See how one group wants to revolutionize outer-borough travel

Preliminary routes have been unveiled for the proposed Triborough Line

While MTA officials mull over temporary solutions to address the ever-growing list of subway crises, another group is exploring the possibility of an outer borough commuter rail line. (It won't solve the MTA's issues but could help with overcrowding, at the very least, even if the idea is far-fetched.)

The Regional Planning Association teamed up with the Rockefeller Foundation to offer a $45,000 award to four teams of designers, architects, and urban planners to draft a proposal that would address community development in The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, reports DNAinfo.

One of the proposals, from design team Only If and One Architecture, is the Triborough Line—a light rail that could run along an existing freight train track route, connecting the four boroughs with other commuter lines, unveiled designs for the proposal at an event hosted last night.

The train would service 17 stations, says the proposal, and would provide desperately needed alleviation for congested subway lines in Manhattan. Additionally, the rail line would be populated with new parks and communal spaces to promote health and water management.

Courtesy RPA via DNAinfo.

In the meantime, the city's subway system continues to add to its list meltdown moments. Just yesterday, a train in Harlem derailed due to "human error," injuring 34 people and causing mass disruptions across the entire system. It's becoming more convincing that the many subway issues will indeed cost commuters $1.4 billion by the end of this year.

Designs for the Triborough Line will be on public display in Fort Tilden from August through September.

• Urban Design Team Proposes Outer Borough Light Rail [DNAinfo]
• This Commuter Rail Line Could Revolutionize Outer-Borough Transit [Curbed]
• Governor Cuomo unveils 'aggressive action plan' to fix Penn Station, subway [Curbed]
• NYC's subway derailment in Harlem was caused by 'human error': MTA [Curbed]
• NYC's epic subway meltdown could cost commuters $1.4B [Curbed]