20170518_XQC_QNE_p011

QC05182017

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 18, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 Sunnyside hub fl oated as Penn Station solution BY ANGELA MATUA amatua@qns.com @AngelaMatua A transportation planning fi rm has a plan to rethink the way major public transit hubs can work together to alleviate congestion at Penn Station — and they’re looking to Queens as being part of the solution. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last year a plan to revamp Penn Station and also route Amtrak and LIRR trains to the neighboring Moynihan Station, which would become a major train hall that would include retail. But ReTh ink Studio argues that by adding to that plan and creating a hub at Sunnyside Yards — where all 26 commuter rail lines would converge —passengers would have much easier access to the city. In this plan, titled ReTh ink NYC, a 280-acre Queens version of Central Park would also be constructed in Sunnyside alongside a new Madison Square Garden, the group fi rst told Crain’s New York. ReTh ink Studio also envisions a light rail linking Queens and Brooklyn, similar to the BQX proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Th e plan hinges on the creation of a trunk line, which would convert “New York’s dis parate region al rail networks into a unifi ed through-run ning system mod eled on Paris’s RER net work,” according to the group’s website. Th e trunk line would connect New A transportation planning fi rm has a new plan to make rail lines more accessible. York City’s four major land masses, which include Manhattan, New Jersey, Long Island and the Bronx. It aims to link the dis con nect ed lines – Metro-North’s Hudson and Harlem Lines and New Jersey Transit’s Bergen County Lines – to the Northeast Corridor at Port Morris in the Bronx and Secaucus, N.J. Two tracks would be added between Sunnyside and Port Morris and with the two planned Amtrak tracks between Newark and Penn Station, a four track trunk line would connect Secaucus, Penn Station, Sunnyside and Port Morris. Th e planners argue that Penn Station currently operates as three stations in one: a ter mi nal for Long Island Rail road Renderings via ReThink Studio from the east, a ter mi nal for NJ Transit from the west, and a through-sta tion for Amtrak. Th ey would propose moving the station’s terminal functions to Port Morris and Secaucus and making all of Penn Station a through-running station. Penn Station’s platforms would be widened and passengers would be able to load and unload on both sides of the train. Th e addition of Moynihan Station would “bring four bi-directional escalators to the platform at each access point, alleviating the bottleneck to get on and off tracks that currently plagues the station.” Th e Port Morris station would be built at the southern tip of the Bronx where passengers will be able to transfer between the Harlem and Hudson lines and a Second Avenue Subway extension. Passengers could also travel to LaGuardia Airport via a proposed air train in the group’s ReTh inkLGA plan. Th e airport would be extended to Riker’s Island, which may be closed by the city in 10 years, and the 7 train extension would make it easier for people to travel to the airport by public transportation instead of by cars. Under the plan, the Port Morris station would replace Sunnyside Yards as a holding station for the trains. It would fi t more than 114 trains. In Secaucus, the Gateway Project, which is already underway, will construct two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River while the existing 106-year-old tunnels are repaired. Plans also call for the construction of an annex to Penn Station, a loop in Secaucus to connect Bergen County rail lines with the Northeast Corridor and an additional Portal bridge. Port Authority also proposed a new bus terminal there. Th e Rethink NYC plan would also create an extension of PATH and the 7 train. Th e plan would spur development of offi ce space and housing in Queens and the Bronx, the group argues. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a diff erent plan for Sunnyside Yards. At $19 billion, the plan calls for the decking of the railyard and the construction of up to 24,000 housing units to fulfi ll the mayor’s goal of more aff ordable housing in the city. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.60% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.90% 36-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must have or open any Flushing Bank Complete Checking account.2 Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile3 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you. 1. New money only. APY effective April 10, 2017. 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QC05182017
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