# New York Metro Trains - Why no direct connection between Brooklyn and Queens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 3, 2016, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557 "2016-10-03T12:23:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/21 "2016-10-05T09:51:54Z")
Well, by definition the Long Island Railroad is serving Long Island. Otherwise it would have to be the LINJRR. It’s pretty busy as it is (actually, [the busiest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_commuter_rail_systems_by_ridership), according to Wikipedia) without adding the second busiest service. I had a friend whose place of work switched from Manhattan to NJ in the last ~year before he retired. Bus (LI) -\> subway -\> PATH -\> shuttle bus. He said if anything was different (weather, etc), he’d just not go to work. [QUOTE=Blank Slate] There is one feasible plan to link Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx using existing rail right-of-way. It’ll never happen, but it would be pretty cool. [/QUOTE] I’m glad they finally got around to [my idea](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=19672777&postcount=7)! 🆒 Okay, not really. [QUOTE=x-ray vision] This would be cool if it happens: [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/ny...nd-queens.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/04/ny...nd-queens.html) [/QUOTE] _:shudder:_ Streetcar lines _:shudder_: Nothing against them in principle, and if it adds value to the neighborhoods I’m all for it, but driving with them is – ugh. Look at that first photo mock-up: What are all those people doing on the street? Are they boarding from the middle of the street? On a rainy night? That’s an auto accident about to happen. (Sorry, ranting too much.) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/22 "2016-10-05T09:57:38Z")
Streetcars with dedicated ROW and signal priority can be a very workable system. But nothing in the moronic DeBlasio proposal addresses that, and the proposed route is largely useless. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/23 "2016-10-06T02:18:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Right. You can’t go from the east side of the Bronx to the west side by subway without going into Manhattan either. In fact, it’s even quite convoluted and time-consuming to get from the East Bronx to the West Side of Manhattan. You generally have to go all the way down to Times Square, and it can take three or more trains depending on how you go. > > Getting from the Bronx to parts of Brooklyn is also a major expedition. You also can’t get to Queens from the Bronx without going through Manhattan and vice versa. Though when I lived in Queens, right on the Clearview Expressway, the only time we went to the Bronx was to visit Freedomland. When I lived there the roads from Brooklyn to Queens were not so hot either, the BQE being a road from hell. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/24 "2016-10-06T02:33:17Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > You also can’t get to Queens from the Bronx without going through Manhattan and vice versa. Though when I lived in Queens, right on the Clearview Expressway, the only time we went to the Bronx was to visit Freedomland. Freedomland! That brings me back. I didn’t realize you were such a geezer as well.😉 I used to take the Q40 bus from the Bronx to get to the World’s Fair in Queens. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/25 "2016-10-06T03:41:54Z")
What was Freedomland? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/26 "2016-10-06T04:07:09Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > What was Freedomland? [Freedomland](http://backinthebronx.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/bronxezine/newest/)was a [theme park dedicated to US history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedomland_U.S.A.) that operated in the Bronx from 1960 to 1964. I loved helping put out the Chicago Fire and taking the Northwest Fur Trapper ride. I loved going there when I was a kid. I also enjoyed roaming the grounds with my brothers after it had closed but before it was torn down. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/27 "2016-10-06T04:16:18Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The whole purpose of the subway system is to get people to and from work. I guess not enough people from Brooklyn work in Queens, and vice versa. Oddly enough, for most of his career in NYC, my dad commuted from Queens to Brooklyn. He worked for the NYC Transit Authority 🙂 Finally, a couple of years before he retired, his office moved to lower Manhattan. Of course, he got his revenge on the T.A. with the timing of his retirement. Six months before Sandy hit. And he was a manager in charge of large-scale maintenance planning 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/28 "2016-10-06T22:51:55Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > [Freedomland](http://backinthebronx.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/bronxezine/newest/)was a [theme park dedicated to US history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedomland_U.S.A.) that operated in the Bronx from 1960 to 1964. > > I loved helping put out the Chicago Fire and taking the Northwest Fur Trapper ride. > > I loved going there when I was a kid. I also enjoyed roaming the grounds with my brothers after it had closed but before it was torn down. I remember the Chicago Fire thing also. There was a brewery right on the park - which was shaped like the US. Only went once or twice there, but the Worlds Fair was a Q27 bus ride and one subway stop from my house, so I went there often, many times with friends. I was 13-14 at the time. That would probably be scandalous now. ---
**Author:** ![Deser2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@Deser2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deser2)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/29 "2016-10-07T14:46:40Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Right. You can’t go from the east side of the Bronx to the west side by subway without going into Manhattan either. In fact, it’s even quite convoluted and time-consuming to get from the East Bronx to the West Side of Manhattan. You generally have to go all the way down to Times Square, and it can take three or more trains depending on how you go. > > Getting from the Bronx to parts of Brooklyn is also a major expedition. Unless you’re talking WAY east Bronx you can always take the 5 train for the East Side of Manhattan or the 2 Train for the West Side. Granted, if you any further east than that, your point stands as you would need to take the 6 down then transfer or a bus to the 2 line. Also, as noted above, it because of the population and where they needed to go when the subways were all built. This can also be seen on the east side of manhattan. For the entire population of the east side, you’re only real north-south option is the Lexington line (which is somewhat of a hike for those living closest to the water on the east side). The East Side population only exploded relatively recently and now that line isn’t enough to handle it. This is why they are building a new line going down 2nd Ave. And for those saying “why don’t they just extend the G line” for queens to brooklyn - go read a little bit about the debacle that is the 2nd Avenue subway and you’ll see why this might not be the best option… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/30 "2016-10-07T15:47:44Z")
> [@Deser2](#): > > Unless you’re talking WAY east Bronx you can always take the 5 train for the East Side of Manhattan or the 2 Train for the West Side. Granted, if you any further east than that, your point stands as you would need to take the 6 down then transfer or a bus to the 2 line. I’m from along the 6 line, so my point stands. 😉 The 5 and the 2 might be in the eastern half of the Bronx, but except for the last couple stations on the 5 they’re closer to the Bronx River (the dividing line between the east and west Bronx) than they are to the East River. From my perspective, they are in the central part of the Bronx. And there are big sections of the Bronx, like Hunts Point, Soundview, and Throgs Neck that are east of the 6. The annoying thing about the 6 is that you can’t reach any other line in the Bronx without going down to 125th Street in Manhattan. Except for the 1, all the other lines connect in the Bronx (although mostly in the South Bronx). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/31 "2016-10-07T16:10:25Z")
Just between us eastsiders, for the first time in years I actually looked at a subway map, and showed a dotted line extension plan of the Q (a train heretofore out of my ken) through 59th St. up to 72 and (86?) and 96, east of the 6, suspiciously looking like 2nd Ave. Is that the famous 2nd Ave line or what? (I live in lower east side now, but lived up there for decades.) ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/32 "2016-10-07T17:16:13Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Just between us eastsiders, for the first time in years I actually looked at a subway map, and showed a dotted line extension plan of the Q (a train heretofore out of my ken) through 59th St. up to 72 and (86?) and 96, east of the 6, suspiciously looking like 2nd Ave. > > Is that the famous 2nd Ave line or what? Yes. Second Ave Phase 1 - only 90 years in the making. Supposed to open this Christmas. It almost certainly won’t. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/33 "2016-10-07T21:27:13Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’m from along the 6 line, so my point stands. 😉 The 5 and the 2 might be in the eastern half of the Bronx, but except for the last couple stations on the 5 they’re closer to the Bronx River (the dividing line between the east and west Bronx) than they are to the East River. From my perspective, they are in the central part of the Bronx. And there are big sections of the Bronx, like Hunts Point, Soundview, and Throgs Neck that are east of the 6. The annoying thing about the 6 is that you can’t reach any other line in the Bronx without going down to 125th Street in Manhattan. Except for the 1, all the other lines connect in the Bronx (although mostly in the South Bronx). I was lucky to live on Allerton Avenue and work right near Penn Station. One long ride on the 2, no changing trains! ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557/34 "2016-10-08T19:09:29Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Just between us eastsiders, for the first time in years I actually looked at a subway map, and showed a dotted line extension plan of the Q (a train heretofore out of my ken) through 59th St. up to 72 and (86?) and 96, east of the 6, suspiciously looking like 2nd Ave. > > Is that the famous 2nd Ave line or what? > (I live in lower east side now, but lived up there for decades.) I’m new to New York and live in east Harlem and was pretty excited when I heard about the upcoming 2nd Ave line. My excitement has been tempered by the estimates that it will open sometime between early 2017 and the eventual heat death of the universe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-metro-trains-why-no-direct-connection-between-brooklyn-and-queens/767557.md?page=1)