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That may be true, but the NYC Second Avenue subway is a bad example for comparison. The main reason that it took so long to complete was a number of extreme ch
by m0llusk 10y ago
That may be true, but the NYC Second Avenue subway is a bad example for comparison. The main reason that it took so long to complete was a number of extreme challenges in construction. Subway construction is rarely simple or cheap, but using one of the most complex and expensive subway lines as a point of reference might not be realistic.
- mafribe 10y agoBy way of comparison: Shanghai's subway was started in the 1980s and according to [1] is now "the world's largest rapid transit system by route length and second largest by number of stations [...] It also ranks second in the world by annual ridership." [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Metro https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Metro
- venomsnake 10y agoChina has no NIMBY problem. They can convince anyone with ease. Same with financing.
- ghaff 10y agoIt would be so much easier without that pesky democracy thing. /s
- ptk 10y agoNot everyone sells. Nail Houses are a real thing. Although, they certainly don't make it easy to stay. http://io9.gizmodo.com/unbelievable-nail-houses-around-the-world-892781747 http://io9.gizmodo.com/unbelievable-nail-houses-around-the-w...
- ethanbond 10y agoMost of the NYC transit system is also operating 24/7, which makes expansion and maintenance pretty difficult.
- ant6n 10y agoHow does a 24/7 system make it more difficult to expand?
- ethanbond 10y agoWell unless your idea of expansion is digging a new hole that's not connected to any other hole, it matters. Also NYCs system being so old, the control mechanisms are horrendously difficult to modify. The entire subway system is basically a mechanical computer so they can't just add another track and then type a few lines of code into a computer to control the new line. Why are those control systems so old? Well, a 24/7 system is difficult to do maintenance on!
- mafribe 10y ago24/7 does raise the bar a bit, but if you have three tunnels not two per line, the problem isn't all that bad. NY has three tunnels as far as I'm aware. In contrast, London's underground has only two which makes it rather difficult to do maintenance at the same time as operate a line. Digging new tunnels should mostly be independent of operations in existing tunnels.
- ethanbond 10y agoSure but there are times when the lines aren't operating, which is a more crucial point than whether there are three tracks (which is not the case across all of NYC).
- iamatworknow 10y ago>NY has three tunnels as far as I'm aware. Only in some areas, mostly in Manhattan. The outer boroughs, especially in areas where the tracks are elevated, usually only have two. When major track work has to be done the MTA has a habit of just shutting down a line temporarily. For the past couple of years they've been shutting down the 7 train (which goes from 34th street through Times Square in Manhattan to Flushing in Queens) multiple weekends during the summer, and it has had an impact on businesses.
- evanelias 10y agoNot really a fair comparison. How much does labor cost in Shanghai vs NYC? How much existing 100+ year old underground infrastructure does Shanghai have? New subway lines in NYC can't use the latest technology. They're being integrated into an existing 112-year-old subway system with the highest station count and track mileage in the world. I'd make a software development analogy, but it would be woefully inadequate at comparing the scope of the situation.