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Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park infographics: what's built/what's coming/what's missing, who's responsible, + project FAQ/timeline (pinned post)

NYCT contradicts ESDC, saying subways are too crowded

Today's New York Times reports, in an article headlined Some Subways Found Packed Past Capacity, that crowding on the subways, "especially the heavily used numbered lines," leaves little or no room to accommodate riders, according to the president of New York City Transit, Howard H. Roberts.

(Graphic from the Times--note that the 2/3/4/5 trains would serve the Atlantic Yards project.)

Contrast that with the sunny predictions of the Empire State Development Corporation in its Atlantic Yards environmental review, predictions that were criticized again and again by transportation analysts Brian Ketcham and Carolyn Konheim.

From the Atlantic Yards Final Environmental Impact Statement (Response 13-2): The DEIS includes a detailed subway line haul analysis based on 2005 NYCT passenger counts that show that all subway routes serving the project site would continue to operate below capacity in the peak direction in the AM and PM peak hours at their maximum load points in both the 2010 and the 2016 future with the proposed project. As described in detail in the EIS, the proposed project would also include a major new on-site entrance and internal circulation improvements at the Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station complex to accommodate new demand from the proposed project. As also discussed in the EIS, during the weekday 10-11 PM and Saturday 4-5 PM post-game periods, when surges of subway trips generated by an event at the arena would be arriving on the subway platforms, the potential may exist for crowding on the platforms at the Atlantic Avenue/Pacific Street subway station complex under certain post-game conditions. Such crowding, if it were to occur, would constitute a significant adverse impact, which would be addressed by providing additional subway service (i.e., more trains) during post-game periods.

Emphases added. Apparently the statistics were a little bit out of date.

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