Archinect - News

Subway flooding is getting worse as a result of extreme weather

2021-07-27T12:45:00-04:00

Subway systems around the world are struggling to adapt to an era of extreme weather brought on by climate change. Their designs, many based on the expectations of another era, are being overwhelmed, and investment in upgrades could be squeezed by a drop in ridership brought on by the pandemic.

New York is still repairing damages to its subway system caused nearly a decade ago by Hurricane Sandy as the installation of certain protective also lags behind schedule. Coastal cities like New York and Boston are facing nine-digit pricetags as they prepare their populations for climate change in earnest.

12 people died aboard a flooded subway car last week in Zhengzhou, China. London underground riders have been rained out as well.

The New York Times has more on the rising concern here.

UNStudio designs 37 stations for Doha's new driverless metro system

2020-09-08T13:29:00-04:00

International architecture firm UNStudio has completed work on a collection of subway stations for a new driverless metro system in Doha, Dubai.

The stations are designed according to an "Architectural Branding Manual" created by the firm that provides "an extensive set of design guidelines, architectural details and material outlines to assure the spatial quality and identity of the network," according to a project statement.

Describing the project, UNStudio's Ben van Berkel explains,“We are going to move differently in the future. Mobility is changing fast, from the introduction of autonomous vehicles to urban cable cars and the Hyperloop."

Van Berkel adds, "The mobility hubs of the future have to respond to and cater to these changes. In order to encourage the use of more sustainable forms of transport, these stations not only have to ensure smooth passenger flows, but they need to truly appeal to the public; to be places they want to visit and return to."

The stations are des...

COVID-19 facilitates accelerated subway construction in Los Angeles

2020-06-24T19:58:00-04:00

After committing to shutting down a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard running through the city of Beverly Hills to speed up subway construction earlier this year, the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced that it has completed decking work in the area seven months ahead of schedule.

Map of planned Purple / D Line extensions. Image courtesy of Metro.

Back in April, Metro and local officials hammered out a plan to fully shut down the street in order to take advantage of the drastically reduced traffic activity in the area due to the region's stay-at-home orders following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the LA Metro had planned to conduct partial closures of the street in question on weekends over a seven month stretch starting in August 2020, but now, three months later, this work has been completed.

Previously on Archinect: "Coronavirus slowdown could push L.A. subway construction six months ahead of schedule." Photo showing subway construction al...

New York City has a $54 billion blueprint for fixing the subways

2019-09-18T08:00:00-04:00

New York's public transportation system isn't perfect, but its proper, punctual functioning is critical to the city's existence. Flaws and all, millions of New York natives and visitors log over 1 billion trips on the subway and bus systems each year.

On Monday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced a $54 billion plan to renovate "the city's floundering transit network," according to Emma G. Fitzsimmons of the New York Times. The MTA's proposal announcement presents a detailed "wish list" of improvement projects to undertake over the next five years.

Plans include: modernizing subway signals along the Lexington Ave. Line, adding elevators to 70 stations to improve wheelchair accessibility, and extending the Second Ave. Subway north towards East Harlem.

In a recent news statement, MTA chairman Patrick J. Foye said, "At the end of this five-year period, New Yorkers will see a revitalized and modern system for the 21st century and beyond." While the idea of fixing the ...

Mass transit may benefit expansion of Uber and other for-hire car services

2015-09-10T19:21:00-04:00

A combination of (mostly) public transit along with some Uber rides can be affordable for a wider range of customers than Uber alone.

According to a study of New York City's private-car hiring habits, many of those who hired Uber did so as an extension of public transit: in other words, instead of Uber-ing all the way to a particular destination, a wider socioeconomic spectrum of New Yorkers frequently use some combination of public transit and private car services in their daily lives. For Uber to expand beyond the got-money-to-burn segment of the population, places with public transit may be a great place to start.

For the latest (and arguably) greatest in Uber news:

• Uber brings Mad Max to Seattle

• Uber faces suspension and $7.3M fine in California

• Two Uber executives detained in France