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The NY subway might be edged out by the London Underground - very, very fast service, and clean. But, it doesn't run all night.
This is true; not only have we got the only 24/7 system in the world, we've also got the only one with four-track configurations, allowing simultaneous uptown and downtown expresses and locals.
Incidentally, I saw some claim on a website that the subway in Beijing is about to become the largest system in the world, when it passes 305 miles in length and therefore, London's. Someone forgot to do their homework; the subway in New York has 722 miles of track. Beijing still has a ways to go.
I ride the train every day at least twice, and find myself delayed/inconvenienced only about once a month. (By this I mean that there is either an unexpected re-routing or we are stopped on a track for a period of time that causes me to be late to my destination). Compared to my previous commuting experience as a driver in another state, this is nothing.
I've also been to London and D.C., and although their systems are nicer in appearance, they are nowhere near as convenient. If I have to DRIVE to the subway, worry about not being able to take the train home due to it being late, can't figure out how to get somewhere within two transfers because its too far/complicated/impossible, or wait 15 minutes or more for a train to come, then that system is not convenient. End of story.
I'm a lifelong new yorker- born and raised in Brooklyn and have been riding the subways my entire life. i too often find myself hating the subways from time to time- the delays, the filth, the lack of ventilation in the summertime, the complete shutdown of certain lines when a few drops of rain fall in the spring, the mysterious workings of the metrocard machines that sometime refuse to read a FULL metrocard, etc etc-- but i have to stop myself right there. for $2 , i can travel ANYWHERE i need to go within the boroughs- i can go out drinking, and not worry about being too drunk to drive- i can go out for dinner and not worry about parking, i can often times get somewhere FASTER than friends who are driving because i don't have to sit in traffic.
the point is- many times we take the subway system for granted. and yeah, we have "accepted" with a bit of resignation that "that's new york for you", but honestly, nowhere in the WORLD, can you get from point A to point B for 2 bux regardless of how far point A and B are, what time you're travelling, and how many transfers you have to make in between. I understand that london has an amazing system, beijings trying to develop an enhanced system, as well as that there are several "cleaner, newer, more efficient, and more convenient" systems out there in the world, but not only do we have the oldest system, the largest system, but we have a system that has so much character it is embedded into the quintessential new york experience. its stands to reason that no matter how "horrific" the new york city subways are, every tourist comes to the city and makes a point to ride the trains at least ONCE.
people can complain about inconvenience on the subways- and yea there are certain parts of the system where i think to myself "why the hell isn't there an easy transfer" or "why doesn't this line meet this line" but at the end of the day, i, along with millions of other new yorkers, forsake the option to have a car, and ride the subways. and it is a testament to the greatness of our system, no matter how FLAWED, that we are able to say that main mode of transportation in our great city is the subway.
Good points zsixnyc. The trains can get REALLY annoying, but everything you said is true. I've been riding those trains for 27 years now and they have served me well. Yeah, the MTA doesn't exactly ingratiate itself with many but its a good system despite their incompetence. Thanks in large part to the workers who keep the system running day and night 24 seven.
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For the most part I really don't like public transportation, but in days like today where storms get terrible, I would much rather be taking the subway than driving.
For the most part I really don't like public transportation, but in days like today where storms get terrible, I would much rather be taking the subway than driving.
Incidentally, for those of you who ride the C line, and have noticed the trains making different stops (they've got 8-car trains stopping at the 10-car marker, meaning that people at the end of the station have to literally run for their train)...take heart! This is a temporary inconvenience. Believe it or not, there's a shortage of equipment that should be resolved soon, and then the C train will start running full ten-car trains--which has not happened on this line before.
I've been all over the world and I 100% agree with the OP that the NY subway is the worst in the world. I have riden on probably 20 different networks in various countries, most of them 3rd world, but some in Europe and none can compare to the utter Moderator cut: dirtyness and depravity of what you'll experience here. I come from a long line of transit workers, so I have a particular fancy for trains/buses and know a decent bit about how they operate.
The reasons for this are numerous, I'd have to write a book. So here's some bullet points:
- Its an old system, 100 years old
- When it was built they used the cut and cover method instead of tunnel boring, so unlike London's system ours is harder to modernize, because if you screw around with it too much the ceiling/road will cave in
- The MTA is a joke, they're basically like the opposite of King Midas, everything they touch turns to Moderator cut: dirt
- Unionized transit workers, even compared to government workers and other normal unionized workers in this country are extremely innefficient/lazy. Have you ever tried getting help from a token booth clerk? The usual response from them is that they act pissed off that you are bothering them.
- Another good example of this are the ex-welfare people (Ready, Willing, and Able folks) who are hired to clean the trains at the end of the lines. Most of them are either lazy or unsupervised, so they do a poor job at keeping the trains clean.
- Because of all of the Unions/red tape it costs a damn fortune to modernize/fix up stations
- The fares are actually pretty low compared to most 1st world countries (I think the base fare in London is $4 dollars and goes up from there depending upon how far you travel), and yet there are organized groups (straphangers organization) who will agitate and cause problems if the fares are increased by normal ammounts based on inflation
- Furthermore the MTA is constantly underfunded by the state/federal government (most other subway systems in the world are in the country's capital so they get a good deal of money to keep them looking nice. Here in NYC we get little from the Feds and not enough from the state to run the largest transit network in the country.
- The MTA itself doesn't have open books, so whatever little money it does have, it manages to waste through corruption (see the recent scandal at the LIRR with 90% of retirees mooching off of the disability system)
- Most of the people in the city are pretty provincial and haven't visited other world cities, so they always compare the subway system to how it used to look 30 years ago when the city was bankrupt instead of how other subway system operate in the rest of the world today
- So as long as the subway trains aren't 100% covered in graffiti most NYers are happy and won't complain
- The MTA fixes up subway stations based upon how many people use them, this often results in highly used Manhattan station being in better condition than in poorer outerborough neighborhoods (compare 86th street/33rd street on the lexington ave line to 138th or 149th). As a result most of the wealthier people in the city who are the most capable of advocating for upgrades see no need to do anything because their stations are actually some of the better in the system.
- Most poor people in the city don't seem to be overly concerned with the dilapidated status of their subway stations so they don't advocate for reform (many are immigrants, some illegal, so most of them keep their mouths shut anyways and aren't actively involved in the political process)
- Finally, and this is a pretty big factor, NYers on the whole are a bunch of slobs. The subway systems don't get dirty on their own, someone has to throw litter around and most NYers are more than happy to fulfill that role. Just keep that in mind the next time you are looking down at the tracks and see a bunch of metrocards, newspapers, and mcdonalds wrappers. To some degree we have ourselves to blame for the mess that the subway is in.
Last edited by mead; 12-20-2008 at 01:15 PM..
Reason: Language
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