Author: subwayblogger

WOW. Gun Show on the Subway

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Holy hell, did you see all the guns on the subway today?  Apparently, it’s all part of “Operation TORCH,” a new federally funded security initiative.

The NYPD received a $30 million grant to increase subway security in a major way.  However, it seems like they are only focusing on major subway hubs. 

The police units, part of a new program called Operation TORCH, will focus on major transit hubs, including Times Square, Herald Square and Grand Central Terminal, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. [1010 WINS]

I’m not sure what good that does.  I guess it deters an attack from those stations.  However, a terrorist could just get on at a different stop!

All they would have to do is get on a random stop and ride straight into Times Square or Grand Central and detonate a bomb.  So I don’t think it makes it any safer from a terrorism perspective.

On a petty crime level like purse snatching and pickpocketing, that will probably go down on the fortified stations, but that’s probably about it.

Getting to Brooklyn Today was Fun!

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And by fun, I mean it sucked big time. 

The Brooklyn bound 2 and 3 trains were definitely not running, but I heard there were issues with the 4 and 5 too, which makes sense.

There was allegedly a power failure somewhere near the crossing from Manhattan to Brooklyn.

In any event, that meant there were no 2, 3, 4, or 5 trains going to Brooklyn.  They all started turning around to come back uptown.  Lovely. 

They suggested taking the N, Q, R, W instead, but of course you would have needed to know that prior to 42nd Street to transfer.  Then of course, once you got to Brooklyn, you were pretty much out of luck, but at least you made if off the island.

Adios Pope Benedict!

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Now, our lives can get back to normal. The Pope’s visit to NYC has caused some all around travel issues. If you were planing to go anywhere on the East side this past week, you were probably out of luck at many times.

No matter how you planned to travel, including by rail, there were rolling closures, frozen zones, and delays.

So now lets get back to normal!

Anyone have any good Pope stories?

Using the Water in the Subway for Good?

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Subway Rat and Dirt

I can think of few things more disgusting than using the water collected in the subway for anything other than chemical weaponry. However, it seems that the MTA may be looking into that as part of the sustainability plan.

For example, MTA plans to power a “significant portion” of the Roosevelt Island Subway Station with renewable tidal energy generated in the East River; add a high-performance roof at MTA Metro-North Railroad’s Harmon Yard Shop, and a white roof at the MTA Long Island Rail Road Hillsdale facility; offer incentive packages from various state agencies to encourage development at or near MTA stations; and evaluate ways MTA New York City Transit can use water harvested from the subway system. [Progressive Railroading]

I’m all for sustainability, energy conservation, and saving the environment. HOWEVER, what possible good can come from doing anything with the subway water “harvested” from the system? Gross!

Are people being pissy more than normal?

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I feel like I am running into the most bitchy people on the subway lately.  I mean this week!

There seem to be an especially high number of moody bitches causing problems on the train.  For what ever reason, it has still be crowded in the morning even though many schools are off this week.  So I don’k know what the deal is, but the trains are more crowded than ever this week.

On that note, people think if they cause a scene, somehow it is going to make things move quicker.

Have you noticed anything?

Subway Crush Facilitates Subway Lovin’

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Remember that guy that saw a girl on the subway and fell in love with her immediately? Or perhaps you remember feeling a little nauseous when you read the story.

SubwayCrush.com Logo

Well now there’s a brand new site that allows you to get stalked find your missed subway love connection.

SubwayCrush.com is a new site that simply allows you to post a quick note about the person you saw in hopes that maybe they will see it and respond.

The little post lines remind me of a Twitter thread. They are just quick one-liners. However, in this case, they are organized by subway line.

It’s an interesting concept. Already has a few dozen posts.

Trump Gets Dissed

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Ha! The contractors working on the refurbishment of the Columbus Circle subway station printed up a bunch of signs directing people to the Trump Globe. However, they spelled his name Trumph!

Apparently, they did not follow proper procedure.

“They are being reinstructed on the proper way to obtain a service information poster from the service information division of corporate communications,” he said. “That division researches, writes and prints all of our service information posters, brochures, take-ones and the like you see in the system and posted on buses.” [City Room]

I don’t know what’s funnier: Donald Trumph getting pissed off because his brand name was spelled wrong, or the fact that there’s an entire department devoted to “researching” signs and posters.

Weekend Subway Service Changes Reach Whole New Level

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This was honestly what you had to deal with this weekend to get around the city.

Subway Changes Map

The MTA basically decided to turn the subway into a giant NASCAR track.  So you had to just get on and cross your fingers that you boarded the correct train in the loop.

The 2 train went down the west side as normal, but then returned back up the east side.  The 5 train went down the east side, but then came up the west side.

Hopefully you didn’t have your iPod turned up so loud you couldn’t hear the announcements.  Odds of noticing the posters were low.  Even if you did, you probably wouldn’t be able to read them without the special decoder ring.

Speakers on the Outside of Subway Trains

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Subway Conductor

What a concept! [sarcasm]

The MTA has finally decided to outfit the old trains in the system with speakers mounted on the outside [Daily News] of the trains. That way, people outside the train can hear the announcements while standing on the platform.

I think we’ve all been in the situation where we’ve boarded a train only to realize that it is going to skip some stops. By then, it’s too late because the doors have already closed.

On those days where service is all f-ed up, these external speakers will come in handy. Since you can never rely on the MTA to make timely announcements over the platform PA system, at least you will be able to hear announcements from the trains when they are in the station.Read More »