I feel like I have been reading this same article for 10 years. The double decker trains will not fit through the tunnel. The article fails to mention the reason they don't fit is because the tunnel was built in the 70s to accommodate the F subway train and the LIRR.

The only problem I have is the double decker trains are 3x as comfortable to ride in as the standard cars. No dreaded middle seat. The seats are wider so you are not always touching the person next to you. The suspension is generelly better so the ride is smoother. The seats are taller so there is more head support. Some people do not like the swaying cause the cars are tall but I never really noticed.

Ahh more waste of money by the MTA now they will have to order cars that fit which means more fare and toll increases for everyone else

>The tunnel used by trains going to Grand Central Madison was completed in the early 1970s, but it's too small for the LIRR’s diesel trains. The tube runs between Long Island City and East 63rd Street, carrying subway trains on its upper level and LIRR trains on the lower level.

I thought only the diesel electric hybrids that take power from the 3rd rail can only go in the east river tunnel? Which I think the lirr has less than 10 engines that do that? The rest are pure diesel.

Weird article we knew this about the north tunnel already. Since the beginning of construction .

Yea. It’s almost like they realized they don’t need a unified fleet and this is perfectly fine. They plan to use the double deckers on some lines where they are useful.

Meanwhile the subway has incompatible platforms for its entire existence and the system has cars that can’t run on other lines too… but Gothamist won’t be critiquing that too loudly.

It’s just a piece to complain that MTA dollars were used for LIRR rather than the subway.

Sounds about right

Typical government 🙃

ok, so send those to penn and there are plenty still to cover the gcm schedule

people looking for something to bitch about just so they can bitch about something

so the comfy nice trains only go to penn station? and the shitty ones go to grand central?

But they paid consultants $900m to find that they could save on concrete costs by building smaller tunnels. It was a worthwhile investment of $2.8 billion, the consultants said.

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Gotta love the ol mta

Imagine they find out that the lettered line subway cars do not fit in tunnels and stations for numbered lines

So? More than 60% of trains aren't going to GCM. More than 70% probably shouldn't be. As far as I know, that leaves a safe margin of 40% for extra repairs, issues with the cars, etc. If the fleet was that bad to begin with, then that's the issue, not the GCM tunnel. People are just using the outrage about misallocation to GCM to surface other debates.

This is not the issue. It's common to deal with loading gauge mismatches when you have multiple models on multiple lines. The A and B subway divisions aren't fully compatible. Countries across the world deal with this, even the ones who do it right.

I've noticed the swaying on NJT's double deckers, but you can always sit on the lower level.

Stupid article

Yea, this was known when the underwater part of the tunnel was built in the 1970s. The double decker cars don't fit, but it doesn't matter because they're either used for service to Penn or as shuttles on the non-electrified branches. Most of the fleet is single-level electrics, which can go to any of the LIRR's terminals in NYC.

I wish they could just lift GCT higher into the sky to get more light in and build more infrastructure below.

“More than 20%” and “nearly a quarter” are both used here as to amplify the amount. Just weak writing that obviously wants to bitch about this instead of being happy about anything.

What is the equivalent of those overheight sticks and cans for railways?

This was a known issue since before the tunnel was built, those trains were never going to be designated for the tunnel. It's not a gigantic screwup.

That’s right. Not a big deal.

And the double deckers are also cool as fuck to ride. It makes me feel like I'm having a classic train experience with the bell ringing as it's rolling into the station. The [sweet] smell of diesel wafting up. The split levels. It's my favorite. I used to leave work at a specific time just to make sure I get the speonk diesel trains.

This comment is worth $50,000,000 of the MTA consulting budget.

that's what she said

Hey, what can you expect from a project that was billions over budget and delayed more than a decade? They can’t get the schedules right, you think they planned for all trauma to go to Grand Central? That would have required 6 more years and $10 billion more.

Lmao. Dunno why I find this funny. I cant be too upset though, however, because am I really going to complain about potentially using a service that provides more space to passengers? I think not lol.

It’s paid in metro cards

Don’t forget the OT.

I guess they never heard that saying 'measure twice, cut once'.

but they smell so weird- almost like the restroom on an airplane

[Officials at the MTA were aware the train fleet could cause problems for the new service as far back as 2016, according to records from the Federal Transit Administration.]

This checks out. Management doing its best work by ignoring the basic problem! Onward!!!

Oh No!!! 20 whole percent? Too bad we don't have 80% of our fleet to rely on.

Hello people, trains get old, no longer meet spec. when new tracks/tunnels are deployed. The entire world works the exact same way, but way to stoke false outrage over nothing. Good job Gothamist.

If you have ever done business w the city or state …this is how they do it.

OMG WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO????? It’s not like the trains that can’t fit even go to Penn station anyway outside of a few during peak times. Just a huge nothingburger

Only a few go to Penn the vast majority end at Jamaica

Lolol

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What should be even more surprising that they are still using Diesel trains in this day and age.