Here is the history of express service on the Culver line as I remeber and also read. Although there were express tracks built on what was then called the Smith Street IND they were not utilized for express service until the completion of the Christy Street connector in 1967. Not sure if they ever used the middle track on the old Culver line. From 1967 until about 1974 there was Rush Hour express service but was not well received by passangers then and it had a lot of complaints (because of reduced GG train service, remember the double lettered locals?!) and people did not like the extra flight of stairs at Bergen Street. After the fiscal crises in the '70s the TA ruled that this was one of the first service cut-backs with an intent to restore when they acquired the rolling stock to do it. In the early 80's there was a fire at the Bergen Street interlock, knocking out switch capability between local and express tracks, which has yet to be repaired. The MTA considerers this repair work low priority compared with all its immediate needs and is waiting for capital funding to fix it, (this is also way F trains crawl between Jay and Bergen Street). In order to restore F train express service there would need to be total interlock rehabilitation at the Bergan Interlock and more rolling stock purchased to handle both local and express service.

If you extend the G to Church with the F express, you're just adding service; there are the same number of Fs at the express stops as before. Anyone who would scream about extra trains that they don't need is overreacting.

My take on why the F express in Brooklyn died is that the MTA didn't want to pay to own and maintain enough cars to run it. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Any time you start having to move switches to merger or diverge service you loose a lot of capacity. That's probably the main reason the F express in Brooklyn died.

Why doesn't he do anything about this?

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Answering Frank Smith's question, there are 3 mainline tracks south of Church Avenue, plus "tail" tracks beneath and south of Church Avenue station for storage and turn-backs. The service pattern I described would enable F express service in peak direction only, i.e. toward Manhattan in the morning rush and toward Coney Island in the evening rush. The #5, #6 and #7 lines have exactly such peak-direction express service on 3-track lines.

And thanks Susan, ddartley and Aaron for the kind words.

Bravo, bravo to Mr. Reilly.

"An express F ran between Jay Street-Borough Hall and Kings Highway during rush hours through the 1970s, when it was discontinued for track repair work."

So they closed it in 1970 to repair it and it's still not ready? We're going to be paying for all the neglect of city infrastructure trough the 70s and 80s for many years to come.