Proposed ‘Triboro Rx’ Subway Line Would Better Connect the Outer Boroughs

The problem with moving to many affordable neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx is the lack of transportation options, but a new report from the Regional Plan Association calls for a Triboro RX subway line, which would weave together existing subway stops in far-reaching spots, as well as provide additional locations. And forget toll hikes to fund the line; it would run mostly above ground on existing freight train tracks, making implementation easy and cost effective.

The Regional Plan Association first proposed the idea in the mid 1990s, and City Comptroller Scott Stringer advocated for it when he was Manhattan borough president. The 24-mile route, which has been dubbed the X line, would run from Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, to Jackson Heights in Queens, to Co-Op City in the Bronx, serving more than 100,000 commuters on a given weekday. It would intersect with the 6, N, Q, 7, E, R, F, M, L, 2, 3, and 5 trains, providing much-needed connectivity for the now-Manhattan-centric subway system. According to the RPA, “less than half of the 3.4 million trips made within and between the boroughs are made on transit. In contrast, almost nine in every 10 trips for work made to and from the boroughs to the Manhattan business district are on transit.”

What do you think?

Images: wwward0 via photopin (L); paulmmay via photopin (R)

[Via Brownstoner via Capital NY]