Kid me inside the cockpit of the G-BOAD at the Intrepid in NYC in 2016. My mom and I were the only ones on the Concorde tour, so I got to sit in the cockpit. Well worth it!
G-BOAD made the fastest crossing of all Concordes in just 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds on February 7, 1996!
Kid me inside the cockpit of the G-BOAD at the Intrepid in NYC in 2016. My mom and I were the only ones on the Concorde tour, so I got to sit in the cockpit. Well worth it!
G-BOAD made the fastest crossing of all Concordes in just 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds on February 7, 1996!
While not a municipal elevator, the elevator at 9th St/Congress St station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Hoboken functions not only so people in The Heights of Jersey City can use the station, but as an accessible way to get between JC and Hoboken as well!
There is an image on top that shows a conceptual rending showing the possible 15th St station in Hoboken, which would be built along existing trackage. There is text that states: "The first version is a Hoboken-only station to be accessed from Madison Street, which would cost about $28 million according to estimates. The second, more complicated option would add a direct entrance for Union City residents by constructing an elevator and stairs up to Manhattan Avenue, similar to what exists at the 9th Street light rail station. That option would require the acquisition of several privately-owned parcels along the palisade cliff and would increase the total cost of the project to $59 million. The study concluded that the 15th Street station could become one of the busiest along the Hoboken–Tonnelle Avenue corridor, with up to 2,400 daily riders with a Hoboken-only entrance and up to 4,100 if Union City access is added. Getting a station actually built would require coordination with the state and NJ Transit, who operate the Hudson Bergen Light Rail system."
A station's platform being in one municipality but a station's ELEVATOR leading to another makes it quite the unique station!
And according to a study, a similar station at 15th St is being considered with an elevator that serves Union City! This would be Union City's second HBLR station!
While not a municipal elevator, the elevator at 9th St/Congress St station on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail in Hoboken functions not only so people in The Heights of Jersey City can use the station, but as an accessible way to get between JC and Hoboken as well!
Also 58 percent of the journeys at Yaphank being intra-island makes a lot of sense because of the set-to-be-closed station being surrounded by Suffolk government offices. Will be interesting to see if the percent changes in 2026.
Ah yes….transit-oriented mosquito control.
Me increasing the intra-island ridership at Medford to 41% in 2024 💪 at least for weekends I was the majority ridership due to volunteering at the Riverhead railroad museum!
The second-least used LIRR stop deserves more love, hoping for electrification to Yaphank!
While NYC lost to London in 2005 for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the failed bid still reshaped the region as if NYC DID host the Olympics and Paralympics! A thread on how it did:
Besides what was mentioned by TLL, Strong Towns would actually be against this law because they prefer more power to local municipalities rather than drastic reform pushed by a state government like CA's SB79. Despite the fact the latter is better and needed in order to truly solve housing.
MetLife Stadium: The Jets's failure to secure a new stadium in Manhattan meant entering in a 50/50 partnership with the Giants for MetLife Stadium which ended up hosting the Super Bowl in 2014. The new stadium in 2010 included a new NJ Transit line linking the Meadowlands with Secaucus Junction.
New Yankee Stadium: West Side Stadium's failure also led to the financing of a new Yankee Stadium, built on parkland adjacent to the old stadium, while the old stadium became parkland. The city and state made significant infrastructure improvements such as a new Metro-North station.
With the move of the Olympic Stadium to Flushing Meadows, the International Broadcast Center/Main Press Center was also moved from Manhattan to Willets Point. While the IBC/MPC wasn't built, Willets Point was still redeveloped, with an MLS stadium opening in 2027 for New York City FC.
Citi Field: However the stadium fell apart after NY State declined to approve 400 million in funding. Scrambling, NYC made an agreement with the Mets to build a stadium that could be converted to baseball from an Olympic Stadium. Citi Field simply became a baseball stadium after the bid's failure.
Hudson Yards: NYC used the bid to spearhead the redevelopment of Hudson Yards, with West Side Stadium as its anchor. Meant as the Olympic Stadium and the new Jets stadium. This includes the renovation of the Javits Center (multiple sports), the High Line, and the extension of the 7 to Hudson Yards
369th Regiment Armory: Planned to be restored for boxing, the armory proceeded to undergo a major $42 million+ restoration and modernization that began in 2014 and was completed with the return of the National Guard in 2018. Built for NY's famed WWI Harlem Hellfighters!
The proposed NYC 2012 beach volleyball venue at what's now Bushwick Inlet Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, seen from the sky. It is across the East River from Manhattan.
Bushwick Inlet Park: Thanks to the bid, parts of the Brooklyn waterfront were rezoned to create parks and develop residential and retail space, transforming Greenpoint and Williamsburg. The park in Williamsburg was part of rezoning for the bid to host aquatics and beach volleyball events
Flushing Meadows Natatorium: Planned to be the water polo venue, it became the first indoor public pool to open in NYC in four decades when it opened in 2008. Envisioned in 1999 to revive the park, the bid renewed pressure to fund and build it, and it was still built despite losing the bid.
Rendering of the proposed NYC 2012 Olympic Village at Hunters Point South. Located on a peninsula in Long Island City across the East River from the United Nations. Manhattan can be seen in the background
Hunters Point South: While the Olympic Village wasn't built at LIC's Hunters Point South, the site was still redeveloped for mixed-use. Including 11 acres of waterfront park, 5K residential units, and a school with 52 classrooms, gym, auditorium, library, science labs, and cafeteria.
What it would've looked like if a velodrome was built on the Harlem River in the Bronx. Here is the "Queensbridge Athletic Center" from the bid which would've hosted badminton and cycling events. There are track cyclists cycling around the velodrome, surrounded by fans and NYC 2012 branding.
Bronx Terminal Market: The site transformed into a mixed-use development with a large shopping center, which was eased by a land swap that stemmed from the bid. The developer traded property set aside for creation of a velodrome in exchange for the old Bronx House of Detention.
The neighboring Atlantic Terminal Mall sits on the site once proposed for a domed stadium for the Dodgers which would've been the first domed stadium in the world. The proposal was dismissed by city officials and Robert Moses, and the latter wanted them to move to Queens. The rest is history
What it would've looked like if the Barclays Center hosted Olympic events. Here's a concept of the arena hosting artistic gymnastics, with the NYC 2012's bid branding seen.
Barclays Center: The arena was conceived by Bruce Ratner after purchasing the then NJ Nets in 2004 to move them to Brooklyn to be the anchor for a development. The arena was proposed to be the venue for artistic/trampolining gymnastics and basketball. Barclays Center eventually opened in 2012.
NYC Ferry: The bid proposed a system of private ferries that could take athletes, the media, etc to and from the various sites such as the Olympic Village, Breezy Point for sailing, and Staten Island). The East River Ferry’s pilot program launched in 2011 and morphed into the current NYC Ferry.
While NYC lost to London in 2005 for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the failed bid still reshaped the region as if NYC DID host the Olympics and Paralympics! A thread on how it did:
To honor the Olympics, a thread on some big transformative transportation projects that host cities/countries have built for the Olympics/Paralympics:
It is worth mentioning that while beach volleyball originated in Hawaii in 1915, its modern two-player game originated in Santa Monica, so beach volleyball will go back to its roots in 2028, and the E Line will serve the temporary venue!
The Metro E Line already links venues in downtown Santa Monica to venues at Exposition Park and in downtown Los Angeles, and with Regional Connector, now directly connects to East Los Angeles. And the A Line's San Dimas station will serve Bonelli Park for mountain biking.
The LAX/Metro Transit Center opened in 2025, filling a major gap by connecting LAX to the Metro's C and K Lines via a peoplemover in 2026. The K Line links Crenshaw District, Inglewood, and Westchester. The D Line will be extended to UCLA for the Olympic Village and Pauley Pavilion
And finally for this thread, a look at Los Angeles 2028. LA has the 28 by 28 initiative, launched by former Mayor Eric Garcetti to complete 28 transportation projects by 2028. Mayor Karen Bass announced that LA plans the Olympics to be car-free. Among these is the Regional Connector in 2023.
In addition, a major new tram-train system opened in the southern suburbs in December 2023. The first 8 km of the western extension of the cross-city RER Line E opened in May 2024, providing connections from central Paris and St-Lazare station to Porte Maillot, La Défense and Nanterre La Folie.
Line 14's extension is part of the Grand Paris Express, a major project consisting of 4 new Metro lines, plus extensions of the existing Lines 11 and 14. 200 km of new tracks and 68 new stations total!
