The G train can't win, it seems. It has a reputation for being slower, shorter, and less reliable than many of the subway system's other trains (and only one of those is actually true!); plus, for many commuters, the fact that it only connects Brooklyn and Queens is a mark against it. The latter problem is one that blogger vanshnookenraggen tackles in his latest Future NYC Subway post, which envisions a G train that actually runs into Manhattan along two new "loops": one through Midtown, and one through Lower Manhattan.

In the post, vanshnookenraggen proposes two new paths for the G train that would take it into Manhattan. One (↑) would run along the G's current route in Brooklyn past Hoyt-Schermerhorn street, then into Manhattan along the same tunnel used by the N and R trains. It would then loop around the Lower East Side along the same tracks used by the J and Z trains, and back into Brooklyn using a proposed new East River tunnel that would run beneath the Williamsburg Bridge.

The second loop (↑) would connect the G to Midtown through its current northern terminus at Court Square in Long Island City. The proposal includes creating a new track connection in Queens that would take the train across the tunnels currently used by the E and M trains; then, the new Manhattan-bound G would run along the A/C/E line and hook into the downtown loop via a newly expanded Houston Street subway station.

It's a slightly convoluted proposal—read it for the full breakdown—and one that's almost surely never gonna happen: Considering the MTA can barely afford to keep its stations in a state of good repair, it's unlikely that they'd want to spend the big bucks required for a project of this scale. Still, it's fun to consider what could be—particularly since there are several tunnels and abandoned stations that vanshnookenraggen has incorporated into these plans. But also: Do we need an expanded G train? It would help alleviate congestion, but can't the G just be its quirky little self? Tell us what you think!

· The futureNYCSubway: Manhattan-bound G Train [vanshnookenraggen]

· Cool Map Thing Archives [Curbed]