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lispenard1676 t1_j62nhof wrote

Reply to comment by oreosfly in Grand Central Madison, 15 stories underground, saves LIRR riders little time compared to Penn Station commute by bikeskata

> MNRR did not want to share tracks with LIRR

Grand Central has so much extra capacity because there are no intercity rail services from there rn. This feudalism between the MNRR and the LIRR makes no sense at all.

Is that really why the place is so freakin deep? Bc the MNRR wants the LIRR nowhere near their tracks?

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Nexis4Jersey t1_j6329h2 wrote

Part of the problem was the steep grades , the LIRR tunnel was below the F train which is a triple-decker tube once it reaches Manhattan. So to have it go from 63rd street to 45th Street and that would have been to steep for US spec'd trains. I'm sure with some modifications an International spec'd train could have handled that. But the FRA required these outrageously heavy trains up until 10yrs ago...so long as the line has PTC installed they can use the European designed trains which are also cheaper to buy. Unfortunately you still see many status quo agencies like the MTA or NJT sticking with the old regulations vs agencies down south or out west going with the new regulations.

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grottycrumpet t1_j63agk6 wrote

I thought that MN can’t share tracks because they’re at capacity, they have no tracks to spare. I’ve never heard that GCT has “so much extra capacity”

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justlookbelow t1_j64jx1e wrote

GCT covers Westchester and some of CT, no commercial, no intercity, and has more platforms than any other railroad station in the world.

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Am-I-Cool-Yet t1_j6isjbf wrote

They had a train to Montreal for a while.

But idk if that was temporary due to the Moynihan stuff. Either way, Idt Amtrak services to Canada have resumed since the pandemic.

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justlookbelow t1_j6isnav wrote

From Penn...

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Am-I-Cool-Yet t1_j6isuei wrote

There were trains to Montreal that left out of GCT for a while.

Also - looks like it’s resuming soon. The train to Toronto already resumed, per my Googling.

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D14DFF0B t1_j66bd82 wrote

GCT literally has the most tracks of any train station in the world.

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