The Articulated Trains Policy in New York City - Research Paper Example

The articulated trains’ policy in New York Introduction The New York s pre-eminence, historical development, and successful growth tend to be predicated in the transportation. For long, NYC had an old transportation system, which was characterized by features such as congested subways. The main aim of the New York city as far as the transportation system is concerned is making use of the available infrastructure and make navigation in New York easily accessible and efficient. These efforts are essential not just to the 8.3 million residents of New York but also for encouraging and promoting economic growth to stem from 47 million visitors to NYC. The metropolitan transportation authority of New York resolved that enhancement of public transit system so that one can travel throughout NYC seamlessly and easily is the biggest goals in the transportation sector (Carrigy p.1). This triggered the formulation of a policy that whose objective is replacement of the old trains with the articulated trains. Several benefits are attributable to the articulated trains as the document discusses. Discussion New York City is embarking upon a massive re-branding campaign so as to increase the visibility of New York as a tourist destination. This will increase access to transportation system in New York and hence enhance system’s connectivity. This has never been important as it is today partly because of the massive increase of population. It has been noted that NYC is faced with a unique challenge mostly because it already have crowded population and the population is also growing (Middleton 4). However, populations in other major metropolitan cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles have leveled off in the recent time. New York City’s population has not revealed signs of tapering anytime soon. The policy or idea of articulated trains in New York is as old as the year 1924. In the year 1924, the Brookline-Manhattan transit corporation introduced a policy for a triplex. It was a hinged multi-sectioned body. It operated in the lines B, D, N, Q and R for a period of 40 years. The policy represented the height of the transit modernity. The system was effective just in the New York municipality. They are, however, not in operation today. However, the transportation system has the potential of accommodating the technology of articulated trains although rebranding is essential (Wortman 12). The metropolitan transportation authority has, therefore, rolled out a policy of reintroduction of the articulated trains. The policy was communicated in the year 2013. It is expected to be fully manifested by the year 2030. Richard Barone, the transportation programs director noted that New York City has the world’s largest systems that do not function the way they ought to (Carrigy 2). He notes that the available articulated trains available today do not function to allow people the circulation of people. MTA communicated their policy of the roll out of the articulated subways. It is meant for connecting cars with the accordion-like bellows. This implies that there will be no doors between individual cars which will be inexistence. It will hence allow unrestricted flow through the entire subway’s length. It will be one stretchy tube. The articulated trains will allows passengers to theoretically board the subway at the back and be allowed to make their way to the front when they are getting off. The trains will also be provided with spaces for passengers to stand as well as rooms with seats. Similarly, the sardine-packed cars will be less overcrowded. MTA based their confidence since articulated trains have been already adopted in cities such as Paris, Toronto and Berlin (Middleton 7). This implies that the concept is feasible. The policy aims to touch all aspects of the residents of New York City. The daily commuters are the most beneficiaries of this policy. This will come as a result of the improvement of their condition when commuting. It has been recorded that currently the New York commuters are using subway cars which are very congested and noisy resulting from performers who are common figures in current trains. However, the articulated trains will relieve commuter from congestion as well as these performers (Carrigy 4). Similarly, there will be enough space for the commuters to stand as well as sit since the articulated cars will be spacious enough. This benefit will cut across the workers as well as the New York residents. It has also been noted that the articulated trains will improve the goods’ movement through as well as out of the metropolitan region. The quality of an environment will also be catered for. The policy highlights that environmental quality will be improved to assure the goods being transported will be shipped in a pollution free environment. Uniformity in the performance standards, integrity as well as efficiency will be restored with the implementation of the articulated trains (Wortman 15). This will be positive effects to all the parties which will be using this system including the workers, residents to the businesspeople. The main effects that will come along with the full implementation of the articulated trains’ policy are commuting in spacious subway cars and less congested. The articulated trains will be provided with clear and open gangways. This will be beneficial to the commuters since the open gangways will maximize the trains’ carrying capacity. Similarly, the passengers will be getting an opportunity of moving to the train’s less-crowded areas. It will offer a balancing at the train’s doors during the loading and the unloading times. The commuters will also be able to travel to every part of the train be it from the back of the train to the front. The policy also implies that the railway lines will be improved and expanded to the entire part of New York. It will also link New York with its neighboring states (Flegenheimer p.3). The full implementation of the policy will increase the shipments from the current 47 tons to approximately 93 tons. MTA is in the process of purchasing new articulated cars, commuter rail fleets as well as making and renewing subways. The policy indicated that the articulated trains have to incorporate art designs technologies and concepts. This will help the articulated trains or cars to minimize their energy consumption while maximizing the carrying capacity. This will help in maximizing profits while at the same time increasing efficiency in the transportation sector. The articulated trains will also reduce the loading as well as unloading time significantly. The aspect of time wastage will be well catered for with the implementation of articulated trains’ policy. Finally, the tech-savvy generation of the new commuters will be well catered for since their expectations will be met. Irrespective of the above mentioned positive effects which are likely to take place as a result of the implementation of the articulated trains’ policy the policy might create a problem on the safety aspect. Terrorism in the world today has become a major threat to the life of human beings. This implies that all the places occupied by people safety have to be well catered for. The articulated trains resemble accordion-style buses which have no doors between the cars. This gives room for people to have unrestricted flow on the entire length of the train. The unrestricted flow and existence of few doors make the articulated train vulnerable security-wise since emergency exits are few and hence easy to be controlled (Simpson 2). This is one negative effect likely to come along with the policy’s implementation. Currently, the available cars operating in the New York’s line are playing a pivotal role in trade between United States and Canada. In the year 2005, the value of goods which entered USA through Canada via the New York boarder was 63.2 billion USD. The rail and subway cars carried 16.6% only of the USA’s imports as well as 4.7% of the exports. The implementation of the articulated trains’ policy which will take place in the year 2030 will increase freight transportation by 93%. The policy projects that the articulated trains will increase the rail freights by approximately 88%. This implies that New York will be significantly opened to other states as well as America’s neighborhoods (Wortman 19). The policy is meant to be fully implemented in the late 2020s or early 2030. However, rebranding of the subways is ongoing. The policy, however, will greatly help the new Yorkers. The evidence of the potential of this policy can be traced by the bus owned by the metropolitan transportation authority. The MTA’s bus provides a Para-transit service although it does not operate directly. However, it is worth noting that in the year 2006, the bus served 2.24 billion commuters (Simpson 5). It was operating in all the boroughs of New York City and also reached Nassau county and New Jersey. This indicates that the articulated train will enhance quality service delivery and increase the freight capacity through the carrying capacity and efficiency. The implementation of the policy will be a great relieve to the New York commuters, businessmen and the United States at large. New York City acts a point of entry or exit of a lot of product in and out of America to countries such as Canada. Since the policy will tend to expand the entire freight system and increase efficiency, once the policy will be fully implemented, business is likely to improve immediately. Similarly, the imports and exports freight in and out of USA will increase with immediate effect (Middleton 13). I do not think there will be any lag time for the effects to take place once policy is fully implemented. The policy is an effective tool. For one basing on the facts of the areas where articulated trains have already been started operating such as Berlin and Paris, the policy proves feasible. The advantages enjoyed by the commuters in those areas also make the policy worth implementation. I think this is a good policy for New York City as a growing city especially in terms of its population. It requires a transport system that will be able to meet the increasing demand of commuting. This implies that vehicles that will carry more capacity are required as well as efficient vehicles are required if that demand is to be met (Flegenheimer p.4). I hence think and believe the policy is an effective one and its implementation will mark a great transition in New York City. Conclusion The above discussion has revealed that the policy of the articulated train is a policy worth it. It has the potential of greatly transforming the New York City. Although it will take quite long for it to become fully manifested, its manifestation will mark an improved transport system in NYC. The strategy has proved its effectiveness in other parts such as Berlin and hence in NYC it is feasible and liable to become effective. The articulated is an excellent idea and policy and should be well nurtured so that it can come to accomplishment. Its manifestation will for sure transform the NYC’s transport system. Works Cited Carrigy, Michael. Public Transit in New York: The Past and Future of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. New York: Wiley, 2010. Print. Flegenheimer, Matt. A Subway Car with Fewer Doors, but More Ways Out. New York: New York Times, 2013. Print. Middleton, William D. Metropolitan Railways: Rapid Transit in America. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002. Print. Simpson, Willie. MTA Considering Articulated Subway Cars with No Gaps, No Escape. Boston, M. A.: Wadsworth, 2013. Print. Wortman, Marc. Public Transportation: on the Move. New York: Visual Reference Publ, 2005. Print. Read More