OPINION: Subway, rail extensions shortchange outer boroughs
Anyone who rides the subways today and sees the advertisements and public service announcements inside the train cars knows about the MTA’s biggest current projects. These include the extension of the Number 7 train to the Javits Center, the East Side Access project for the Long Island Rail Road, the (abbreviated) Second Avenue Subway on the Upper East Side and the Fulton Transit Center in Lower Manhattan.
The No. 7 train will serve the new development project on the Far West Side as well as the Javits Center. The Fulton Transit Center will make it easier to transfer from one line to another in Lower Manhattan. The Second Avenue Subway will primarily help residents of the Upper East Side, and the East Side Access project will mainly help Long Island residents who work in Midtown or near Grand Central.
Missing, however, are projects that will directly help residents of Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens.
True, in the case of Brooklyn, there have been some MTA projects within the past 10 years that have resulted in definite improvements. The new Coney Island terminal is a definite improvement over the old, rundown structure. The revamped Atlantic Avenue complex significantly reduces crowding by allowing passengers more space to walk as they transfer from one line to another. And the new transfer at Jay Street-MetroTech allows more possibilities for transit riders. Turning to the Bronx, we see a new MetroNorth station at Yankee Stadium.