https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs...4whtcdT_JdzMxs
Signal problems often force subway riders to switch up their rush hour routines.
"If there's a signal problem between an express and a local, you're able to kind of offset one against the other. So depending on if you can do that, the impact is not as much, however, it's still an issue that we need to think about," said regular subway rider Terrance Paulin.
Transit advocates crunched MTA data and found just how common signal problems are.
According to the report, one or more signals malfunctioned in 78 percent of all morning rush hours last year.
In 2018, the report says it was even worse, with at least one signal problem occurring 92 percent of the time.
"Signal problems are among the most persistent issues on the subway and they cause an especial amount of anxiety and frustration,” said Danny Pearlstein of Riders Alliance. “Our subway signals rely on technology from the 1930s on vast parts of the subway system."
The MTA says the report is misleading, given the system has 11,000 signals, more than 20 lines and thousands of train trips each morning.
The agency adds that the real story is how much signal problems are declining, thanks in part to a nearly $850 million repair blitz that began two and a half years ago.
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