have doubts that this will
ever get built in this generation anytime
soon. Then again, the anti-car
fanatics may not like this idea if it
will mean less driving into Manhattan
to give them the royal screw job
on congestion pricing. As for Staten
Island, as much as giving it subway
service is important, building a connecting
tunnel or bridge won’t come
cheap for this.
Tal Barzilai from
Pleasantville, NY
An Idea that is about 75 years too
late.
Martin Malatov from Emons
Avenue
I see nothing said about stopping
in the section of Red Hook. Where
we only have the F&G train line.
And it’s not accessible for the disabled
people not seniors. Don’t leave
out this area. And make the fare like
it is now. $1.36 for seniors and $2.75.
Miz MB from Red Hook
Brooklyn
They could justify the cost of this
project by the St. George to “Brooklyn
Army Terminal” stop, which I assume
would also contain a N/R 59th
St transfer stop. Create this connection
and eliminate the staten island
ferry considerably or all together.
Considering the Staten Island ferry
costs a lot to run, by removing that
costs, you’ll have this project paid
for in no time through savings. Unfortunately,
the DOT and Feds pay
into the ferry so even though it is
a no brainer, it will never happen.
Staten Island-ers would probably
even be against it because you know,
Staten Island.
Sajh from Brooklyn Heights
60 years ago I used to watch freight
trains run regularly on those same
tracks. Then this would have been a
good idea. Robert Moses would have
blocked it. He was so car-oriented.
Now it is probably too late for such a
plan. The tracks are in too much of a
state of disrepair.
Fiddle Faddle from Flatlands
Who is this kid?
Young gun out-of-towner Steven
Patzer wants Coney Islanders to
know he’s their man for Council,
proclaiming concrete solutions to
the communities issues and boasting
“10 years” leadership experience
— starting at 12 years old!
“Steven’s early mission-based
and community service work was
as a... Cub Scout” said Reyna Gobel,
a communications director of
Patzer’s campaign. “By 16, he was
raising money for causes. At 17,
he started more intensive political
work lobbying, canvassing, and
involvement in larger community
projects.”
A life-long Georgetown resident,
Patzer moved to Gravesend
in June to campaign for the seat
that term-limited Coney Island
Councilman Mark Treyger will
vacate at the end of 2021, and the
fresh-faced Democrat has been
busy hosting a fl urry of headlinegrabbing
public-service events,
including beach clean-ups, job
fairs, and backpack giveaways.
Readers spoke up online:
He’s a opportunistic, Trumpian,
scam artist! Who writes a book at
19 about the secrets to becoming a
millionaire when he hasn’t worked
a day in his life until he thought it
would serve him in getting at $150k/
year salary on the taxpayers dime.
I guess mummy and daddy couldn’t
buy that for him. Go home Patzer!
No Carpetbaggers! from
Coney Island
I’d really like to see people who
present themselves as progressive
to move away from supporting free
parking and towards a more forward
looking view of how people get
around. Huge swathes of the city are
going to have to deal with climate
change in the near, near future, and
if we continue to build parking garages
and protect on-street parking
at the expense of bike lanes, we’re
going to be part of the problem. With
how many people have been killed
by drivers in Coney Island, I would
hope that a comprehensive plan
for protected bike lanes would be
part of any progressive politician’s
campaign. Visit any European city
which has prioritized getting people
around in ways that are not cars,
and you’ll see that it doesn’t have to
be this way. The buses move faster,
more people feel comfortable biking
because they’re not sharing the
streets with cars blowing past them
at 45 mph, and the air is cleaner!
Patrick from Fort Greene
The article says he moved into
the district to run for offi ce. What is
wrong with Canarsie? He cant run
there?? Carpetbagger.
John
Lectures on anti bullying? How
about teaching self defense?
Howard
He can’t make a move without
his public relations mouthpiece by
his side and everything he says has
been said a hundred times before.
Total waste.
Young Mom from West End
Let’s see numerous people run
and stop having Democrats constantly
have pols like stale Schumer
Engel Nadler constantly win by not
being opposed in primaries.
T from Bath Beach
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