What's The Deal With Subway Service Announcements?

Can you hear them now? The Straphangers Campaign just released their survey results on subway service announcements, which found that 55% of the time when service is disrupted announcements are either not made, too garbled to understand, or just totally inaccurate. And this is actually a 10% improvement from their last study in 2006!

Your best shot of hearing an announcement is on the 4/5/6, L, M or N trains—which got the best ratings; the worst announcement quality was found on the D, G and 7 trains. Oddly enough, the basic in-car announcements (transfer points, station names, etc) were found to be more than 80% clear and accurate throughout the system.

The Campaign's Jason Chin-Fatt points out, “Poor announcements can mean missed stops, longer trips and a lot more stress." Hear hear! But what's the MTA New York City Transit gonna do about it? NYCT's Paul Fleuranges told us this morning, "We are continuing the effort to improve communications with our customers in all areas. While the inclusion of digitized voice announcements on our newer subway car classes has made a huge difference in quality, we are also working to make certain that train crews keep customers informed when issues arise that may affect their trips."

The study was taken between February 3 and July 11 2009—check out how your line did after the jump.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on April 5, 2010 10:01 AM

Comments [rss]

mcaliban

Gene Russianoff and NYPRIG did not support the abolition of term limits for Mayor Bloomberg allowing him to run again in the last election.

See Daily News Oct. 9 2008 Complaints filed with Conflicts Board on term limits for Mike Bloomberg, City Council

bobchadwick

This is slightly OT, but one of my biggest subway pet peeves is when I'm on a train with a working PA system, and the conductor feels the need to make general announcements. When the PA is working and I hear the chime that precedes a conductor's announcement, I'm expecting to hear something important, like a local train will be running express, or vice versa. I don't need the conductor to tell me that backpacks and other large containers are subject to random search by the police, when the automated announcement just told me the exact same thing.

Kevin Walsh

I wish there was an automated message for the motormen:

"Please do not close the doors in the customers' faces when they are attempting to board the train."

www.forgotten-ny.com

cxb

But BLOOMBAG PROMISED TO REFORM AND FIGHT THE MTA LAST YEAR.

Does Gothamist NOT REMEMBER THAT?

So there's ONE man in NYC you get quotes from when ANYTHING is up with the MTA:

the most powerful man in NY: TAX HIKE MIKE BLOOMBAG.

So WHY doesn't Gothamist hold him accountable?

A: b/c Mike gave them cash. Lots of it, via advertising dollars.

asg749d

I think the main issue has to do with poor speaker systems set to the loudest volume. That combined with the tunnel-like design of subway stations results in poor audio quality.

Whatever the solution, there should be better speakers located closer to each other.

cxb

FUN FACT: the media all uses GENE RUSSIANOFF as their go-to guy against the MTA, but Gene (and NYPirg) are PHONY tools of the "establishment".

(Um, what would you prefer I call it?)

Do you remember Gene and the Straphangers Campaign exposing lies by the MTA or Bloombag before any elections?

(Neither do I.)

(By striking contrast, most non-profits in NYC broke federal law to support Bloombag. I wonder if the billions he doles out in taxpayer monies to these non-profits had any sway!)

WHEN will you people learn that Billionaire Bloombag is the most dangerous person in US history.

EX: no other pol was endorsed by the LEFT wing AND right wing media! Not even Stalin or the Nazis!

Bloombag was the most corrupt person to ever run for office in the first place, having made NONE of his billions legally.

But Gothamist would rather discuss sports scores.