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http://issendai.livejournal.com/572510.html
The system is too essential for a stop-the-world overhaul, but so far gone, that only a stop-the-world overhaul can part the clouds.
Without a hard flush of antiquated mission critical infrastructure, millions of turbulent eddies and vortices will ensure that the system is always afflicted by parasitic equipment and debris.
Why would it take 50 years to install signalling across the system ? This doesn't sound right at all.
Because currently, the residents would riot over the taxes/fees cost of redundancies required to enable faster maintenance and upgrade projects of a 24x7x365 operating system, where the pain of maintenance is constantly deferred until it turns into a looming, critical safety-liability issue. Back when the population density was lower and the pace of life slower, and less economic dependencies upon this infrastructure, the disruptions were affordable and more palatable, but now there are likely powerful stakeholders pressuring the Port Authority from taking as many outages as they'd like these days, comparatively. When I used to live in NYC, the Port Authority took a lot of abuse from a lot of different quarters for every line shutdown for planned maintenance. Increases in fares to fund future expansion/maintenance was met with a lot of resistance. They were like sysadmins for NYC.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The problems with NYC subway signaling have been very extensively covered in previous reporting that you might find interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-subway-... http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-relies-decade... "Even something as basic as a cable is an antique. Workers popped open a junction box to show a 70-year-old cloth-covered cable, due for the scrap heap next year,…
> actually operates 24-7 Good one. They routinely shut down lines and stations for hours/days at a time. The L got shut down between Bedford & 8th Ave for the entirety of Memorial Day weekend. Even when lines are running perfectly, at night they only run once every 30-60 minutes. To riders the changes feel arbitrary and are impossible to predict. I've been stuck dozens of times in random places because I tried to use…
Also entire train lines frequently run in parallel a few blocks from each other.
I used to take the 456 line on Lexington Ave. back and forth between Home & Work for the past 5 years. In January, the Q line on 86th st. opened, and although it takes me ~10 minutes longer each way, it is a MUCH more pleasant experience. The 456 is a nightmare, and I can tell you first hand, that it is crowded to a point where it is inhumane (imagine people literally fighting for a spot to have the "privilege" to sm…
The 456 is the reason I stopped commuting to work before 10. Taking the L from where I live today isn't much different. The trick I've found is that if the sign says there are two trains incoming that are within a minute of each other, always take the second train. People will self-sardine themselves on the first and the second with be mostly empty.
I used to take the 456 line on Lexington Ave. back and forth between Home & Work for the past 5 years. In January, the Q line on 86th st. opened, and although it takes me ~10 minutes longer each way, it is a MUCH more pleasant experience. The 456 is a nightmare, and I can tell you first hand, that it is crowded to a point where it is inhumane (imagine people literally fighting for a spot to have the "privilege" to sm…
This is why it is a real human tragedy that the MTA is literally the worst transit system in the world when it comes to new construction. Millions of lives could made better if they could do capital projects in the time and costs that cities elsewhere are able to do them in.
Why would it take 50 years to install signalling across the system ? This doesn't sound right at all.
The problems with NYC subway signaling have been very extensively covered in previous reporting that you might find interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-subway-... http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-relies-decade... "Even something as basic as a cable is an antique. Workers popped open a junction box to show a 70-year-old cloth-covered cable, due for the scrap heap next year,…
It always seemed strange to me that Philly is the only city I've been to that fully replaces the subway at night with buses.
Why would it take 50 years to install signalling across the system ? This doesn't sound right at all.
First they have to make new rolling stock, as the new system only works on post-2000s trains. Second, MTA estimate about 16 miles of track could be upgraded per year. They have 665 miles of revenue track (850 including non-revenue), so it would take 41.56 years just to convert the revenue track. The Regional Plan Association wants MTA to convert 21 miles of track per year, leading to 31.66 years to cover all the reve…
Actually, it isn't even all post-2000s trains. The CBTC [2] train controls aren't even on all of the post-2000s trains. In fact besides the 'L' train which has already been converted, only the 7 line has all of its cars as CBTC [1].
This is really bad news, because ideally, the very, very crowded 4,5,6 lines mentioned in the NYT article should be the lines to have the signals computerized, but the 4, 5 trains are relatively "new" having been put in service in 1999-2003 or so. Some of the trains in service are > 50 years old.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway_rolling_s...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications-based_train_con...
Why would it take 50 years to install signalling across the system ? This doesn't sound right at all.
Caltrain is on year 5 of their "3 year" project to modernize their signaling system... and that's a relatively simple 75 mile system with 30 stations and it's almost all above-ground.
Why would it take 50 years to install signalling across the system ? This doesn't sound right at all.
The problems with NYC subway signaling have been very extensively covered in previous reporting that you might find interesting: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-subway-... http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-subway-relies-decade... "Even something as basic as a cable is an antique. Workers popped open a junction box to show a 70-year-old cloth-covered cable, due for the scrap heap next year,…
Chicago's subway is 24/7, too.