The Subways Are Getting Faster

Plus, near-empty express buses are still running [View this email in your browser]( Meanwhile, Near-Empty Express Buses Are Still Running At Full Service Plus: The subways are getting faster. LIRR platform screens will help riders avoid crowded train cars. And people are coming around to automated camera-based traffic enforcement. By James Ramsay [a near-empty express bus] Stephen Nessen/Gothamist Now a year into the pandemic, the MTA's express buses — like Metro-North and Long Island Railroad trains — continue to see ridership at about 30% of their normal levels. But while Metro-North and the LIRR have cut service to adjust to the reduced number of riders, express buses continue to run on their normal schedules, often resulting in near-empty buses ferrying people from neighborhoods like Todt Hill, Bay Ridge, and Riverdale into Manhattan. "It’s a blessing they’re still working, even [though] it’s empty," said Bay Ridge rider, who takes the bus to his doorman job in Tribeca. "I feel selfish." To be sure, nobody's complaining that express bus service has remained intact — though it is the MTA's most subsidized form of transit, with the government spending $11.79 per person. (Tickets are also comparatively expensive, at $6.75 per trip.) What critics want is increased service all around. "What’s fair is fair," said MTA board member Andrew Albert. "If you’re running full express bus service, you can certainly run full C and F train service, considering the ridership on those lines beats the pants off of any express bus route." The transit workers' union is currently suing the MTA to have full C and F service restored, saying its workers need those assignments back. At a recent MTA board meeting, Interim Transit President Sarah Feinberg said the agency will continue to monitor the C and F lines for overcrowding, but believes it hasn’t been a major problem. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( The Trains Are Going Faster [transit workers in safety vests walk inside a tunnel] Marc Hermann/MTA Early in his tenure as New York City Transit president, Andy Byford asked a question that's probably crossed your mind, too: Why are the trains going so slow? The answer, he learned, was that the subway system was full of damaged, [century-old signals]( that caused trains to automatically hit their emergency brakes, even if they weren’t speeding. Because of that, conductors were driving extra slowly just to avoid setting off the e-brakes. Now, after years of diligently repairing those signals, the trains are going faster. According to the MTA, speeds have increased at 270 different locations throughout the system. If all signals worked properly, the MTA estimates, each train line could run more than five minutes faster from end to end. The agency hopes its $8 billion boost from the federal government will help it get to that point. — [Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( Here's What Else Is Happening Washington Heights is getting a half-mile-long busway on 181st Street. The east- and west-bound bus-only lanes will officially launch on April 26th. For the first 60 days, the Department of Transportation will issue warning letters to violators caught on camera blocking the lanes; after that, the city will begin issuing fines. ([Gothamist]( The City Council is expected to vote on Thursday to have the DOT — and not the NYPD — investigate serious crashes. This comes after the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad admitted to only investigating [about 10%]( of crashes that resulted in critical injuries. Under this new law, a Department of Transportation unit would investigate crashes, while the NYPD would remain responsible for pursuing any criminal charges. ([Streetsblog]( The Long Island Rail Road is installing digital screens on platforms to help riders find less crowded parts of a train. "Customers standing on the platforms can simply look up and see that loading information for an incoming train, and they can move along the platform whichever way they’d like to get to a less crowded car," said LIRR President Phillip Eng. After widespread complaints of crowded train cars earlier this month, the LIRR plans to restore service to 80% of pre-pandemic levels on Monday. ([CBS2]( White-collar suburbanites are ready to start commuting into Manhattan again. While weekday ridership numbers remain low, weekend numbers are up, leading the MTA to conclude that people are comfortable getting back on mass transit, they're just waiting for their offices to reopen. ([The Wall Street Journal]( Mass transit systems around the world fear they're losing riders to cars. Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Rio de Janeiro: They're all struggling to get ridership numbers back up, and officials are concerned that increased vehicle use will have disastrous effects both for air quality and the global fight against climate change. ([The New York Times]( A vast majority of New Yorkers — including motorists — support the use of automated cameras for enforcing traffic violations. A survey from Transportation Alternatives found that 73% of drivers in the city said they'd rather have cameras enforcing speeding, running red lights, and blocking bike or bus lanes, instead of having cops on every corner. This marks an increase from 2016, when a similar survey found that only 60% of motorists supported automated cameras. ([AM New York]( [the logo for the Classical Commute playlist, featuring an illustration of Beethoven in a conductor's car] "When The Dove Enters In," co-written by Langston Hughes and Margaret Bonds and performed here by Davóne Tines, is the right song to listen to whether you're on the go or not. And it's in this week's Classical Commute playlist from WQXR. [Stream it for free on Spotify.]( Weekend Service Changes: Night of March 26th – Early Morning on March 29th Note: The entire subway system is still closed each night this weekend from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. The MTA has not yet posted service updates for the weekend. [Check here]( for when they do go live. [Check here]( for complete details about the Long Island Rail Road. For NJ Transit, [check here]( for the latest service advisories. James Ramsay isn't big on indoor fitness classes, but [this guy]( seems to have it figured out. (Photo by Amy Pearl) Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. Your contributions are our largest source of funding and pays for essential transportation coverage and more. [Donate]( Copyright © 2021 New York Public Radio, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: New York Public Radio 160 Varick Street New York, NY 10013 [unsubscribe]( [update preferences]( [privacy policy](