The media flap U.S. Senator Charles Schumer set off last week when he appeared to oppose federal funding for upgrades to the South Ferry and Rector Street subway stations seemed on the surface to be much ado over very little.  By week’s end, Schumer said he had been merely trying to draw a distinction between two sources of federal rebuilding aid. Mid-week news reports had contained criticism of Schumer action from the Straphangers Campaign, MTA Chairman Peter Kalikow, Rep. Vito Fossella and a dig from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, all of whom support near-term upgrades for the stations.

However, the dispute suggests the fight to include some form of commuter rail to lower Manhattan in immediate rebuilding activities is alive and well. Schumer’s letter to the Federal Emergency Management Administration complained that the South Ferry and Rector St. subway projects would divert funds for a downtown hub with a Long Island Railroad link. 

But where the subway renovations are fairly straightforward projects, a new LIRR right of way to downtown would be a far more complex matter.  It would require either new tunnels or appopriation of city subway tracks.

The cost of new rail tunnels would go far beyond authorized federal disaster relief or supplemental transportation funding, and require years of study, planning and engineering. 

It is clear that taking over subway tunnel capacity would invite strident opposition from transit riders and advocacy groups, and from officials like the Manhattan and Brooklyn Borough Presidents. The MTA also opposes such a move. (MTR #369).

Improvements to South Ferry and Rector St. stations would benefit nearly a million commuters who use Staten Island ferries and the 1/9, 2, 3 and N/R subway lines. They would directly benefit Long Island Railroad passengers who use these lines to reach downtown.

The outdated South Ferry station currently accommodates only five of the 1/9 train’s ten cars.  Awkward turns coupled with the shortened platform cause delays and limit service frequency for passengers on the West Side IRT. The “Rector connector” project would provide a quick transfer for riders between the 1/9 and N/R trains, providing better transit service and access near the World Trade Center site.

Transit Priorities All Over the NYC Map (Sept. 30, 2002)

Kalikow Says Subway Seizure for Downtown LIRR Won't Work (June 10, 2002)

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