Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Subways

Sure, sometimes it's crowded, but mass transit makes cities much safer. Photo: Pacific Coast Highway/Wikimedia Commons

Why Congestion Pricing Won’t Overwhelm the Subways

By Charles Komanoff | Jan 2, 2018 | 9 Comments

Congestion pricing can significantly reduce gridlock by shifting a relatively small share of car trips off the streets, and the subway already carries far more people than the crossings that will be tolled.

To Improve Subway Service, Get Rid of the Unnecessary Signals Slowing Trains Down

By Uday Schultz | Dec 20, 2017 | 78 Comments

If timers are needed to safeguard against a clear and present danger, whether that be a curve, switch, or hill - keep them. If not, remove them.

Council Member Helen Rosenthal speaking this morning alongside Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and State Senator Michael Gianaris. Photo: David Meyer

Council Members Press for Investigation of High MTA Construction Costs

By David Meyer | Oct 16, 2017 | 6 Comments

City Council members are speaking up about the runaway price tag of subway infrastructure in New York City, pressing the MTA to rein in capital construction costs that outstrip those of peer cities across the globe.

The new MTA dashboard will show the average amount of time that delays cost riders on platforms (above) and trains.

MTA Will Start Using Common-Sense Metrics to Show Subway Riders How Their Trains Perform

By David Meyer | Sep 25, 2017 | 3 Comments

Starting Wednesday, transit riders will be able to see for themselves how their subway lines are performing, when the MTA launches an online dashboard showing how much time riders lose due to trains that are off-schedule.

The governor broke ground on new facilities for Delta Airlines at LaGuardia Airport, which he called "a pillar of New York's transportation network." Photo: governor's office/Flickr

Council Members Grill MTA Execs on Transit Costs While Cuomo Breaks Ground for Delta

By David Meyer | Aug 8, 2017 | 2 Comments

Compared to its international peers, the MTA's capital construction costs are nothing short of outrageous. So with Governor Cuomo asking for more money from New York City to fix the subways, it's understandable that City Council members want to know whether they'll be getting good bang for their buck. But at a hearing earlier today, MTA Managing Director Ronnie Hakim couldn't explain the MTA's cost problem, let alone how to fix it.

This is how Transport for London communicates the impact of bus delays on riders — in minutes, a metric everyone can grasp. Image: Mark O’Donovan/TfL

Five Ways the MTA Can Gain the Confidence of Transit Riders

By David Meyer | Jul 12, 2017 | 12 Comments

New MTA chair Joe Lhota is promising a public-facing dashboard that functions as a "report card" on the agency's performance. Here's what would make it a useful tool to improve accountability and build trust with riders.

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