An unidentified woman described by the NYPD as "Asian and in her 40s" was fatally run over in Queens this morning around 8 a.m. The FDNY tells us she was declared dead at the scene of the accident, at the intersection of Northern Blvd and Union Street in Flushing. According to the FDNY, she may have been struck by a bus and multiple vehicles, and an NYPD spokesman tells us investigators are still trying to determine if the woman was hit by a bus or another vehicle. more ›

A group of emotionally scarred commuters who were trapped on an A train for eight hours overnight during last year's Christmas weekend blizzard are suing the MTA. Nearly 500 souls were stuck aboard the train when it ground to a halt between the Aqueduct and Rockaway Boulevard stations around 1 a.m. on December 26th, as three feet of snow piled up around them. Desperation quickly set in: Twitter user OMJohnnyG wrote, "Son!!! I wanna go home!!! Dudes on the train talking about cannibalism lol I want out!!!" more ›

A paranoid ex-con fatally shot his girlfriend's teenage son, then killed one person and injured another on a Q111 NYC Transit bus in Queens during a 15 minute shooting spree yesterday afternoon. According to the News, Damel Burton, 34, told cops the bus shooting occurred because he believed the commuters were plotting against him. “People on the bus were on the phone and he thought they were talking about him,” a police source said. more ›

A shooting broke out on a Q111 NYC Transit bus in Queens at around 4:04 p.m. today. The incident, at Parsons Boulevard and Archer Avenue, left one man dead at the scene and another wounded after being shot in the face. The shooter apparently just walked onto the bus and started firing. Police say he is in custody. more ›

The M50 bus, which travels cross-town on 49th and 50th Streets between First and Twelfth Avenues, won the Pokey award for the slowest bus in NYC this year, according to the annual analysis conducted by the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives. The "victory" for the M50 is something of an upset, because for the past two years the crosstown M42 bus line has crawled away with the "uncoveted" Pokey for slowest bus service. But this year the M50 had the slowest bus speed, hitting 3.5 miles per hour as clocked at 12 noon on a weekday. more ›

The Post has caught another MTA station-booth clerk catching some ill-timed zzz's. They snapped a photo of the unidentified worker sleeping at the 18th Avenue F train stop in Brooklyn at 4 a.m. Wednesday. The worker is now under investigation as a result, and an MTA spokeswoman said, "It goes without saying that such behavior will not be tolerated by MTA New York City Transit and it is deeply disturbing to us." But here's what we're wondering: why does the Post get off so much on catching MTA workers sleeping? more ›

New York's Citizen Budget Commission released a report [pdf] yesterday deeming the city's subway system "among the most efficient in the nation." Compared with other sizable US mass transit systems, New York's subway has the "lowest cost per passenger trip," the "second-lowest cost per passenger mile," and the "second-lowest cost per hour of service." However, the subway is still the worst place to enjoy classic Italian fare in peace, and the second-worst venue to pleasure your lady friend (sucks to be you, Parisian Catacombs!). more ›

Help is on the way at two Manhattan subway stations along the Lexington Avenue line, where today the MTA unveiled the pilot program for the newly-designed Help Points, "an easily recognizable communications tool for subway customers who need to report an emergency or ask for assistance." As we explained back in September, these high-tech gizmos enable straphangers to actually communicate with responders at NYC Transit's Rail Control Center. more ›

DNAinfo has a photograph of blood on the platform and reports, "The man, who was not identified, was knocked unconscious onto the platform, according to an MTA worker at the scene. The worker said the injured man looked like he was in his 20s." more ›

Yesterday passengers were lucky not to fall from the M train's elevated tracks in Brooklyn, as one of the subway's doors opened before the train had fully pulled into the Marcy Avenue station. NY1 reports that yesterday evening one train never fully pulled into the station, but the doors opened and some passengers attempted to get off. Witness Maryanne Lebron said, "They were rushing off and thank God the first passenger that was getting off was able to realize before falling down that there was no platform so he held on and the three people behind him pretty much stopped short, which kind of like saved their lives." Where have we seen this before? more ›

Earlier this morning, the MTA said that things with NYC Transit's subways and buses were "near normal" but to check its website. One reader told us, "I checked the MTA's web site before heading out the door and saw that the F train was listed as having 'Good Service.' Then I arrived at the 7th Avenue station in Brooklyn to find it packed with people. An F train pulled in but many people including myself could not squeeze into it. Then there was a (rare) announcment informing the crowd that there are 'extensive delays on the F line due to the weather.'" more ›

The MTA had a challenging morning, after basically a foot of snow fell, forcing the agency to suspend bus service citywide, suspend some subway lines, and make adjustments to the LIRR and Metro-North trains. Now the MTA gives an update for this evening's rush hour commute, "We're working hard to restore full service in the aftermath of a storm that dumped nineteen inches of snow on New York City and more than a foot of snow in other parts of the region. While we have restored service across the entire system, recovery efforts are ongoing and customers may still experience some delays and cancellations..." more ›

Last weekend, the MTA had planned to suspend F and G train service between Jay Street-MetroTech and Church Avenue in Brooklyn. But at the last minute, post-traumatic snow phobia gave local residents a reprieve, and the work was rescheduled to... this weekend! From 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday, January 17th, free shuttle buses will replace F and G service between those two stops. An MTA spokesperson explains that the subway service is being suspended because they just like messing with your head. Kidding, it's for a really important reason! more ›

Good news everybody! Currently if you have a defective unlimited Metrocard and wanted a new one (the nerve!) you have to go and find a token booth clerk, get a preaddressed, postage-paid envelope and a form from them, and mail it all to the MTA for a replacement or refund. If the clerks even have the forms (they mostly don't). But that system is almost behind us. more ›

Most of us still call them "token booths," so it's not too surprising that the workers inside can't help much with the newfangled MetroCards. Reporters for the Daily News approached three different token booth sseeking help with a defective MetroCard, and each time found MTA employees unable to help. Three's a trend! The tabloid also spoke with an unidentified Manhattan man who says he went to "six to 10 different booths" when a MetroCard he bought for his daughter failed. And not one of the clerks inside those booths could help in, or even offer a preaddressed, postage-paid envelope to mail in a request for a replacement MetroCard or refund. more ›

The state legislature's attempt to bail out the MTA last year has fallen $400 million short, because tax revenues were considerably less than anticipated. You'll recall that back in May 2009, with Doomsday looming, the legislature passed a $2.26 billion plan to bail out the MTA by way of a big payroll tax and numerous other surcharges, including a 50-cent taxi fee; increased costs for a driver's license; and car-rental, garage-parking and license fees. But revenues have fallen short of projections, and now the MTA faces another budget gap, again. Please be patient. more ›

When news came in that thousands of signal inspections had been faked by MTA workers for a while, possibly putting straphangers at risk of a dangerous collision, we were at least pleased to hear that Signal Department supervisor Tracy Bowdwin had resigned (or was demoted, depending on whom you talk to). Burn it down and start over, right? Well, according to the Post, NYC Transit general superintendent Alan Doran has been promoted to senior officer despite having overseen faulty subway-signal inspections 10 years ago. Unfortunately, we can't say we're surprised. more ›

According to an investigation by Barry L. Kluger, Inspector General of the MTA, a number NYC Transit supervisors forced maintainers to lie on vital signal inspection reports, threatening them with things like loss of overtime. But one signal maintainer argued that meeting the MTA's exacting standards was just too hard. He told the Post, "Instead of five signals to inspect [in a shift], they would give you 15. There's no way 15 could be done, but they would say you had to do it. It's like you think your car is fine after going to the mechanic, but they never looked at it." more ›

Last month, the Straphangers Campaign released the results of their "State of the Subways" study, which said that subway service was getting better. However, they were only able to test service on three out of six measures, and the MTA's comprehensive report back in July said service was declining. New statistics from the Transit Committee Meeting [pdf] confirm that downward trend, showing that trains are running slower and breaking down more than they did last year. MTA Board member Doreen Frasca told the Post, "September does not look like it was a home run for us. It feels like this is not going in the right direction." more ›

After releasing a report last year admitting that the F train was really f'ed up, the MTA says service on the subway line has improved significantly. So significantly, in fact, that officials have decided there's no reason for a proposed F train task force to bother meeting as planned. City Room reports that a proposed review of the F train’s timetable, which had not been revised since 2001, is no longer in the works, because the MTA is satisfied with performance on the F line. But State Senator Daniel Squadron, who lives along the F line in Carroll Gardens, says the MTA needs to make more of an effort. more ›

With the cost of a monthly MetroCard soon becoming an approximate gajillion dollars, the New York Times sheds some light on alternative forms of transportation. They're calling the PATH train the "last truly underground bargain of New York," with a single ride costing just $1.75 and a 30-day past costing $54. And the conductors actually get mad at those kids selling candy! One West Village resident said, “I like to think of it as a little neighborhood secret," and says he has abandoned the 1 train altogether. Now if everybody just moved to the west side of Manhattan between Christopher Street and 33rd Street, we'd all enjoy that savings! more ›

As Frost (OK, a character in a Frost poem) once said, "Good fences make good neighbors." But we're sure building better sidewalks and making sure you're not blocking entrances to your neighbors' businesses can't hurt. After a number of SNAFUs on the 2nd Avenue Subway project, the MTA is trying to make good with the locals by fixing up the construction path. And like the disillusioned, battered wife to the 2nd Avenue Subway's drunken husband, we find ourselves willing to hope once more that this time things will be different. more ›