The New York City subway is terrible. It's even worse than normal lately. I take the subway every day and it is the only part of my day that I always hate. Trains get stuck underground for extended periods of time. Trains run late and infrequently – if they even run at all. Just this past week, there was a derailment on the A train. Trains aren’t supposed to do that. Sad!
There has been much talk in the media about possible ways to fix the NYC subway. Better management, more trains; the list goes on and on. However, all major news publications and journals of opinion have been ignoring the most obvious solution to current subway crisis.
Contrary to what many naysayers and so-called "realists" think, new subway tracks do need to be constructed in order to truly fix the MTA for the long term. A good place to start would be 150 miles north of New York City: the Governor’s Mansion in Albany. The MTA should construct a subway train that goes from Andrew Cuomo’s house to the Moon.
Yes, The Moon.
After running express through the troposphere and meandering around the ozone layer, the Moon would be a good final stop for the Albany-Outer Space subway train. It could even be named after his dad!There are many benefits to constructing the Mario Cuomo subway line. First, Governor Andrew Cuomo riding the train for its inaugural (and only) journey would by itself solve almost all the MTA’s current problems. For further information, check out The Week's "How Andrew Cuomo broke the New York subway."
The future Albany-Moon train would also provide much needed investment and jobs to Upstate New York. As someone who grew up north of the Big Apple, I can attest that New York doesn’t stop at Yonkers. Much of upstate has been devastated by deindustrialization and outsourcing over the past few decades. What better way to improve upstate New York’s economy than to put everyone to work fixing the MTA!
Of course, constructing a train from Earth to the Moon does come with its challenges. Such a train would have to be around 238,900 miles long: the distance from the Earth to the Moon. While building a train that long is certainly not a piece of cake, it must be done in order to save the MTA. Also, big trains = more work = more jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs! Make America Great Again!
When one looks further at the plan’s details, it becomes clear that the Albany-Moon subway is more feasible than it looks at first glance. As the train will only make one single trip, there only needs to be one set of tracks! Also, why have a full 10-car train when there’s only one passenger riding it? Unless Governor Andrew Cuomo puts on a lot of weight before the subway’s completion, one train car is enough.
Building a subway from Albany to the Moon is good policy. In fact, it is the only hope we have for finally fixing New York mass transit once and for all. Get the word out, call your elected representatives (not Andrew Cuomo), and together we can build a better subway for us all!
