New Staten Island Ferry Boat

> A five mile-long bridge that bisects the Upper Bay is kind of problematic.

Yes, but a subway tunnel underneath it certainly isn't, considering
the tunnelling technology available today. I don't know why there
isn't one yet.

salvatore giordano wrote:
>
> > A five mile-long bridge that bisects the Upper Bay is kind of problematic.
>
> Yes, but a subway tunnel underneath it certainly isn't, considering
> the tunnelling technology available today. I don't know why there
> isn't one yet.

My wild idea: Train floats(ferries) between St. George and the Battery
(WTC transit hub). (I assume that the SIRT is compatible with division
B (IND/BMT)). SIRT train with passengers pulls into special double 4
car-length car floats (requires t/o to separate and then reconnect cars
at the Battery.) Car float travels to Battery, train gets reconnected
and continues on E-line or BMT at Whitehall. Car float then receives
train bound for Staten Island. Probably would only need at most 3 car
floats, probably would only have to run two during rush hour.
Advantages: Faster than the ferry (assuming same speed, but loading
time is greatly reduced on the car floats)
Disadvantage: (Big one) No easy way to collect the $2, unless SIRT
becomes $2 on the entire length (will never happen), and 600 VDC source
needed on car float to power trains entering and leaving. Lashing up to
a diesel is too time consuming.

As I stated (A Wild idea!!!)
--

How about a simpler idea. Have Staten Island trains pull into a station at the
ferry terminal and have passengers walk off the train and onto the ferry boat.
On the Manhattan, now here's the really wild part, have the passengers WALK off
of the ferry and on to subway trains on the Manhattan side. Then, (this is the
really fun part) those riders can take any subway in Manhattan to their
destinations using a plastic fare card. Now if only the ferry part of this
triangle were to run 24/7 at no more than every 20-30 minutes --- then the
riders would have very short commuting times. However the powers that be will
never go for such a solution.

So how do Staten Islanders get to Manhattan or Brooklyn anyway?

Mike

On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 03:10:59 GMT, Jerry Abrams
<jabrams4@> wrote :

>salvatore giordano wrote:
>>
>> > A five mile-long bridge that bisects the Upper Bay is kind of problematic.
>>
>> Yes, but a subway tunnel underneath it certainly isn't, considering
>> the tunnelling technology available today. I don't know why there
>> isn't one yet.
>
>My wild idea: Train floats(ferries) between St. George and the Battery
>(WTC transit hub).

As you mentioned in the part I snipped....loading/unloading time would
be HORRENDOUS.

Ever see how long it used to take the railroad carfloats to be lined
up, lashed to the dock, rails aligned, etc.???

Minimum of 20 minutes.....at each end. And then you have to CREEP the
trains on and off the carfloat itself.

I think the best idea is to just deal with the ferry....