This is discussed in the report...
Yeah. If there's one (of two) cities in the USA that needs a unified S-Bahn network for operational reasons, it would be NYC. Getting everyone to agree to it is a different matter.
Building 7 to Secaucus and building a station in the Sunnyside area (or revamping Hunters Point Avenue station, that has terminating platforms for LIRR trains may be a more effective and less expensive ways of reducing pressure of Penn Station. The side benefit is dispersal of point of arrival into the Metropolitan Region thus reducing pressure on Subways around Penn Station, something that is also possibly achieved by running through, but less so than improving connectivity into the Core from peripheral stations using Subways
How would a Sunnyside station help?Building 7 to Secaucus and building a station in the Sunnyside area (or revamping Hunters Point Avenue station, that has terminating platforms for LIRR trains may be a more effective and less expensive ways of reducing pressure of Penn Station. The side benefit is dispersal of point of arrival into the Metropolitan Region thus reducing pressure on Subways around Penn Station, something that is also possibly achieved by running through, but less so than improving connectivity into the Core from peripheral stations using Subways
This could also make it easier then to run through just a subset of trains without costing another arm and leg for building more new infrastructure. But of course, new multi-system rolling stock will still be needed as the currently available rolling stock won;t make it across the Hudson Ocean from the NY side
There are many ways to skin a cat. But most of the proposal that involve cooperation between MTA and NJT will most probably not happen without restructuring the organizations and changing their primary goals significantly.
In any case I would be very surprised if even an agreement on doing any run through happens before 2050, let alone implementation, and finding the funding for it.
Terminate a bunch of LIRR trains there decongesting NYP. This is over and above the trains that get diverted to Grand Central Madison.
Hunters Point Ave is next to the 7 station of the same name. The location of the proposed Sunnyside station is under the 7 line with a planned transfer station.
Telling commuters that they'll need to transfer from their comfy LIRR seats to an overcrowded 7 train? They'll hear the screams all the way in Hoboken.
I think Hunterspoint should be revived as a terminal. Just like not all NJT trains need to go to Penn Station, not all LIRR trains need to go into Manhattan. There are ways to decongest Penn Station without spending gadzillion dollars. If gadzillion dollars must be spent it should be to disperse points of arrival, not concentrate them. Since most arrivals in Penn Station use the Subway or Bus any way, there is no reason for anyone to complain about having to use Subway or Bus after arriving in Jamaica, Hunterspoint or Atlantic Terminal. That is how most last miles are done in the NY Mteropolitan area, unless one opts for cabs and Uber/Lyft.
What problem does that solve? "Hey you've dealing with the joke of Penn Station since the beginning of time (it was never great). It's getting kind of full. How about we make it all worse?"
No reason to complain? How about that LIRR peak service from Jamaica to NYP is scheduled to take 19 minutes, while the E train is scheduled at around 40 minutes? And that 40 minutes will be in a noisy subway car with limited hard seating, rather than a comfy M9 seat with electrical outlets ?
Don't underestimate "Cadillac commuting," as the experience of Brightline's success with Miami - West Pam Beach shows. Also, I myself often used to commute on Amtrak between Baltimore and Washington. despite having perfectly good MARC service.
The only people who "want to go to Penn Station" are those catching another train there or going to an event at Madison Square Garden. Anyone else is actually going somewhere else in NYC. Perhaps the key is to figure out where people's endpoints are and have stations that serve those locations better either directly or via subway connections.
This is exactly the principle that I have been trying to articulate, but you said it better than I.
I don't think that's a fair statement. NYP is less than half a mile from the Empire State Building, which is over 90% occupied. It's about 3/4 mi. from Hudson Yards. While this study seems to show that the densest Midtown office area is slightly north of NYP, much of it is within a 1 mile walk, and the rest is mostly one or two subway stops away.
