Allan wrote:Hamilton Express wrote:The MTA should have kept the old El. It could have been an alternative for the (J) & (Z) trains in case when Jamaica Center is jam packed full of trains.
A nice idea but way too expensive to maintain for something that would get very little usage.
[Note: In case someone wants to bring up the old South Ferry station in a similar situation, keep in mind that the loop tracks were in constant usage even when the station was not. The MTA had to do some renovation to reopen the old station to passenger service when Sandy deluged the newer station.]
Rapid Transit can bring people to businesses. Elevated rapid transit brings the business's advertising to the rider. Thus you find businesses all along an elevated line, but clustered around subway stations. The people along Jamaica Ave. learned the hard way. Els are good for business, subways several blocks away are not.
Another example:
Along Washington Street in Boston vs the Southwest Corridor
On Washington Street there are clusters of businesses at every old station location, and many scattered between.
Along the Southwest Corridor we have:
Back Bay: Back entrance to an upscale mall (Copley Place)
Massachusetts Ave: Nothing
Ruggles: Nothing
Roxbury Crossing: A few stores at Parker St. which predated the rapid transit. (1 block away)
Jackson Square: A few stores on Centre St. which predated the rapid transit.
Stoney Brook: Nothing
Green: Walk up to the old station location about a block.
I got to ride to 168th St. before the line was cut back, and have taken many rides on the 7. I repeat: Els are good for business.
Gerry. STM/BSRA
The next stop is Washington. Change for Forest Hills Trains on the Winter St. Platform, and Everett Trains on the Summer St. Platform. This is an Ashmont train, change for Braintree at Columbia.