The Tappan Zee Line

Full version here.

I'm a fan of mass transit, trains, and rely on Metro North. With a new Tappan Zee bridge on the way, it's fun to imagine the future. While BRT is probably more realistic, I'm not that big a fan of taking the bus, and I can't help thinking how great it would be to have a line connect the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines outside of Grand Central, which also connected the Jersey trains. This Line would follow along the I87/287 corridor, use the Tappan Zee bridge, and hit the likes of White Plains. That seems to be the most logical place for it, at least from my arm chair. Calling it the "Tappan Zee Line" seems like a great fit as it would then be synonymous with the bridge it would use, and therefor synonymous with connecting the two regions - East to West.

The original take on the Metro North map was done by Robert McConnell, who's site I believe is: rmcconnell.com. It's great, but being of the forced geometric variety, the distance between Tarrytown and Port Chester is a bit exaggerated. White Plains is really more equidistant, and the distance between Tarry. and Port C. is only about 13 miles. Adding the bridge and line extending out to Sloatsburg, adds another 19 miles for a total of about 32 miles end to end. It wouldn't change the fact that I87/287 is one the best ways around NYC for anyone driving along the greater East coast, where ever they're going. But it would certainly be sweet for us locals who are just trying to get around to different points in the area, or those commuting to work in places other than Manhattan, but in area. Especially in Westchester where Bee Line buses don't run on the weekends, leaving a car, or expensive taxi trip, being the only option of getting to other train lines.