Remaking Penn Station for Riders and the 22nd Century: A Panel Discussion, with:
Samuel A. Turvey, Chairperson, ReThinkNYC
Karim Ahmed, Senior Transit Advisor, ReThinkNYC
Christine Berthet, Chair, Manhattan Community Board 4's Transportation Committee
Dr. Robert Paaswell, Emeritus Director, CUNY Transportation Research Center, Region II
Moderated by Peg Breen, President, The New York Landmarks Conservancy
Under ReThinkNYC's proposals for Penn Station, trains will run through the station to centers of business activity on the opposite side of Manhattan from their points of origin. This efficiency, denominated "through-running," is the modern standard for commuter rail and is used or being implemented in most of our peer cities. These efficiencies allow for fewer tracks and wider platforms at Penn Station and will still be able to meet all capacity need increases brought on by the new Hudson River Gateway Tunnels.
This panel discussion will concentrate on ReThinkNYC's proposal to convert commuter rail at Penn Station, now used by its main tenants as a terminal facility, to a state-of-the-art operating model for commuter railroading - through-running.
At track level, modernizing and streamlining operations at Penn Station to a through-running operating model--in the way most international cities do--would allow for a reduced number of tracks and, correspondingly, wider platforms. This will allow for the addition of new staircases and escalators, which will greatly increase vertical circulation and will serve to dramatically improve safety in comparison to today's 1910 station platforms. Addressing the platform issue is obviously long overdue.
Beyond track level, the conversion of Penn Station to through-running would obviate the need to demolish buildings in the neighborhood south of the current Penn Station, including residences, small business locations and landmark-worthy structures. Block 780 between Eighth and Seventh Avenues (pictured above) would be destroyed en toto and substantial incursions would be made east of Seventh Avenue and west of Eighth Avenue (buildings to be demolished marked by a yellow X). ReThinkNYC's plan can add capacity at Penn Station without demolishing any of the cityscape adjacent to the station.
Through-running has been implemented successfully by Philadelphia and Toronto as well as London, Paris, and a host of major world capitals. Los Angeles is planning to follow suit. The through-running operating model is superior to what Amtrak, the MTA, and NJ Transit are proposing.
Through-running would link New Jersey, Long Island, and Westchester seamlessly through Penn Station while originating and terminating in rail hubs on either side of the Hudson and East Rivers. As such, it would address the main weakness of regional mass transit in greater New York - its spotty connectivity.
Beyond the immediate Penn Station neighborhood, a conversion to a through-running operating model will bring similar connectivity to our outlying counties as the subway provides to our outer boroughs. As a result, through-running will provide material benefits to all of the 20 million-plus residents in the region and promote sustainable and equitable growth in a region that drives 10% of our gross national product.
In addition to bolstering economic growth and equity across the region, thanks to enhanced connectivity, through-running looks to cost substantially less than the alternative proposal and eliminates the need to demolish the historic buildings in Penn Station’s immediate vicinity.
ReThinkNYC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to applying innovative thinking to the future of New York City and its greater region. It focuses integrally on transportation infrastructure, land use, governance, and socio-economic issues.
To review this presentation slideshow, with included additional details, click below:
docs.google.co...
For more information on RethinkNYC, please visit: www.rethinknyc...
Information on The New York Landmarks Conservancy can be found at: nylandmarks.org/
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