spiritross what are you smoking? I can't think of a worse public transportation system that right here in NYC. In all of my travels I usually see spotlessly clean systems.

And people i'm sure want monkey butlers to serve them drinks on the train too

Come on people

The trains are the cleanest, fastest safest and most frequent they have ever been

sure they aren't perfect

but really

stop the hate

it is the greatest public transportation system in this country

be proud of what you got

Then, as I walked up the steps, some guy turning the corner jumped. Why? A rat was right behind him, which had me doing an instinctive hurdle over it.

I'm going to assume you mean one of the exits at Norman. I'm waiting for the day I hear of an accident at Nassau for this very reason; they keep an often overflowing dumpster right next to the NW (?) exit at Norman which often attracts rats (though I often also see them brazenly eating vomit on the stairs in the non-token booth exit at Nassau). Since the train is short, many people end up running to catch the southbound train. You have to be really careful since the rats dart out suddenly from behind the dumpster, and in order to actually board the train you must pass the dumpster.

Where'd the hairball come from? Hair? Like, from people's heads?

How about getting the token clerks (excuse me, station agents) to clean up once in a while. They don't do anything else.

Not that it's the worst station by any means, but since mister guy mentioned it, why does the 59th st 4/5 stop always smell so strongly of mold? When the doors to the train open the smell just wafts in. . .

Most of those I-beam support columns on the platform have been reduced to rusted gristle held together by twenty layers of lead paint.

Yeah, I'd say that's pretty half-assed maintenance.

Someone got a lighter? Light that @#*( on fire!

Stations get powerwashed bi-weekly AFAIK. They could do it once every 3 months if you want, or never and just have someone sweep the place once in a while. The gun build up is a benefit, its like getting the concrete patched. When my dad came to america, he said that in 30 years there will be 6 inches of solid gum on the platforms.

The MTA needs to have workers cleaning and scrubbing the subways daily like the Japanese do in Tokyo.

slobbery of the passengers, yes. But let's face facts. Some of those subways haven't been cleaned or properly maintained for YEARS. I blame the TWU. Lazy bastards with no pride in their work.

The MTA should be more diligent about cleaning up, but the sorry state of the subways and LIRR, for that matter, is due to the basic slobbery of the passengers.

Eat, drink and urinate when you get home, please? And trash goes in receptacles.

www.forgotten-ny.com

The Nassau stop for the G train has almost made me throw up twice this week. Tonight, as I exited the subway car, which was quite clean, I was hit with a strong urine/feces combo smell that gagged me immediately.

Then, as I walked up the steps, some guy turning the corner jumped. Why? A rat was right behind him, which had me doing an instinctive hurdle over it.

I don't get it.

Minimum wage. A couple of hours to clean the smaller stations. Limited skills required.

Why can't we get this done?

or sewage.

I'm with Jen on this one. Millions of people ride the subways, it's going to be sort of gross, but please, PLEASE can they not smell like urine and feces? PRETTY PLEASE?

That photo is NSFW.

The "River of Shit" on the Queens-bound platform of the Greenpoint Ave. G stop gets my vote. It was pretty strong this past winter.

the sad thing is, by morning there may be 50+ comments detailing all the ways in which the subway system is disgusting, inefficient and broken ("subway complaints" is one of the four major Gothamist hot button issues, after all), but the fact of the matter is we're just not going to get anything better. who's going to kick ass in albany and get them to give us more money? who's going to put the screws to the MTA? it's really quite sad

There's a crumpled decomposing paper towel on the stairs at the 34th street N/R/Q/W station. I've been watching it slowly wither away since I've been at my current job (4 years now).

Wasn't it NBC that did the study four years ago and found female yeast on the handrails in a subway station?