Subways

 

One of the topics that came up in my recent chat with my niece was the topic of underground transportation.  In London, they have an underground line which was comfortably cool in the summer when it was built over 100 years ago, and now is uncomfortably hot in the winter.  In New York, most of the lines are very warm in the summer, but have some ventilation that keeps them from being dangerously warm.

When I was young, I never had problems with riding the subway.  It was still a new experience to me, and something I took for granted as I got older.  Forty years ago, if I heard a loud bang! while on the train, I'd assume (like other riders) that someone had fired a gun.  Today, New York is a safer city, and the same loud bang is thought to be something not threatening.  Things have changed a lot in the short span of my life.

Recently, New York's governor has proposed plans for an Interborough Express line which would run from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Woodside, Queens on freight trackage owned by the Long Island Railroad.  It is a smart idea, as it will be a relatively inexpensive addition to the New York mass transit network, and will allow for better commutes for people living and working in the outer boroughs.  However, it would be nice to see New York build out the full route of the proposed Triborough Express, which would benefit Brooklyn, Queens, and The Bronx as well.  Hopefully, the shorter route will end up being a "phase 1" to this project.

Recently, NYC's mayor has made a move to turn the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch (See: Legacy and Planned Restoration) into a linear park, similar to the High Line in Manhattan.  Most transit geeks consider this to be a big mistake as provisions were made in the existing IND line build out for connections to this line.  It would be another needed connection that would lessen Southern Queens as being a transit desert.  Hopefully, the NIMBYs will not get their way on this....

As you can see, I think of other things than life as a Transgender Person.  Hopefully, my readers will enjoy my writing on other subjects that interest me....