![]() ![]() Instead of new signals, the MTA should build a monument to the J So much at this point in the journey is new: World Trade Center towers, the rising Domino Sugar complex in Brooklyn. ![]() The eye-popping vista takes in lower Manhattan, Brooklyn and the harbor almost to the sea. The Queens-bound J hits daylight once it leaves Essex Street and reminds you of how vast the Lower East Side is before climbing over the East River on the Williamsburg Bridge. A charming anachronism, it also reveals a “lost” New York - not only because part of its elevated section in Brooklyn was built in 1885 and is believed to be the oldest “el” in the world. The J serves New Yorkers from neighborhoods that are nearly as diverse as those along the fabled “Orient Express” No. Its leisurely pace is actually part of the pleasure. Even a signal upgrade would 1) screw up the line for years and 2) eventually, some day, speed up a train that doesn’t need speeding up. It’s no hipster hangout like the L through Williamsburg.Įven its sole claim to coolness is a myth: Rap impresario Jay-Z didn’t name himself after the line, as is often said, although he did use the Myrtle Avenue station as a kid. 7 Hudson Yards extension or the Second Avenue Q. It has no speedy sections like the stations-skipping A in Manhattan or the D in The Bronx. The J isn’t the worst-performing train - its average “on-time” rate as of 2017 was 64 percent, according to the MTA, on par with many other under-performing lines - but it’s one of the least appreciated. A fatal 1995 J train crash on the Williamsburg Bridge prompted the MTA to reduce top speeds on all lines and to tinker with signals in a way that slowed up the works for good. The diss seems like punishment for the fact the J was largely responsible for today’s subway sluggishness. The agency said it must “prioritize” - and the 190,000 daily riders of the J and its express cousin, the Z, are the fewest of any major line in the system. As The Post reported recently, the MTA has left the J out of a proposed $37 billion signal upgrade. It rubs shoulders with the “real” New York over more miles than any of its more honored rivals.Īnd yet, it gets no respect. ![]() But the mostly elevated, century-old right-of-way affords unrivaled views and reaches under-appreciated but compelling destinations. It might sound nuts to New Yorkers who ride the J train more out of necessity than for fun, as I do. The city’s least-loved subway line happens to be my favorite. NYC is a city in crisis - but the crisis isn’t uniformly distributed Hail Cesar! Michelin-starred Chef's Table boss expands empire to Hudson Square Troubles for Wall Street office tower worsen as foreclosure looms Mayor Adams' anti-scaffolding measure is like tossing spitballs at a tank NYC's new permanent outdoor dining program is out to lunch ![]()
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