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Not a New Yorker, but what I heard was that the tunnels only have two tracks, and both are needed for daily operations. So you can't replace one when it wears o
by chiph 9y ago
Not a New Yorker, but what I heard was that the tunnels only have two tracks, and both are needed for daily operations. So you can't replace one when it wears out because of the service interruption. If they had made the tunnels wide enough for three tracks, they'd have a spare for when they do repairs on one of them. And give them a place to do a rolling-upgrade of old middle-20th century signaling equipment.
- programLyrique 9y agoActually, NY subway has 3 or even 4 tracks portions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_City_Subway_lines#Three-tracked_portions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_City_Subway_l... I think that's the reason why the New York's subway can operate during all night, because maintenance operations can happen on the other set of tracks.
- rst 9y agoTwo-track subways are the norm generally, at least in the US. In fact, New York's is unusual in that many trunk lines have more than two tracks, mostly separate express tracks so that express trains can pass locals stopped at a station. (And it is possible to shut down one track of a two-track line for at least part of the way, if you're willing to run only one train through the affected stretch of track at a time. It may condemn you to fifteen or twenty minute waits between trains, but you can do it. The Washington, DC metro has been doing this a lot lately on weekends.)
- IshKebab 9y agoWhy not just do work on it at night like they do on the tube?
- rst 9y agoNew York's subway system runs 24 hours, and many residents rely on late-night/early morning service.
- nandemo 9y agoIs that the official reason though? "The service cannot be stopped even for planned maintenance" doesn't sound like a reasonable constraint.
- rst 9y agoThey have been doing shutdowns of particular lines for planned maintenance, but almost always with replacement service in place (either other nearby subway lines, or for more isolated lines, buses). And then there are major tunnel repairs, which can lead to shutdowns of over a year. (There's an upcoming shutdown on the L which a lot of people are dreading, as there is no good replacement service of anything like the same capacity.)
- kevin_thibedeau 9y agoThere is enough redundancy between portions of the 7th and 8th ave lines to permit partial shutdowns and yet five years in they still can't seem to finish their hurricane repairs.
- IshKebab 9y agoWhich is great but it sounds like they need to compromise. Does New York have night busses?
- smpetrey 9y agoYep. In fact they're ridden so infrequently at night, they have a request-a-stop program after late-night hours: http://web.mta.info/nyct/bus/howto_bus.htm http://web.mta.info/nyct/bus/howto_bus.htm
- IshKebab 9y agoHa, that's how most busses in the world work, at least outside large cities.