I hate to hijack this thread, but since it's gone all political, perhaps it's all for the best.
I had no idea what the Penn South project was, and after researching it, I can't say I'm very impressed. But I also stumbled on something called the Hudson Terminal plan proposed by a group called
RealTransit, and I have to say their arguments are very convincing, and I wanted to hear what this forum's opinions are.
Basically, the project proposes extending the NJT tracks from Hoboken Terminal under the Hudson River in a new 4-track tunnel to a new 'Hudson Terminal', which will be built on reclaimed land on the riverbank.
I can't seem to get their pictures to post directly in this thread, but the diagrams they use are very professional. I highly recommend you follow the link and click through all four posts they've made about their plan.
Some highlights:
- Construction of the new tunnel - using prefabricated segments floated into place before being sunk into a dredged trench - will be cheaper than boring new tunnels next to the existing ones. It will also cause less disruption to existing rail services.
- The NJT rail network is already configured to favor Hoboken Terminal. But because passengers prefer a one-seat ride (as the should!), a lot of trains divert into Penn Station instead.
- Long Island Railroad has spent an enormous amount of time on the east-side-access project, which will link LIRR trains to Grand Central Terminal. By having two terminal locations, capacity has been essentially doubled. The Hudson Terminal project will create a similar situation for NJT.
- By rerouting most NJT trains to the Hudson Terminal, Penn station will have more capacity for Amtrak service, even with just the two tunnels they have now. (Those will need to be repaired, but not replaced.)
- Connections to existing subway lines will be fairly straight forward for the location they propose for the Hudson Terminal.
- Building the Hudson Terminal on reclaimed land will require no demolition of existing private property.
And the list goes on. I think it is a worthy project. Why hasn't this gained more traction?