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Originally Posted by jbermingham123
as much as people seem annoyed by this "monstrosity"... id be willing to bet that in 20 years, this will be a world-famous station and appear on all the NYC tourist brochures
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Busy Bee
5 years.
10 years from now no one will give a shiz how much it cost.
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These are completely true and valid statements. Regardless of cost and level of competence on the part of those backstage, this is a stunning and special gift to the city of New York.
I also think people are tremendously downplaying the amount of traffic this station will see. It is connected to nearly every subway line passing through Lower Manhattan in some way, shape or form. It directly serves and is right in the middle of two major office complexes, both the new Trade Center and Brookfield Place, not to mention all the other nearby office towers. It serves and is a part of what will be one of the largest concentrations of retail across all price points in the entire city, if not the nation. This is also now poised to become, as if it hasn't already, a tourism hub, with this station being a major access point for tourists to locations throughout the region.
Last and most importantly, the unbelievable growth of Jersey City in recent years (which is poised to continue) is going to dramatically increase traffic on the PATH system, as people continue to see Jersey City as an alternative to living in Manhattan. We could even see a PATH expansion on the boards within a decade or so, and at this point, the planners on such a future project will not need to be the slightest bit concerned with capacity issues at the Trade Center.
Lower Manhattan has never had a grandiose hub train station in its history, and this project has finally brought that into existence. It also prevents another Penn Station from plaguing the city, because this station can never be accused of being a subterranean warren with no visual appeal or welcoming attributes. It's a symbol of 21st-century New York, and you're right when you say that in the future, everyone will forget how much it cost and the speed bumps to its completion. It's not like any of you dwell day in and day out on how much Grand Central cost, or what competing and corrupt railroad interests led to one company trying to outdo the other with stations that were grander than the last. Now we just have a really beautiful train station and an icon of the city and the nation. Done.