Is he like the anti-Moses ( http://www.trincoll.edu/~jtarzi/Robert%20Moses.jpg) or something in this photo? The guys looks like he means business.

“An express F ran between Jay Street-Borough Hall and Kings Highway during rush hours through the 1970s, when it was discontinued for track repair work.”

So they closed it in 1970 to repair it and it’s still not ready? We’re going to be paying for all the neglect of city infrastructure trough the 70s and 80s for many years to come.

Good point, Sam. Hm, hm. On some of the blogs people are discussing whether or not to rehabe the express tracks under Court Street or to have all the F/V trains run local through Bergen and Carroll. If the F/V trains run local, then the MTA could rehab the lower-level platforms at Bergen Street and have the G terminate there.

Existing track layout up and down the line limits NYCT’s options, as well as insufficient rolling stock (cars). The best option, one that really would reprise a 1970s service pattern and would require no track changes, would be for the G to run local to Church Avenue, V to run local to Kings Highway, F to run express Jay Street to Kings Highway (intermediate stops at 7th Avenue, Church Avenue, 18th Avenue) and local Kings Highway – Coney Island.

First, a correction to my last post. NYCT would have to restore crossovers south of Kings Highway station to enable the service pattern I described.

Answering Frank Smith’s question, there are 3 mainline tracks south of Church Avenue, plus “tail” tracks beneath and south of Church Avenue station for storage and turn-backs. The service pattern I described would enable F express service in peak direction only, i.e. toward Manhattan in the morning rush and toward Coney Island in the evening rush. The #5, #6 and #7 lines have exactly such peak-direction express service on 3-track lines.

Also keep in mind there is only a 2 track tunnel from Manhattan to Brooklyn – running V trains through there means fewer Fs. The G will be a real problem since it can’t turn at 4 Ave – the time to move switches and reverse direction is too long. One other option is to extend the G to Church with the F express – but the people who would have to transfer to get to manhattan would scream.

Any time you start having to move switches to merger or diverge service you loose a lot of capacity. That’s probably the main reason the F express in Brooklyn died.

Great Comments folks!

Here is the history of express service on the Culver line as I remeber and also read. Although there were express tracks built on what was then called the Smith Street IND they were not utilized for express service until the completion of the Christy Street connector in 1967. Not sure if they ever used the middle track on the old Culver line. From 1967 until about 1974 there was Rush Hour express service but was not well received by passangers then and it had a lot of complaints (because of reduced GG train service, remember the double lettered locals?!) and people did not like the extra flight of stairs at Bergen Street. After the fiscal crises in the ’70s the TA ruled that this was one of the first service cut-backs with an intent to restore when they acquired the rolling stock to do it. In the early 80’s there was a fire at the Bergen Street interlock, knocking out switch capability between local and express tracks, which has yet to be repaired. The MTA considerers this repair work low priority compared with all its immediate needs and is waiting for capital funding to fix it, (this is also way F trains crawl between Jay and Bergen Street). In order to restore F train express service there would need to be total interlock rehabilitation at the Bergan Interlock and more rolling stock purchased to handle both local and express service.