16 DECEMBER 7, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
EDITORIAL
Put more train repairs on the ‘Fastrack’
Of all the ideas that came out of
THE HOT TOPIC
STORY:
New report suggests adding new
train lines in northern Queens to
increase transportation access
SUMMARY:
The Regional Plan Association, a
New York-based regional planning
association, released a new report
on Nov. 30 outlining 61 suggestions
to improve the lives of city
residents.
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the Regional Plan Association’s
Nov. 30 report on improving
transportation in and around New
York City, none drew as much attention
as a proposal to close the New York
City subway system on overnights for
maintenance.
The reaction from many New
Yorkers was what you’d might expect.
Impossible! Outrageous! This is New
York, “the city that never sleeps,” as
Frank Sinatra famously crooned. You
can’t shut the entire subway system
down on overnights. This isn’t Boston
or Washington, D.C.
But the RPA, we believe, is on the
right track. We don’t think the entire
system should be closed every night
at a given time, but what about closing
certain lines on certain evenings for
much-needed repairs?
In fact, the MTA is already doing that
on a periodic basis with its “Fastrack”
maintenance program. Over the last
few years, the MTA has closed entire
lines for four-straight overnight periods
to remove trash, check equipment
and make light repairs.
But Fastrack work is periodic and
only takes place “where nearby alternative
subway service is available,”
according to the MTA’s website. They
also make sure that “no other service
changes are planned on lines which
provide alternate service” before
embarking on Fastrack maintenance.
It’s common knowledge now that
the city’s antiquated subway system
is falling apart, the result of the MTA
kicking the can down the road when
it comes to funding maintenance
projects in recent years. Everyone
is in agreement that a much-needed
overhaul must occur in the immediate
years ahead; the problem is how
to get all of this done without causing
massive inconvenience.
Expanding the MTA Fastrack program
is certainly an option worth
exploring. The MTA should have
Fastrack maintenance every single
week, rotating crews throughout the
system to work on one to two lines at
a time on overnights. To minimize inconvenience,
the MTA should provide
shuttle buses along the aff ected lines,
using larger express and articulated
buses to help aff ected commuters get
around.
While Fastrack isn’t a solution to all
of the MTA’s maintenance problems
— the L line still needs to be closed for
major renovations that will take years
to complete — it can help the authority
bring the rest of the system up to
speed in a more timely manner. The
improvements made would make the
subway system more reliable than it is
presently — and increased reliability
is truly what the commuters want and
deserve for the fares they pay.
