The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will focus on unclogging two major subway bottlenecks in Brooklyn in an effort to speed up train service, according to a new report.
The New York City subway system was built over a century ago as three separate networks that were later stitched together. However, the sytem's combined design, or interlockings where multiple lines merge, have sharp curves that force trains to slow down, constrain the ability to turn trains around, and have legacy signals that require large safety buffers between trains, the report said.
The slowdowns are especially felt at the the DeKalb Interlocking on the B,D,N,Q and R lines and at Nostrand Junction on the 2,3,4 and 5 lines. That said, the MTA identified over 70 locations that contribute to bottleneck delays and could be improved.
The MTA said it will try to eliminate delays at the DeKalb interlocking, on the Brooklyn side of the Manhattan Bridge, by incorporating new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signals and upgrades to switches. In addition, targeted signal upgrades at the 36th Street station will help trains operate safely when they're running close together before CBTC installation can occur, the report said.
Meanwhile, the agency plans to add new switches between the the Franklin Avenue and Crown Heights-Utica Avenue stations to streamline 2,3,4, and 5 line service through Nostrand Junction, according to the report.
The MTA is also looking to make improvements at the Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College station on the 2 and 5 lines; Prospect Park station on the B and Q lines; and at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station on the D,N,F and Q lines.
The MTA will work on the improvements through 2029, the report said.
