Surprise: MTA Cuts 1, 6 Service, Blames The Summer

Via psq's Flickr

It's not just the L train that has been getting you down: the MTA has reduced the number of trains on the 1 and 6 lines during both rush and off peak periods. Billed as a "seasonal adjustment" because there are fewer riders in the summer, starting July 1 the agency dropped the number of rush-hour trains on the 6 train from 23 an hour to 21, and off peak trains from 15 to 13. The 1 train now has 16 trains an hour down from 18 during rush hour, and 10 trains instead of 12 at all other times. One rider tells the Daily News that a train operator told riders not to board the 6 at Grand Central because, "There's no way they could all fit on this one."

An MTA spokesman tells the paper not to worry, because it's just a pilot program (where have we heard that before?) "Both of these routes have very frequent service, so the customer impact is small," the spokesman says, in addition to spinning the cuts as "reducing our energy use, which has an added environmental benefit." Surely all those folks heading home on the 6 or the 1 will understand.

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By Christopher Robbins in News on July 15, 2011 4:35 PM

Comments [rss]

Shabazz Stuart

Hey Gothamist,

Having read ben's blog, I must commend you for this poorly reported article. It actually does seem to make sense. There are less school kids and commuters in the system during the summer, so the MTA might want to adjust service to compensate? I honestly don't know what people want sometimes. The MTA gets knocked for being inefficient, and then gets knocked for responding to customer trends in an effort to save money. As long as they restore service after the summer slide has eroded, I don't see the problem.

bggb

Also we're talking about trains every 5-6 minutes or so during off hours. God forbid people have to wait any longer than that.

Nate Gray

IMO the reason it's frustrating is not just that the waits are longer, but they we don't get some kind of summer discount for fewer trains. I respect their desire to save money, but they need to respect the millions of people that pay the same hundred dollars every month whether the trains run every 5, 6, 10, or 30 minutes. I recently was told by an agent that trains were running fine after I asked him why there hadn't been a G train for 30 minutes. Not only did he insist that they were running fine, but that I had simply missed the last two... while waiting on the train track for the train... I just missed them. Their concept of customer service is blind ignorance.

whitecastlerock

Fuck the MTA and their shitty service!!!!

Benjamin Kabak

They also told me that after the summer when kids are still in school, they'll bring service levels back. Waits will effectively increase by all of 30 seconds during off-peak hours right now.

http://2avesag.as/otumQV