ReThink Plan Map.jpeg

A map of the ReThink NYC Plan to create a regional unified transit network would create transit hubs outside Manhattan as part of a plan launched Tuesday night. (ReThink Studios)

With Penn Station's failing infrastructure at capacity, a plan to merge the area's train and bus service into one regional system is the cornerstone of an idea floated by a New York design firm as a solution to the region's commuting problems.



Called ReThink NYC Plan 2050, the centerpiece of the idea is a unified commuter rail that connects NJ Transit, Metro North and the Long Island Rail Road lines through a revamped Penn Station.

"To build a network, the rail lines are already there, we just need to connect them to build the ultimate suburban rapid transit," said Lane Rick, an architect and principal at ReThink Studios. "We're using existing trains on existing tracks to bring commuters to the core and through the core."

The plan was launched during a presentation at Cooper Union in New York on Tuesday night.

It builds on Amtrak's Gateway Project, which includes the construction of new Hudson River tunnels, a new Portal bridge over the Hackensack River, two new tracks in New Jersey and a loop for Bergen County trains to access the Northeast Corridor.

It also calls for turning Secaucus Junction into a mega-transportation hub by extending the 7 subway line into New Jersey, and also bringing PATH and light rail to the station, while at the same time building a bus terminal to put those commuters on trains.

Some funding for the plan, estimated to cost $48 billion, would come from scaling back plans to replace the Port Authority Bus Terminal with a smaller structure. It would eliminate plans to build an annex south of Penn Station, which Rick called "a $7 billion to $8 billion mistake."

The main criticism of Penn South annex is the extra tracks would dead end, limiting their usefulness.

"No other city is building a terminal in its core," Rick said.

Instead, all platforms under Penn Station would be extended beneath the Moynihan Station, which will be the new name of the converted Farley postal facility.

Extending the platforms would allow Penn Station's current narrow platforms to be widened for more stairs and escalators to address overcrowding. The plan reduces the number of tracks from 21 to 12 to do this.

That creates capacity for more trains, since unloading and loading times would be shorter, Rick said. More trains would be accommodated by changing the traffic pattern under Penn Station to have westbound trains use one half of the station and eastbound use the other in order to eliminate delays from trains crossing tracks in front of the other.

ReThink's plan also mirrors what's been done in Paris and is currently underway in London to make existing transit and commuter rail systems serve a larger region by eliminating what Rick called "artificial boundaries" between commuter and transit agencies.



Fixing the problems at Penn Station is the "lynchpin" of the plan and the concept would allow "25 percent more" trains there.

New York based ReThink studios was founded by former technology entrepreneur Jim Venturi, who has a background in information technology, planning, and architecture, according to its website. The studio's team consists of an urban planner and civil engineer, several architects and designers.

"I see enough in this idea to warrant it being examined by the Gateway Development Corporation as an alternative to Penn South," said Martin Robins, director emeritus of the Voorhees Transportation Institute at Rutgers. "I can't endorse it, but it has elements that are attractive. I wouldn't dismiss it."



Building Penn Station south is problematic because it requires demolition of one and a half blocks of valuable Manhattan real estate, Robins said.

"Another idea needs to be examined as a back-up in case Penn South fails, this could be that idea," Robins said. "It deserves examination."

However, he questioned the assertion that the ReThink plan could be done without interrupting or diminishing existing train service at Penn Station.

"I don't know if we could blithely accept that assumption," Robins said, citing the potential service impacts of Amtrak's planned track work at Penn Station this summer.

"It's an incredibly visionary proposal, I don't know if the facts of life support it," said Joe Clift, a former Long Island Rail Road planning director and transit advocate.

Among the issues he sees with the plan is that some commuters using Secaucus could have a three-seat ride, from a bus to two subways, depending on their destination, and that a bus terminal there would only be used during rush hours, Clift said.

Adding up the price tags for several transportation projects either underway or in the planning stages could contribute to the ReThink NYC plan, but that leaves $13 billion that isn't funded.

During a discussion of the plan, experts made funding suggestions, ranging from congestion pricing, to charging cars and trucks entering Manhattan from the west and the east. Other ideas included a voter-approved tax dedicated to transit projects, similar to those in done in cities in California.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

