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MTA unveils new train designs aimed to fix NYC subway crowding

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GK86

Homeland Security Fail
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The subway might get a much-needed makeover.

Gov. Cuomo and Metropolitan Transportation Authority brass on Monday unveiled designs for a new subway car model that will have wider doors and a more open layout, as well as a 31-station renovation plan that includes charging stations and art installations.

At the Transit Museum, Cuomo said the new designs would ease crowding in the subway system — which was built in the early 20th century for far fewer people.

Of the 1,025 subway cars the MTA plans to buy, up to 750 of them will feature a “gangway”-style design that lets riders walk the full length of the train — a layout that’s used in London, Paris and other major cities.

Transit experts have said the open style can add up to 10% more space and let riders spread evenly throughout the train. The trains will also have wider doors, seats that flip up, and poles designed to fit more hands — allowing straphangers to board more quickly.

The cars will be equipped with Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.

Meanwhile, 31 stations will undergo renovations, requiring a stop to be closed for six months.

The first batch of station renovations put up for bids this week include the R line’s Prospect Ave., 53rd St. and Bay Ridge Ave. stops in Brooklyn.

Designs for the future train stations feature canopies hanging over staircase entrances with street-level service alerts and a neighborhood map.

There will be better signage underground, along with bright LED lights and countdown clocks
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They'll probably buy like 200 new trains, put them all on the red, green and blue lines, renovate a couple of the tourist stations and call it a day and will finish some time in 2030.
 
To debut in 2045.

Seriously, though, just seeing how long it's taken them to build out the 2nd Ave subway, we'll be long dead before we see this implemented. And still paying for it somehow despite the MTA's billion dollar budget surpluses several years ago.

Fuck the MTA.
 

MC Safety

Member
Love the NYC subway system. Never understood why it breeds idiots who don't understand you're supposed to wait for people to exit before shoving on.
 
Also maybe instead of this shit, they can oh I don't know, fix the fucking subway cars they do have so there are no fucking hot cars when it's 95+ degrees outside? Every other day this summer, I get stuck in a hot car and feel like I am going to die. How is this not illegal?

Fuck the MTA.
 

CHC

Member
Yeah I'll believe it when I see it.

They're gonna renovate like 3 shitty stops in Midtown that are hopelessly crowded all day everyday anyway, then all the stops in the places where real people actually live will remain just as shitty if not worse than they are now.
 

Gandie

Member
Also maybe instead of this shit, they can oh I don't know, fix the fucking subway cars they do have so there are no fucking hot cars when it's 95+ degrees outside? Every other day this summer, I get stuck in a hot car and feel like I am going to die. How is this not illegal?

Fuck the MTA.

Air conditioning in public transit is incredibly expensive and adds a lot of points of failure.
 
Air conditioning in public transit is incredibly expensive and adds a lot of points of failure.

It's the least they can possibly do to make you feel like humans and not cattle when you're rammed into trains with 3,000 other sweating people just trying to breathe.

Also we're paying $2.75 per subway ride. The subway was 50 cents cheaper per ride when I started working just 6 years ago. They can inflate prices by 20% and lay out ridiculous plans to overhaul the entire system, but not continue to keep up with repairs?
 

GK86

Homeland Security Fail
They'll probably buy like 200 new trains, put them all on the red, green and blue lines, renovate a couple of the tourist stations and call it a day and will finish some time in 2030.

Pretty much. I don't have faith in the MTA to implement all of this, let alone finish by their target date.
 

CHC

Member
Also those USB ports are going to be crawling with STDs.

Not to mention, why would you be in a subway station so long you're able to charge your devices in the fucking first place!?

The subway isn't somewhere I want to hang around and relax in - get me the fuck out ASAP and I'll be happy.
 

Gallbaro

Banned
Morons are too fucking stubborn to do open gangway between cars and instantly increase capacity 15℅. But it has charging ports!!!
 
I just want cars with functioning AC. Is that too much to ask for on 90 degrees + days?

Riders are supposed to report this to the conductor, then he/she will contact dispatch a decision will be made to take the entire train out of service, because the car isn't breathing fresh air, which is harmful to you..but most of the time consumers keep their mouths shut because it's rush hour and they wanna get home..
 
You guys don't have countdown clocks and service announcements? What?

Some stations have countdown clocks, but most still do not, despite it being years after them announcing they would come.

Riders are supposed to report this to the conductor, then he/she will contact dispatch a decision will be made to take the entire train out of service, because the car isn't breathing fresh air, which is harmful to you..but most of the time consumers keep their mouths shut because it's rush hour and they wanna get home..

How are you supposed to be able to do this when platforms are crowded and you have ~10 seconds to get to a conductor in the middle of a train? Shouldn't these people be walking through the trains before getting on them to ensure they're functioning properly?

Why is this the passengers' problem?
 

oxidax

Member
Love the NYC subway system. Never understood why it breeds idiots who don't understand you're supposed to wait for people to exit before shoving on.

It doesn't matter how much the spend on new trains and renovations if you can't apply this.
 

Gandie

Member
It's the least they can possibly do to make you feel like humans and not cattle when you're rammed into trains with 3,000 other sweating people just trying to breathe.

Also we're paying $2.75 per subway ride. The subway was 50 cents cheaper per ride when I started working just 6 years ago. They can inflate prices by 20% and lay out ridiculous plans to overhaul the entire system, but not continue to keep up with repairs?

I'm not familiar with the nyc subways. Is the issue that not enough repairs are done or do the trains have to be retrofitted with AC?

The new trains are probably paid through another budget. At least that's how it works in Germany. Stupid but that's how it is
 

Guevara

Member
The MTA really is a pretty good service given the tremendous ridership, large area served, and 24-hour service.

New trains look nice.
 
I'm not familiar with the nyc subways. Is the issue that not enough repairs are done or do the trains have to be retrofitted with AC?

The new trains are probably paid through another budget. At least that's how it works in Germany. Stupid but that's how it is

They're all fitted with A/C units -- some are just broken because why not? And these are CROWDED cars with CROWDED platforms.

Situations like this aren't uncommon:

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Gandie

Member
They're all fitted with A/C units -- some are just broken because why not? And these are CROWDED cars with CROWDED platforms.

Situations like this aren't uncommon:

That's terrible. It seems like an issue with space inside the stations and inside the trains.

The AC thing. Sure it sucks to be stuck in a crowded train with no AC, but it really is a question of cost. Still, a city like NY should be able to afford decent public transit options.
 

Mii

Banned
Open gangway trains is the most important upgrade here. They should allow for a good 10% capacity increase if the entire system gets it.
 
I take the 6 train ( one of the most crowded trains in NYC) back and forth from the UES to Canal Street every day for work and some days its great, but most days it a shit show. The trains aren't always the problem, more often than not it's people who make train rides painful.

Most people I see who get on trains stand near the door and completely ignore the extra standing space in the middle of the train. Either they don't understand the concept of public transportation or feel entitled to their own space and don't feel the need to make space for others. This then causes what appears to be overcrowding, when in actuality its just people being dumb.

I've learned to find nooks and crannies in the train where I am not blocking anyone and can chill out during my commute. The best place to be is the door connecting other train cars IMO.

P.S. Always make room for others.
 

dramatis

Member
I appreciate the effort going into improving public transport, to say the least.

People here complaining about how only stations in Manhattan are getting renovated, but both the subway lines near where I live in Brooklyn (F and N lines) are seeing year-long renovations for a lot of the stations in Brooklyn.

I also didn't think they would think about removing the prison bar divisions and replacing them with glass dividers lol

It's a huge system and it's going to take a lot of time to work on everything. Moreover, I think MTA deserves a bit more credit. They were far more prepared for Sandy than our neighbors the NJ Transit were.

They're still working on replacing some of the old cars with like the new car designs they commissioned since the early 2000s, but I'm guessing those designs from the early 2000s are easier to modify than cars dating back further.
 
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