Why riders can easily trip emergency brakes on NYC’s subway trains

Plus: Bright, white lights coming to every subway station [On The Way - from WNYC and Gothamist] Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( Why riders can easily trip emergency brakes on NYC’s subway trains By [Stephen Nessen]( and [Clayton Guse]( In New York City, it only takes the pull of a handle to bring a subway train to a screeching halt. It’s so easy, in fact, that vandals do it hundreds of times per year. The most recent incident where a subway emergency brake caused mayhem was last month, when a vandal pulled the cord on a train on the 1 line. The train [was disabled, and later derailed](. MTA Chair Janno Lieber [said emergency brakes on subway trains were pulled 1,700 times last year]( — but only 30 of the instances were for legitimate emergencies. All those prank pulls can add up, causing hours of delays. In the case of the derailment in January, dozens of people were injured, although that was due to an apparent operator error when moving the car with the locked brakes to the train yard. Still, it all started with someone pulling an emergency brake. But the MTA makes it easy: On the agency’s older subway trains, the emergency brake cord dangles at the end of each car. On the MTA’s newest trains, the trigger is tucked away in a small cabinet, officially referred to as a “Passenger Emergency Handle Unit.” But it’s still in public view and is easily accessible. So why does the MTA leave, at least in the older train cars, emergency brake cords hanging there, tempting would be vandals with a red handle that swings with the train’s movements? The Federal Railroad Administration does require them to be in place on trains, but the subway isn’t governed by the agency. An MTA spokesperson said they’re not required to have emergency brake cords on subway trains, but noted “we’re keeping in best safety practices.” So when is the right time to pull the brake? The MTA’s [own website]( leaves it somewhat open to interpretation, directing riders to “only pull the brake if the train's continued movement presents an immediate danger to people.” The New York Times in 2010 [reported]( the MTA said “if someone gets caught between the train’s closing doors, or between subway cars,” it’s a good time to pull the emergency brakes. The grim occasion for that piece was a stabbing on a subway train that was between stations. Someone pulled the emergency brakes, trapping everyone in a dark tunnel, with the knife wielder. An MTA spokesperson clarified that examples where a brake pull would be appropriate include when a parent or child are separated or someone is having a “medical episode.” [Ad: click for 30% off tickets to dongpo at david h koch theater]( Sponsored Ad What New York is reading this week [a lit-up subway station]( Marc A. Hermann/MTA [MTA to install bright, white lights in every NYC subway station]( - The transit agency said it plans to replace orange-tinted fluorescent lights with LED bulbs by the end of 2026 in an effort to make stations feel safer. [Read more](. - The city comptroller’s office is suing two MTA contractors for underpaying workers hired to clean subway cars and stations during the height of the pandemic. [Read more](. - Police said a man lying on the tracks of the West 4th St– Washington Square station was struck and killed by an F train early Thursday morning, marking the second fatality on the F line this week. [Read more](. - The company that runs the NYC Ferry service has filed for bankruptcy. (It's a financial maneuver — the boat operator says ferry service won't be affected.) [Read more](. - Several disability rights groups have sued the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission for failing to comply with a previous settlement requiring half of the city's taxis to be wheelchair-accessible. ([The New York Times]( - The mom of a Manhattan teen who died while subway surfing last year is suing TikTok, Instagram and the MTA for not doing enough to prevent her son from attempting the deadly stunt. ([The New York Post]( [Ad: click for 30% off tickets to dongpo at david h koch theater]( Ad Curious commuter “Why is the G train so short?” - VS, From Brooklyn What Stephen says: Most of the city’s subway trains have 10 cars — but the G line only runs with five. And the shorter trains often require riders to sprint down a platform to board. The MTA says this isn’t an accident, claiming there aren’t enough G train riders to justify longer trains. “The MTA routinely monitors ridership on all lines to assess crowding and the G train is not experiencing a capacity issue,” spokesperson Joana Flores wrote in a statement. The MTA did recently [boost midday and weekend service]( on the G line, while evening service is supposed to run every 8 minutes. Have a question? Follow [@Gothamist on Instagram]( for special opportunities and prompts to submit questions. If you're not on Instagram, email [cguse@wnyc.org](mailto:cguse@wnyc.org ?subject=Curious%20Commuter) or [snessen@wnyc.org](mailto:snessen@wnyc.org?subject=Curious%20Commuter) with the subject line "Curious Commuter question." You must provide your first name + borough (or city if outside of NYC) to have your question considered. Service Tips - This weekend, from Friday night through Monday morning: - In Queens, Manhattan-bound 7 trains will skip 111 St, 103 St-Corona Plaza, 90 St-Elmhurst Av and 82 St-Jackson Hts. - In Manhattan, F trains will not stop at Broadway-Lafayette St, 2 Av, Delancey St-Essex St, East Broadway and York St. - In Manhattan, L trains won't run between 14 St-Union Sq and 8 Av. - In Brooklyn, Bay Ridge-bound R trains will skip Union St, 4 Av-9 St, Prospect Av, 25 St, 45 St and 53 St. - Through the first quarter of 2024 the M train will not travel above 57th street, and the F train will run on the E line between Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave. These changes to the F line means there's no subway service at Roosevelt Island, but the MTA is providing shuttle buses instead. More details [here](. - Every borough currently has one free bus route. [Find yours](. This week in NYC transit history [Andy Byford on his last day on the job at NYCTransit]( WNYC Archives 'Train Daddy' leaves the station It’s been four years since former NYC Transit president Andy Byford left his post. The British subway boss was hired by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2018 to whip the city’s mass transit into shape — and quickly became a popular public figure. But as he garnered more attention — including [a “60 Minutes” feature]( — the governor soured on him, and eventually forced him out of the job. Byford was at the MTA for just two years, and became an unusually beloved transit boss who was given the nickname “Train Daddy.” Hundreds of New Yorkers gathered at the MTA’s lower Manhattan headquarters for [his final day on Feb. 21, 2020](. After he left the agency, he went on to run Transport for London — and is now [working on high speed rail projects at Amtrak](. [Ad: click for 30% off tickets to dongpo at david h koch theater]( Ad [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [YouTube]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.