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Description & Purpose
This is a high-speed shuttle to connect two large, independent train stations that serve different parts of the New York City region (Penn Station serving New Jersey and Long Island and Grand Central Terminal serving Connecticut and the northern suburbs) and to connect the two large and growing business hubs surrounding each station. It replaces a 5-15 minute cab ride or a 10-15 minute subway trip with a reliable 60 second ride. The shuttle would serve railroad commuters to Manhattan, business travelers, and tourists.
It would improve the East Side Access project and it would achieve the central objective of the proposed $1.5 billion Penn Station Access project (“Reduce travel times between Manhattan’s west side and the eastern Bronx, Westchester County, and southern Connecticut” [a]), but on a wider scale. It would give east side access for New Jersey Transit and Amtrak customers, not just Long Island Railroad customers, and it would give west side access for Hudson and Harlem line customers, not just New Haven Line customers. Its capacity would support more development at Hudson Yards and provide an alternative to the 7 Train.
Specifications
3,400 foot (approx. 1km) single tube, bi-directional tunnel
60 second travel time plus 60 second average wait time -- half the average elevator journey in New York City [b]
Top speed would be approximately 90 miles per hour
Notes
a https://pennstationaccess.info/s/01_PSA-EA_Purpose-and-Need.pdf
b 118 seconds is reportedly the average duration of an elevator ride in New York City (https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-you-need-a-better-elevator).
c The high speed design enables a single tunnel to provide ample capacity, given the short distance. The construction cost estimate is based on recent New York City subway projects, which are the most expensive in the world (https://tunnelingonline.com/why-tunnels-in-the-us-cost-much-more-than-anywhere-else-in-the-world/).
Actual costs, however, are expected to be lower under substeading due to faster approval, lower acquisition costs, no “M.T.A. Factor” costs (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/nyregion/new-york-subway-construction-costs.html), a profit-driven design, and other factors discussed elsewhere in this paper.
d The shuttle fares reflect the value of the travel time savings and its greater reliability compared with the existing alternatives. Fares would vary by time of day--lower during the off-peak (when it provides less time savings) and higher during the peak (when it provides the greatest time savings). In a highly urbanized area, such as New York City, typical values of travel time savings for commuters range from $20 to $50 per hour (https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0361198119839344, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2004.11.001, https://doi.org/10.3141/1985-27). For comparison, cab fare for this journey typically ranges from $10 to $30 (and higher with tip).
e Operating expenses derived from actual expenses of the JFK AirTrain.