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Reviving an old idea to fix new problems

by Benjamin Kabak

With train delays reaching record highs — more on that in a bit — the MTA is turning to an old idea to combat sluggish service. According to Marlene Naanes, the transit authority may resurrect skip-stop service to improve train speeds and ease overcrowding. The MTA started skip-stop service in 1989 when residents in areas served only by local trains wanted what The Times called “more frequent and faster service.”

But skip-stop service met its demise in 2005 due to increased ridership and greater service demands to the otherwise-skipped stations. To revive this one-time solution to a problem of under-crowding may just exacerbate the problems that brought about its demise three years ago without offering a satisfactory solution to the issues of slow service and overly-crowded trains.

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5 comments

matt July 22, 2008 - 2:21 pm

bring back the 9!

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Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog » Blog Archive » As train delays mount, MTA hunting for a source July 22, 2008 - 4:19 pm

[…] 2nd Ave. Subway History « Reviving an old idea to fix new problems […]

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Alon Levy July 22, 2008 - 7:58 pm

Oh, God, no. This will save maybe two minutes from Riverdale to City College.

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Marc Shepherd July 23, 2008 - 8:11 am

I don’t think they’d bring it back on the 1. They’re looking at it on the lines where they have the biggest problems (2, 4). Mind you, I still don’t see how that would be an improvement, but your ride from Riverdale to City College is probably safe.

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thedailycommuter July 23, 2008 - 5:32 pm

that will only infuriate riders and certainly doesn’t resolve the issue of increased ridership.

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