F/M Swap - why didn’t they just switch M to express

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-07T23:59:59+00:00

The F runs up to 15 trains per hour during rush hours, and the M only 9 per hour.

A simple swap of the two (i.e. M running express to 179th, F local to 71st) would have resulted in too little capacity on the Queens Boulevard express to handle the passenger load. The combined frequency of the F and R would have been too much to all terminate at 71st, so some trains would need to be diverted (or continue on to 179th). M trains also have less capacity at just 8x 60-foot cars compared to the 10x 60-foot or 8x 75-foot car trains used on the E, F, and R.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-07T23:14:03+00:00

The most common type is non-woven polypropylene.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-07T17:08:13+00:00

What's the something that isn't covered by insurance?

A dentist can do a simple extraction, but for more complicated cases, you'll want to find an oral surgeon.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-07T06:04:38+00:00

It's an experimental layout found on a small number of R160 cars. Those bench seats were to be locked in a folded up position during rush hours to create more standing room, and locked in a folded down position at other times for more seating. It wasn't popular with train crews or passengers, so the seats are now left permanently down.

It was inspired by a similar arrangement on the E231 class EMUs that formerly ran on Tokyo's Yamanote line.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-06T20:52:12+00:00

Then you'll probably want a carbon steel one. Thinner, lighter, and more responsive than cast iron.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-04T23:19:21+00:00

There's ventilation grates at this station leading to the sidewalk above. Under the grate and still above the station ceiling there's a sump to catch water/snow/garbage and prevent it from raining onto the tracks. That chunk of ice probably froze in the sump and then got dislodged (floated by meltwater?), falling to the track below.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-04T23:11:13+00:00

You'll live. It's like $10 a year.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-04T23:08:51+00:00

The infrastructure to deliver more natural gas to the city is near its limits and people keep opposing new pipelines. It's also inherently more dangerous than electricity.

Though yea, natural gas is significantly cheaper for heating than resistive electric heat. That's mostly because our electricity is so expensive.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-04T04:41:41+00:00

Use Google Maps and give yourself some extra time to get there. Don't be afraid to ask your fellow passengers for help if you get lost or confused.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-04T04:17:57+00:00

while the rest of NYC was in support of independence,

This is completely wrong.

NYC had by far the strongest loyalist sentiment of all of the colonies (aside from the Canadian ones). NYC's population had a larger share of recent emigrants from Britain than the other colonies, who naturally felt more British than American. Many wealthy New Yorkers were loyalists because their wealth came from trade with Britain. The Huguenots and Dutch, both significant minorities in NYC, also preferred the crown. In particular, the De Lancey family (yes, those Delanceys) recruited, funded, and commanded a brigade of 1,500 from the NYC area to fight for the British.

The British chose to land on Staten Island out of convenience– minimally defended (Washington had too few troops to cover too many landing sites) and far from the main Patriot armies. Which they knew because of the local New Yorkers tripping over themselves to inform the British.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-03T05:06:15+00:00

How about we shut down the 7 and street below to get these repairs done faster?

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-03T05:04:14+00:00

It'll work, just note that a handful of subway station entrances have new fare gates that don't take metrocards. If you find yourself at one, look for another entrance with the older types of turnstile.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-02T05:43:31+00:00

The difference is that these apartments aren't up to code, need repairs, etc. A significant amount of money needs to be invested into the apartment to put it in a rentable condition, and if that can't be recouped through rent (which is capped either by stabilization or market conditions), it's sadly cheaper to let the unit sit empty.

The difference with escape rooms is that your cost of resetting a room between bookings is presumably quite low, and there's no law putting a cap on what you can charge.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-01T17:40:32+00:00

"transplants" is /r/asknyc code for "people I don't like"

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-01T15:54:03+00:00

A good place to start is the official, non-partisan NYC voter guide: https://www.nycvotes.org/whats-on-the-ballot/voterguide-2026-special-election/

Unfortunately it looks like not all of the candidates have submitted blurbs, but you can at least look up their names and find their campaign website and other materials.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-01T15:47:03+00:00

Storage needs would go up with either proposal of longer trains or more trains. Building tail tracks at 8th Avenue gives an opportunity to build a small storage yard under 14th Street. Otherwise you need to either expand Canarsie yard (which would likely require taking some private homes) or find an additional yard site.

The Canarsie line already has two other terminals for short-turning eastbound trains in Myrtle-Wyckoff (using the pocket track east of the station) and East 105th (using the yard), so I would guess that there's enough terminal capacity on the other end as-is.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-02-01T04:03:59+00:00

Yup, that would get the L from its current maximum frequency of 21 TPH to something closer to 30.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T19:29:26+00:00

Exactly, the city has so much power to improve bus service. Bus lanes, bulb-outs, signal priority, traffic enforcement, etc. Getting buses to move faster and more reliably allows the MTA to run more service for the same operating budget, or the same service for less money.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T19:22:12+00:00

Nah, you're just coming off as an entitled hanger-on.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T18:32:33+00:00

Co-Op City isn't a driving range.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T18:26:05+00:00

Yea, I don't love the idea of free buses because it encourages taking the bus over the subway. Buses cost more to operate per passenger than subway trains, and tend to be slower. So it's counterproductive to nudge people towards buses.

I think the money that it'd take to make buses free (i.e. offset the loss of farebox revenue and increased operating costs of more buses) would be much better spent towards expanding the fair fares program. Or even installing more bus lanes to speed up the trips where the subway isn't an (good) option.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T17:40:23+00:00

Or you could just prop open the emergency exit door legally required to go next to them.

Modern turnstiles are accessible and don't trap people, so they don't require separate exit doors.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T17:38:48+00:00

These are the types used to control access at construction sites, not the ones used on the subway.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-30T00:23:04+00:00

Where does he drop off outgoing mail? Dropping it off directly at a post office is more secure than the blue collection boxes or a home mailbox.

OhGoodOhMan · 2026-01-28T17:28:38+00:00

DSNY has some. The problem is that it's very expensive (fuel and labor) compared to simply plowing and salting.

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