Hypothetical NYC Subway Line: Cross 125th ↔ Flushing

New York is finally getting progress on its long-sought Second Avenue Subway line. Hoping to relieve congestion on the East Side, the line is scheduled to begin operating in late 2016. It's hard to imagine any capital projects of its magnitude being implemented anytime soon. But that put offside, if there is one hypothetical line to the Subway system that could be built, it would make the most sense to construct a Cross 125th Street line through Manhattan, extending via Triboro (RFK) Bridge into LaGuardia Airport and Main Street in Flushing.

The hypothetical line would have the following stations, listed from its western terminus. Under this plan, only 1 new station (LaGuardia Airport) would need to be constructed.

• 125th & Broadway: currently 1 train, nearby Columbia University (including the future Manhattanville) campuses
• 125th & St. Nicholas Ave: currently A, B, C, D trains
• 125th & Lenox Ave: currently 2, 3 trains
• 125th & Lexington Ave: currently 4, 5, 6 trains, nearby Metro North connection
• Astoria Blvd: currently N, Q trains
• LaGuardia Airport
• Main Street, Flushing: currently 7 train, nearby LIRR connection

Residents of Upper Manhattan will feel the benefit the most. Crosstown travel is burdensome for all Manhattan residents, and there exists no crosstown rail lines north of 42nd Street. Crosstown buses, including M60 going through 125th Street onto LaGuardia, faces severe congestion and stopping. The location of 125th Street is fitting, as it is about halfway between 42nd Street and upper boundary of Manhattan. Furthermore, as it is not one-way streets, it's difficult to implement Select Bus Service lines, which have been introduced on First and Second Avenues to speed up M15 service.

The line would also relieve commuters from two major Metro North stations within the city boundaries: Grand Central and Marble Hill. Grand Central would continue to serve commuters heading to Midtown or Downtown, but the 125th-Harlem station would be able to efficiently serve commuters heading especially to the West Side of the city. Many West Side workers currently get off at Marble Hill, transfer onto the 1 line at 225th Street, and make the long journey on the local 1 line. Instead, this line would allow them to stay in Metro North until 125th and quickly transfer to lines on the West Side, greatly helping those heading into Harlem, areas like Morningside Heights or Upper West Side.

The continuation of the line into Queens serves to enhance the current services of M60, which takes variable amount of time to move from Morningside Heights to LaGuardia, one of the largest airports in the nation without rail connection on the ground. The extension into Flushing provides another outlet into Manhattan, especially Upper Manhattan, from the Main Street station, which currently is the busiest station in the system outside of Manhattan. The extension to LaGuardia has been proposed recently, but rejected when residents of Astoria expressed their disapproval. Also on practicality note, it would be a massive capital project just to construct rail lines on the Triboro (RFK) Bridge.

While this line is purely hypothetical, it does offer insight into where the current system could be most improved. Currently it is most difficult to travel crosstown, especially in Uptown areas.125th Street, with its Metro North station on Park Avenue, would have the best argument to house a new line, if it were possible. The extension of that line would also help move people easily to and from two of busiest locations in Queens.

Sources:

• http://www.mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/index.htm
• http://www.qgazette.com/news/2003-07-16/Front_Page/002.html
• http://mta.info/mta/news/releases/?agency=mnr&en=080131-MNR7