Spotted On The 6 Train: Piles Of "Rat-Filled" Garbage

Via The Daily News

The Daily News has quite the juicy "exclusive" today with a story about MTA workers using an in-service subway train to transport piles of "rat-filled" garbage. You can't see any rats in this photo of trash on the 6 train, but the News headline says they're in there, and do you really want to root around and find out? Also unsettling is the color of the bags, which evokes those medical waste biohazard bags. An anonymous MTA worker tells the tabloid:

I've seen stacks of bags, leaking, blocking the doorway, blocking seats. It may be 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. in the morning, but this is New York City. There's always people on the train. They will look at it like, 'What are they doing?' You see people picking up their feet because it will leak down the train.

Real New Yorkers know that's just the city's irrigation system at work. In a statement, the MTA says it's conducting an investigation, adding, "It is not our practice to use in-service trains for trash removal." Indeed, anyone who's waited "forever" on a subway platform late at night knows the despair of hearing a train "finally" approach, only to discover it's the dreaded "trash train," which grinds to a halt so that workers can load it up with garbage.

The News's source claims trash collected from the subway tracks is piled in tunnels just outside the stations, but when there isn't room for it there, crews load it onto regular trains for a short haul. John Samuelsen, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, adds a little color: "When track workers walk past those bags, we give them a wide berth, knowing if you walk close to a bag, a rat could jump out right on top of you." If that ever happens to you—and it's only a matter of time—be sure to record video and send it to NYC the Blog, your one-stop internet hub for all your horrifying rat video needs.

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

By John Del Signore in News on April 13, 2011 9:48 AM

Comments [rss]

diablofreak

boo. needs more mta workers sleeping

xXxMExXx

The anti-vehicle crowd should fully support the trash using mass-transit instead of choosing it's own transportation. Less trucks on the road, right??

xXxMExXx

The anti-vehicle crowd should fully support the trash using mass-transit instead of choosing it's own transportation. Less trucks on the road, right??

cmdrogogov

other than the inherent inefficiency at having to haul garbage bags down into the subway from the street in the first place - but since you've clearly thought this through...

Kevin Gillespie

why would this be shocking to ANYONE

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

If they're rat filled, can't a rat just bite and chew it's way out of a plastic bag? And, those bags are so small compared to trash bags. Could barely fit one rat in them.
Nothing to see here. Though the yellow trash trains are cool seeing how the flat bed side lowers and they wheel the trash bins in.

nicemarmot

Aren't pretty much all piles of garbage in the city rat-filled? Also, I would be very impressed if a rat managed to jump off that pile and land on top of me. That would be quite the leap.

Non¢

I wouldn't mind riding the train with these bags. They are an upgrade to some of the people that I find on the train on a daily basis. At least these bags won't beg for money, fight, or sing loudly.

tien

Or clip their finger/toe-nails or eat food? Though I guess the rats are eating food.

Guest

Those trash trains don't smell as bad as you would expect them to.

jibbly

Except for the horrible diesel fumes they leave behind, blech.

Guest

Good point!

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Guest

Totally avoidable if there were more bike lanes.

BKPhil

Not if you ban trans fat.

Guest

makes me wanna smoke a cig... D'OH!

Kate

OMG I'm scared, the garbage bag is a bright color!

Yawn.

unretrofiedforu

Then the chick yells when a rat walks by her feet.

cmdrogogov

This is what happens when you cut budgets irresponsibly.

unretrofiedforu

"NO! NO! DONT RAISE MY FARES! I ONLY ENCOURAGE HOARDS OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TO COME HERE AND FILL UP ZONING QUOTAS VIA SHADY REAL ESTATE DEALS BUT YOU CANT RAISE FARES!!!!!!"