George and RRWG members,

Did any of you see the LMDC Final Report Task 7 - Lower Manhattan Airport and Commuter Access Alternative Analysis. I got a mailed a copy because I'm a member of the Brooklyn Borough President's Transit Advisory Committee.

I think we need to set up a separate small group to review this report and prepare a rebuttal to the report and input our own recommendations. If anyone would like to join this subcommittee to work on reviewing and writing a rebuttal to the report please e-mail me back.

These would be my recommendations:

I believe they need to incorporate within their proposals a track connection between the Cordlandt Street Station of the Broadway Line and the World Trade Center Station of the IND Church Street Line as well as reactivation of the Rockaway Line between Atlantic Avenue and Rockaway Blvd.

I have no problem with them exploring Airport Service via along the Broadway Line which would come thru Jamaica on to the Atlantic Branch LIRR then thru the Montague Street Tunnel. They could probably extend this new AIRPORT service via the Broadway Line to Broadway/57th Street Manhattan which would serve all of the hotels in Midtown.

I would not like to see a commuter service replace "M" service between DeKalb Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue as part of that plan. I would instead extend the "E" train from the World Trade Center Station on to the Broadway Line (via a new track connection) then thru the Montague Street Tunnel on to the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica so that the "E" train would replace LIRR trains serving Flatbush Avenue, Nostrand Avenue/Atlantic Avenue, East New York, Woodhaven Junction(Reopened) and Jamaica. (The "E" train now serving Parsons Blvd./ Archer Avenue and Sutphin Archer via the Queens Blvd. Line could be rerouted to 179th Street Jamaica. The "V" train would then be extended to Parsons Archer Avenue replacing the "E". Passengers could change to the "E" at Sutphin Blvd but on the LIRR platform. (Later on the "E" train could be further extended to Rosedale or Green Acres via the LIRR tracks.)

The Rockaway Cutoff between Rockaway Blvd and Atlantic Avenue must also be included within this proposal so that certain "A" trains could utilize the Atlantic Branch/ Montague Street Tunnel and the new track connection I propose (Between the Broadway Line and the World Trade Center stop) for faster service to Lower Manhattan and reconnection back on to the Eight Avenue Line. Additionally this reactivated Rockaway track connection could serve as a back up for the AIRTRAIN (Airport trains) in case a tie up occurs at Jamaica.

Carl