30 THE QUEENS COURIER • JUNE 6, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
30 The Queens Courier • JUNE 6, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS www.qns.com
Time for a big rebuild of 7 train
When the city started constructing the
elevated Flushing Line east of Long Island
City in 1917, much of western Queens
was still largely farmland.
Today, 102 years later, this area is
among the most densely populated places
in America, and the Flushing Line —
which carries the 7 train — is one of the
busiest routes in the city subway system.
Most hours of the day, the train cars are
so packed it’s almost impossible to board.
Th e elevated Flushing Line, all these
years later, is straining from old age, overuse
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
STORY: South Ozone Park high school student receives
$10,000 scholarship to study at Harvard University
SUMMARY: Sarah Deonarain, a senior at Townsend Harris
High School in Flushing, is one of six students from New York
City selected to be a Milken Scholar for its 2019 scholarship
program after a rigorous nomination, application and interview
process.
REACH: 17,640 people reached (as 0f 6/3/19)
and a lack of regular upkeep in recent
years. As a result, far too oft en in recent
months, debris has fallen off the tracks
in Woodside, narrowly avoiding people
and injury.
Th e most recent incident, which
occurred on June 3 near the 52nd Street
station, saw metal fragments fall off the
superstructure. It prompted MTA New
York City Transit CEO Andy Byford to
fi nally agree to place netting below the 7
line aft er months of pleas from local elected
offi cials.
But Byford and the MTA hierarchy
must know that this cannot be the only
remedy to keep the 7 line from falling
apart.
Netting is a bandage designed to protect
people on the ground. But metal fragments
our view, an alarming sign that the structure
itself — in spite of all reported frequent
inspections — needs more than just
cosmetic repairs and patch jobs to hold
everything together.
We know that in past incidents of falling
debris on the Flushing Line, the MTA has
dispatched crews to inspect every bolt and
girder and make any necessary repairs.
Th e time has come, however, to consider
if this constant maintenance is more cost
effi cient than replacing the entire structure
THE QUEENS
sun
PUBLISHER & EDITOR
CO-PUBLISHER
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ART DIRECTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
STAFF REPORTERS
CONTRIBUTING REPORTERS
PRODUCTION MANAGER
INSIDE SALES MANAGER
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
falling off the superstructure is, in
WWW.COURIERSUN.COM
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
JENNA BAGCAL, MARK HALLUM, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, MAX PARROTT, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
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Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
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with new, stronger steel.
It will be costly and inconvenient, to be
sure. Aft er all, the MTA is undertaking
a massive rebuild of the L line between
Brooklyn and Manhattan that will torment
commuters for years. But in the end,
the work is being done because it has to
be done. Th e MTA realized that the temporary
bandages put in place on the L
line aft er Hurricane Sandy weren’t going
to last forever, or solve the infrastructure
problems for good.
In many ways, this is the point which the
102-year-old Flushing Line is approaching.
It’s old and falling apart. It needs to
be replaced, inconveniences and expenses
be damned.
We don’t expect the work to begin
tomorrow, next month, next year or even
two years from now. But the MTA, city
and state need to set the wheels in motion
for a 7 line rebuild in Queens.
We can’t keep putting off the inevitable
when it comes to our infrastructure —
lest a chunk of the 7 line comes crashing
down on someone’s head.
A 1920 photo of the Flushing Line near the 40th Street station on Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside.
Publisher & E ditor Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Co-Publisher Joshua A. Schneps
Chief Operating Officer Bob Brennan
E ditor-In-Chief Robert Pozarycki
Art Director Nirmal Singh
S ocial Media Manager Emily Davenport
S taff Reporters Jenna Bagcal, Mark Hallum, Katrina Medoff
Carlotta Mohamed, Bill Parry
Contributing Reporters Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni
Production Manager Deborah Cusick
I nside Sales Manager Celeste Alamin
Chief Financial Officer Maria Valencia
President & CEO Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Vice President Joshua A. Schneps
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Courier Sun
All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation,
indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by
the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position
cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication.
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all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Courier SUN and its
employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the
publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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