The only blog written from the NYC Subway system

A funny improv mob hit the 6 train to create the human mirror.

Fifteen sets of twins, dressed identically, boarded a train and sat directly across from each other.  They mimicked each other’s every move.  They then waited for people on the train to notice the real life human mirror, then taped their reactions.

Pretty funny.  That would be pretty freaky to see in person.  I would probably have stood there for five minutes or more before realizing it.  The whole time though knowing that “something is strange here…but I can’t quite put my finger in it.”

I’m in an R train at city hall.  We’re being held here because of a track fire south of  Rector St.  They said FDNY is on scene.

They’re telling us to get off and go uptown to canal.  All downtown traffic on the Broadway line is going over the bridge.

Side note, apparently NJT and LIRR are having some major issues tonight as well.

Reported by Todd from BNR

Just when you finally managed to stop pondering all of the things that could go wrong when riding the NYC Subway, it turns out that the computer system that controls the trains crashed for a few minutes yesterday.

It was only “down” for a few moments.  However, when it came back online, the system was unable to find many of the trains in the system.

The system that crashed only controls the numbered lines.  While the system went down and recovered, many trains were forced remain in stations or mid-tunnels while dispatchers manually radioed individual trains to determine their location.  Yikes.

Perhaps some of the MTA employees that read SUBWAYblogger could enlighten us on why the computer can’t locate trains after a reboot.  I assume the trains have to pass some sort of sensor on the track.  So if the trains weren’t moving, they hadn’t passed over a sensor since the reboot.

Thanks though!

Wouldn’t you know it.  Just as the MTBA up north digs into their own issues with computer geeks hacking the CharlieCard, it turns out we have our own homegrown hackers right here in NYC.

I had written a post wishing the MIT students would come down here and beat up on the Metrocard system, but it turns out there was a few guys that already hit the jackpot…a $800,000 jackpot as a matter of fact.

Apparently, three guys discovered a vulnerable Metrocard machine at Penn Station that they somehow got to spit out cards.  They would then sell the rides.

However, it looks like they started the scam back in 2005, and it’s taken this long for them to arrest the guys.  An audit revealed the discrepancy, but who knows how long that took to uncover.

MTA Website Showing Delays

Apparently there is a strange odor at the 53rd and 7th station that has caused it to be evacuated.

B, D, and E trains are bypassing the station at this time, and last we heard, passengers are not being allowed to enter the station.  However, the MTA says the V train is running with residual delays.  So I guess it’s at least partially open?

The strange odor is allegedly coming from a faulty elevator motor.  Of course, that is no shock.

In other musical news today, have you ever seen this guy?  He’s awesome.

He has a synthesiser on his violin or something that makes it sound sort of like an electric guitar.  So it’s like a hard rock hairband with a fiddle.

Axl would be so proud.

Ok, we promise no more subway music for a while.

Cruising the interwebs for some subway video, I came across this music video for a band called “The Subways.”

You know, they’re actually not bad.  Anyway…

I could have sworn I just saw that the Metrocard machines were down again.  As I walked into my station, I pass a whole wall of Metrocard machines.  All of them said “CASH ONLY” across the top.

There were a lot of confused looking people too.

Did anyone have any problems on the way home tonight?