Now that I think about it, you're 100% right that this is going to be quite a load on some already very close to capacity E/F/7 trains. CBTC and deinterlining wins are largely already picked for these lines (minus making the E express in Manhattan and A/C local).
If the MTA could build, the answer would be a few of the less discussed 7 relief line options (Northern boulevard elevated line that runs crosstown on 50th, a superexpress that runs along Horace Harding and shifts more load onto Broadway line, higher QBL local frequency). Or LIRR getting frequency up + fare integration and city ticket to be better? One way or another you need more capacity
i loved reading this! it's really interesting to think about the downstream effects on other services, both those that are already capacity-constrained like the QBL, but also ones with more room for investment like the atlantic branch. i had been thinking of this project kind of akin to the G line -- a way to get from many places in brooklyn to key areas in queens -- but i hadn't considered just how much potential IBX has to make existing trips to denser business districts faster and more reliable. i'm eager for part 2!
I actually think the IBX will be quite different from the G, which connects NYC's 3rd and 4th biggest downtowns in downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City.
As an orbital line, we really don't have good corollaries for the IBX in the US. The purpose is to link "suburbs" (I know Brooklyn and Queens are not your typical American suburb, but not a downtown environment either) to each other and also to enable transfers that shorten trips to the city center.
The interesting play here is the subway desert neighborhoods like East Flatbush, Glendale, Middle Village, where there's basically no transit premium priced in today. Broadway Junction/East New York is probably the highest-upside corridor, and the article basically says as much, flagging it as a potential Jamaica-style regional center. Jamaica post-AirTrain is a decent comparable.
Great analysis! I sure hope MTA designs this as an automated system, like the SkyTrain in Vancouver or new lines in Paris and many other places. Ok, have an onboard “operator” to provide some reassurance to patrons who may be skeptical, and avoid trouble with the transit workers unions. Also hope that MTA doesn’t over-design the stations but keeps them simple as a cost saving measure, apart from the transfer stations, which need to be as direct as possible to other lines and with enough capacity to handle crowds. Now, if NY could only simplify its environmental review process for transit (and housing).
Great writeup!
Now that I think about it, you're 100% right that this is going to be quite a load on some already very close to capacity E/F/7 trains. CBTC and deinterlining wins are largely already picked for these lines (minus making the E express in Manhattan and A/C local).
If the MTA could build, the answer would be a few of the less discussed 7 relief line options (Northern boulevard elevated line that runs crosstown on 50th, a superexpress that runs along Horace Harding and shifts more load onto Broadway line, higher QBL local frequency). Or LIRR getting frequency up + fare integration and city ticket to be better? One way or another you need more capacity
Thanks! These are important points. For now, I'll just say stay tuned for part 2.
i loved reading this! it's really interesting to think about the downstream effects on other services, both those that are already capacity-constrained like the QBL, but also ones with more room for investment like the atlantic branch. i had been thinking of this project kind of akin to the G line -- a way to get from many places in brooklyn to key areas in queens -- but i hadn't considered just how much potential IBX has to make existing trips to denser business districts faster and more reliable. i'm eager for part 2!
I actually think the IBX will be quite different from the G, which connects NYC's 3rd and 4th biggest downtowns in downtown Brooklyn and Long Island City.
As an orbital line, we really don't have good corollaries for the IBX in the US. The purpose is to link "suburbs" (I know Brooklyn and Queens are not your typical American suburb, but not a downtown environment either) to each other and also to enable transfers that shorten trips to the city center.
The interesting play here is the subway desert neighborhoods like East Flatbush, Glendale, Middle Village, where there's basically no transit premium priced in today. Broadway Junction/East New York is probably the highest-upside corridor, and the article basically says as much, flagging it as a potential Jamaica-style regional center. Jamaica post-AirTrain is a decent comparable.
Great analysis! I sure hope MTA designs this as an automated system, like the SkyTrain in Vancouver or new lines in Paris and many other places. Ok, have an onboard “operator” to provide some reassurance to patrons who may be skeptical, and avoid trouble with the transit workers unions. Also hope that MTA doesn’t over-design the stations but keeps them simple as a cost saving measure, apart from the transfer stations, which need to be as direct as possible to other lines and with enough capacity to handle crowds. Now, if NY could only simplify its environmental review process for transit (and housing).
Great news! I love the NY metro.