Author: subwayblogger

You’re Totally F-ed

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ftrain2.jpg

If you’re a regular F train rider, you’ve probably noticed that your commute has sucked the past few weeks.  Why?  Because your train never seems to come, and when it does, it is packed to the gills with people.

Where the hell did all these people come from?  Nowhere.  That’s because there arent actually any more people riding the train.  It’s because there have actually been less trains operating on that line.  Sweet.

There were 100 people already waiting for the F train when it pulled into the Seventh Avenue stop last Wednesday morning.

But the train was almost entirely packed by the time it showed up, and only a handful of commuters was able to get on.

Again, SUBWAYblogger says welcome to the conversation.  We’ve been saying this about various lines for quite some time now. 

Return to normal? Uhhh nope
Thursday, September 21st, 2006

Service cuts come early?
Wednesday, September 20th, 2006

You might recall that SUBWAYblogger live-blogged our own little adventurewhere we had to claw our way onto a train.  We had a very similar situation where train after train came by where only a dozen or so of the 100 people waiting could fit on the train.  It was fuuuun. 

The MTA just needs go get more trains in service.  That’s it. 

Hopefully, the MTU won’t screw things up.  Why?  Because one potential solution are the fully automated cars (or partial automated).  They are capable of running trains closer together than trains operated by humans.  This means you could fit more trains on the line, closer together.  That would increase the train frequency and alleviate the crowding.

And yes, we know the headline was a little too easy.  Sorry about that.

Asbestos Abatement

subwayblogger1 Comment

Mmmm yummy.

There are some signs up at my stop that say…

Public Notice. Asbestos Abatement.

It’s the kind of sign that makes you want to take a nice deep breath of relief.

It lists out all of the areas that the asbestos was found. In a nut shell, it’s every where.

Sweet.

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Hey buddy, keep it in your…

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blackberry.jpg 

…holster.

There’s people on the subway that , like me, use their BlackBerry on the train. However, some people act like others are trying to steal secrets from them or something.

This one guys keeps picking his head up to see if people are reading over his shoulder. Then he stares down his suspects and turns the other way. He looks insulted!

Buddy, we are all standing ass-to-back here. So yeah, someone might see your screen. If it’s that secret, maybe a crowded train isn’t the best place to be doing whatever you are doing on your phone.

Personally, I just let people read over my shoulder. Sometimes if I suspect someone has wandering eyes, I will write, “HEY, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?”

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Thanks Last Minute Arrival Guy

subwayblogger7 Comments

Do you know this guy?  He’s the one that runs through the closing subway doors at the last possible second.  You might know him best because he usually knocks people down like bowling pins as he darts through the doors.

There’s not much to say other than “what a dick.”

I love how he says “excuse me” as he throws himself into the sea of people standing in the doorway.  For some reason he thinks that he is skinnier than a runway model or something.  There’s clearly no more room, but Last Minute Arrival Guy sees nothing but space.

On a crowded train, everyone finally squeezes in and settles into their possitions.  People begin to read their paper, or click through their iPods.  Then WHAM!  Enter Last Minute Arrival Guy.

Sometimes, a fellow passenger says, “Hey, there’s no more room!”  The famous rebuttal is, “Yeah there is.”  What a compelling argument fella.  Sure, if we all breath a little shallower, there’s plenty of space. 

Hey everyone, take off your coats and hold them over your heads so that we can make a little more room for this a-hole to get on board!

Welcome to the conversation

subwayblogger3 Comments

kidstroller.jpgGothamist finally joins the Subway vs Stroller debate.  They received a listener email asking about proper rider etiquette when it comes to strollers. 

Dear Gothamist,

I am wondering if you can shed some light onto the topic of strollers on the subway specifically during rush hour.

Well, SUBWAYblogger has been on this one for a while.

Baby Gap
Monday, January 29th, 2007

What the hell is up lately
Friday, November 3rd, 2006 

Emergency Exits are for Emergencies!
Monday, November 20th, 2006

Peevs
Monday, September 25th, 2006

Where did you come from?
Monday, August 21st, 2006

In other railed news…

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If you were unfortunate enough to ride NJ Transit this morning…well your day started off pretty crappy.  Especially if you were on the train that derailed.

Luckily, we can joke about it because no one was hurt.  However, the photos of the wreckseem pretty significant.  It’s not like one wheel jumped the rail or something.  A couple cars seem to have been leaning off the side of the tracks. 

Anyway, not a great start to your day at all.

There were also power issues on stretches of the LIRR and MetroNorth.  All around, an out-of-town rail nightmare.  The subway, however, seemed to be operating more or less as per normal.  What a shock!

Stops Under Construction

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Every time I find myself in the Columbus Circle area, it seems that the station is taken over by more construction. Everytime I’m there, it’s like a completely different stop because of all the temporary walls that go up.

The first thing the crews seem to do is establish a home base somewhere at the station. Then, they set up big, blue walls to section off an area to work on.

It used to be that an area would be blocked off, they’d work, and then move on to the next area. Now, it seems like the constuction teams are just taking over the whole station!

I guess it’s a good thing that improvements are being made. Hopefully they will remember to leave standing room on the platforms at least!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…

Last Stop: We don’t use those words anymore

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City Hall Subway LoopThe MTA is testing some new verbiage on the subway aimed at getting rid of the term “last stop.”

Normally, when you come to the end of the line, the announcer says that “this is the last stop.”  Believe it or not, those words are dangerous.  No, we aren’t kidding.  Apparently, people flip out if the suddenly realize that they are still on the train at the last stop. 

The riders panic and try to get off the train, when in reality, the train is just going to go pull a U-Turn and end up on the opposite side of the platform.  But people don’t realize that when they hear, “last stop.”  They must think the train is going to the rail yard for the night or something.

Also, the annoucement is being modified to advise riders that choose to stay on board that they must stay inside the cars until it as come to a complete stop.  Obviously?  Not really.  Some people walk between cars while the train is in “the loop.”  At that time, the train is making a sharp turn.  The cars spread apart and come back together pretty quickly. That’s how a guy died back in January.  He was standing between the cars taking a leak when the train made the sharp City Hall loop.

Gotta love a short week

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Nothing starts the week off right like starting it on Tuesday! Unless of course you live in Brooklyn and rely on the 7 train.

For those that fit that description, it might well have been a rather uneventful weekend.

SUBWAYblogger lives in Manhattan, so the 7 train closure wasn’t that big a deal. However, we feel your pain. Nothing sucks more in your transit life than when your stop is closed. This summer, the bus became our regular weekend alternative to make it over to the nearest express stop.

There’s been protests along the 7 line about the weekend line closure. Unfortunately, it won’t make any difference. In the big picture, closing the line on the weekends is the fastest way to get the work done. Otherwise, it will drag on forever.

Look at it this way, as soon as the work is done, it will be 50 years before they so much as change a lightbulb on that line!

Live from the subway, back to you in studio…