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I am very impressed by how the 100 plus year old system is still running so safe and relatively glitch free compared to age-matched human bodies. BUT, everything has its age limit including the big square earth planet that we are living on for now.
i was unfortunate enough to be sitting in train delays three times in the past week due to signal glitches, which made me wonder about the life limit of the aged and aging subway system in nyc.
apparently its very well built and has served the city extremely well. but can we take for granted that nyc will be bound to this same old syatem forever, regardless how more frequent errors occur and how expensive it is to repair and patch an aged system? would it ever be possible to put in a brand new system to replace it just in case, say that the repair and maintanence is not able to keep up with the demand?
does the city ever disccus about the life limit of its skeleton, the subway system?
this really has to be planned way way ahead to deal with a drop dead situation.
The biggest expense of the subway is digging the tunnel. How can you "wear out" a tunnel? You can always replace tracks, subway cars, signaling equipment etc but its not necessary to replace everything at once. As long as we maintain the subway system it will keep working. I'm sure that over time we'll expand the network even more (like what is happening now with the 2nd ave subway and 7 line extension).
What's scarier....look at the rate they are adding people to this city vs the rate they are increasing capacity of the subway system. How many years does the 2nd ave subway take? And the focus is just more, more, more people. More tourists, bigger buildings, etc. the infrastructure can't handle it.
The better question is when do you decide the incredibly expensive life support we use on the Subway system isn't worth it, and to begin making significant changes for next generation track, stations, and cars.
Ultimately there needs to be major advances in technology, union regulations, and economic development for such a thing to happen.
Many of us have seen days with total system shutdown, or weeks with single lines down.
I'm sure some backup plans are in place- however the city likely couldn't function without the subway so they'll just keep going to higher powers until everyone is out of money.
The better question is when do you decide the incredibly expensive life support we use on the Subway system isn't worth it, and to begin making significant changes for next generation track, stations, and cars.
Ultimately there needs to be major advances in technology, union regulations, and economic development for such a thing to happen.
Many of us have seen days with total system shutdown, or weeks with single lines down.
I'm sure some backup plans are in place- however the city likely couldn't function without the subway so they'll just keep going to higher powers until everyone is out of money.
I meant to ask it this way but you said it much better and clearer...
After I posted this thought yesterday, I had another 30 min extra sitting on the subway yesterday afternoon after work. It did not bother me as much because I was in no hurry and enjoyed a nap while the train snailed through the tunnel. I am surprised how good citizens all new yorkers have become nowadays...not a single complaint seen on this forum...ppl have just learned to live with reality
The biggest expense of the subway is digging the tunnel. How can you "wear out" a tunnel? You can always replace tracks, subway cars, signaling equipment etc but its not necessary to replace everything at once. As long as we maintain the subway system it will keep working. I'm sure that over time we'll expand the network even more (like what is happening now with the 2nd ave subway and 7 line extension).
The subway is indeed updating its signal infrastructure. Currently, the only line with this advanced technology is the L train which has allowed an increase in line capacity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automa...rk_City_Subway
Were the signal glitches in tunnels that were flooded during Hurricane Sandy? The MTA announced that after the tunnels for the R and G lines are repaired, there will be others. I used to take the R and there would be delays very often because of signal problems; shortly thereafter, they announced they were shutting down the tunnel for extensive rehabilitation. I remember seeing photos of the damages and they were eye opening!
i was unfortunate enough to be sitting in train delays three times in the past week due to signal glitches, which made me wonder about the life limit of the aged and aging subway system in nyc.
It's not the same system it was when built. It's continuously maintained and equipment is continuously replaced. The most obvious thing is the cars; the oldest cars in the system are the R32 C-train cars, and they go back only to 1967, and are being replaced now.
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