Why can't anything ever get done by New York?

[takebackourtemple]

Here is a link to plans for the New Penn Station. Of course whether it ever gets done is a good question. Due to the affirmative action beasts that run the city, all sorts of environmental studies are run for expansion of transportation, but nothing ever gets done or it takes 30 years to accomplish. Just look at the failure with the east side expansion project. Supposedly they restarted work on the 2nd avenue subway line, but I wonder if that will ever amount to anything. The only thing that was accomplished was the JFK airtrain and that is because they can charge a premium for passengers to use.

http://www.1010wins.com/pages/1125194.php?

N.Y. Releases Plans to Expand Penn Station
 
NEW YORK (AP)  -- The Spitzer administration released plans Tuesday for a rebuilt Penn Station with natural light pouring in and a "grand public space" resembling Grand Central Terminal in a new, rezoned business district on Manhattan's far West Side.

The Empire State Development Corp. put out its revised Moynihan Station plan, which would relocate Pennsylvania Station, the Madison Square Garden arena and Manhattan\'s James A. Farley Post Office around new businesses, shops and hotels.

A state board had rejected previous incarnations of the project during former Gov. George Pataki's administration, saying the plan wasn't complete and left too many questions about commercial space and rail service unanswered.

The former Moynihan plan -- named after the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan -- cost $900 million; the 93-page document released Tuesday had no new estimate.

The renovated Penn Station would replace the current "three-level, predominantly subterranean maze" with a glass-topped, "grand public space" with daylight pouring in, the agency said.

The plan would move the Madison Square Garden arena one block west. The Farley Post Office would also be rebuilt, although its historic lobby and exterior across from the current Penn Station would be preserved.

The new plans would create 7.5 million square feet of mixed use development, including a commercial district that would link to a plan to redevelop the Hudson railyards closer to the river.

The development agency said the new station and Madison Square Garden would be built by 2011, and the remaining commercial and mixed-use development would be built by 2018.

The project would need to be approved by the Federal Rail Administration, the Postal Service and several transit agencies. The agency set a Dec. 6 meeting to hear public comment on the project.

[nopeaceforland]

Here is a link to plans for the New Penn Station. Of course whether it ever gets done is a good question. Due to the affirmative action beasts that run the city, all sorts of environmental studies are run for expansion of transportation, but nothing ever gets done or it takes 30 years to accomplish. Just look at the failure with the east side expansion project. Supposedly they restarted work on the 2nd avenue subway line, but I wonder if that will ever amount to anything. The only thing that was accomplished was the JFK airtrain and that is because they can charge a premium for passengers to use.

http://www.1010wins.com/pages/1125194.php?
http://construction.com/NewsCenter/Headlines/RP/20060523ny.asp

Has New York considered hiring educated people that also speak English to run these projects? Those 2 might be pluses in spearheading these issues.

[Vito]

Well in general terms, nothing gets done in NY because of MmmmHmmmm. But what's wrong with Penn Station the way it is? I would just change the trains, not the station. Although a modern looking station is always very appealing.

[takebackourtemple]

How would they even build a new station? Where is there any room to?

   They plan on taking down the post office across the street. They will be extending the tracks. Originally this new station was required for the East side expansion. The current bottleneck right now is in the tunnels and not the station. Still, Penn station is very busy and can benefit from increased capacity since too many people use it. The problem is that everything goes to Penn Station and with the exception of the Acelas, everthing terminates at Penn Station.
   Where extra capacity can be made is by providing alternatives to Penn Station. Amtrak currently has no stations in Queens. If a new station was constructed near the train yard and/or LGA Airport, New Jersey transit could mollify the rush of people at Penn Station since many passengers only pass through Manhattan. Of course this raises issues of interstate funding and finger pointing, however, the airport already is run by the PANYNJ. Woodside would also make a good candidate station since the catenary almost reaches it and the Port Washington track is not as heavily used as the main line.

[HiWarp]

Supposedly they restarted work on the 2nd avenue subway line, but I wonder if that will ever amount to anything.

Oh come on.  They only approved the 2nd Avenue subway line in 1929.  It's only been 78 years.  Everybody wants things done overnight.

[takebackourtemple]

A bottleneck is the slowest point that prevents everything else from getting through.

[MassuhDGoodName]

Perhaps it is because "too many palms have to be greased" before anything can get done.

And these days, unfortunately, there are more palms out than ever before.

And that is in addition to the stifling over-regulation requiring applications such as EPA "harm to the environment studies", etc...

Not to mention that the Federal & State governments have to be satisfied that you have the "correct" ratio of Muslim Nazis, Negroes, La Raza, plus "gay, lesbian, transgendered & transexuals", & G-d only knows what else employed or else they'll shut you down.

[takebackourtemple]

A bottleneck is the slowest point that prevents everything else from getting through.

Is that just in trains or is it in general?

It applies in general.