Thursday, June 19, 2008

A-train yet again passed over

According to today's New York Times, the MTA will provide additional service on 9 subway lines to ease crowding starting in July. The affected lines are the 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, B, J, M, N, Q, W and the shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal.

The Times states that "the changes include having the B and W trains run until 11 p.m. on weekdays, an hour and a half later than they currently run. And the No. 3 train, which currently shuts down from midnight to 5 a.m., would run during those hours between Times Square and 148th Street. "

Alas, the A-train continues to suffer from limited express service ending daily at 10:30 p.m. and on-going construction late nights and weekends that seriously inconveniences all individuals traveling north of 168th St.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, not having more express service is kind of lousy but speaking strictly from a crowding point of view I cannot argue with their thinking. The 1 is far more overcrowded than the A, which is fairly comfortable most of the time.

The construction every weekend is maddening but it happens to every subway line at some point - remember when the B/D service over the Manhattan Bridge was taken away for a couple years? It will end, someday.

Urbanis said...

Skyscraper, thanks for your comment. Yes, it's true the 1 is ridiculously overcrowded late nights. As for the A, let's hope "someday" will come soon. It's already been almost 2 years that the A has been running local almost every weekend along with other, more serious, inconveniences (like running the train in two parts from 168th St or replacing that segment entirely with a bus shuttle).

Anonymous said...

Geez, how many express trains do you need? A train riders have it pretty good compared to D train riders. When I stand at the platform at 125th St., waiting for the "D" to Norwood Bronx, there are twice as many A trains as the D express. And the "A's" are half empty, while the D is standing room only, with barely room for anyone to get on. Not to mention that the D express ends at 7 pm. Trains from 7 - 10 pm are still standing room only. I'll take your train service any day.

Urbanis said...

Thanks for your comment, anon. The funny thing is, I always have D-train envy because it runs express through Manhattan 24 hours, even though the express service in the Bronx is limited.

Overall, my perspective is that considering that daily ridership on the subway surpasses 5 million, and the majority of households in New York City are car-free, improving, not just maintaining, mass transit service in New York City should be a top priority. Unfortunately, we are crippled by the twin demons of (a) lack of federal support for mass transit and (b) lack of home rule for New York City (a fine example being the recent failure of the State Assembly to approve camera enforcement of bus lanes).