East Side Access
http://www.mta.info/capconstr/esas/
The transportation infrastructure in New York City is a major driving force behind the city’s successful operation. Whether it is the roads, rails, water or air, all of these modes keep people moving and the city alive. The focus of my blog will be on the rails of New York City, more specifically, the East Side Access project that is currently underway in New York City. This major capital project entails tunneling from Queens, New York, under the East River and ending up below Grand Central Station. The goal of this plan is to connect the Long Island Railroad’s Main and Port Washington stations to a Manhattan Station that will be below the existing Grand Central Station.
This project relates to Networks in the sense that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is adding a new path to an existing network in the hopes of increasing efficiency and decreasing total travel time for the commuters. The project, upon completion, is projected to decrease the use of Penn Station and increase the LIRR Manhattan station by 41%, which translates to about 160,000 customers per day traveling through the LIRR Manhattan station.
But, as we have seen in class, a new route does not guarantee that the traveler’s travel time will decrease. However, the LIRR Manhattan station will most definitely increase efficiency and decrease travel time for commuters. Most LIRR riders commuting to Manhattan arrive at Penn Station. This makes it harder for commuters to go uptown on the East Side of Manhattan without transferring at least two times on the subway. The Manhattan Station will provide instant access to subway lines on the East Side, drastically reducing commuters travel time. The station will also allow much easier access to JFK Airport from the East Side of Manhattan, further reducing travel time.
In conclusion, the East Side Access project is a good addition to the transportation infrastructure of New York City. It creates more efficient pathways to major hubs of transportation by shortening travel time while increasing comfort along the way. Once this addition is completed in 2012, the people of New York will have a much easier time commuting.