Thanks to the intense heat "dome" currently enveloping us, at least 13 of the MTA's beloved countdown clocks have been taken down for the count! But which ones? more ›

Spotted at the 103rd Street 1 station by reader hendrx81, who said, "Where this train is going, there are no roads." more ›

After concluding an $800,000 pilot program that began back in 2006, the DOT is ready to start installing thousands of countdown clocks at busy intersections in all five boroughs. After analyzing "mountains of data" gathered at 25 intersections equipped with cameras to videotape pedestrians, the DOT determined that the timers are most effective on wide streets. more ›

Over the past week, NYC Transit has been posting photographs of the countdown clocks—or PA/CIS system—in some IRT train stations, which will help customers know how much longer they'll have to wait for the train. Remember, MTA Chairman Jay Walder thinks they'll take some of the angst out of your commutes! The MTA believes that all 152 IRT stations (not including 7) will be activated by 2011, while 75 will be activated by year's end. There is no schedule, because as the NYC Transit answered one rider's query about when countdown clocks would be installed at Grand Central-42nd Street and 23rd Street on the 6 line via Twitter, "Don't have schedule; activations based on stability of platform in a given zone." more ›

Uptown on the A and C lines, the MTA is testing out convenient countdown clocks like the ones used in L train terminals. "I think it's great," said Richard Lehman at 145th St. "I never understood why they didn't do it before." The answer? Because they're expensive and the authority has cash-flow problems—in recent days it's been criticized for its constant and unpredictable service cuts and changes. Timers at four stations—145th, 155th, 163rd and 168th streets—cost $20,000, and and though expansion of the system may be more of a band-aid than a solution, passengers are grateful nonetheless. "It's good to know how long it's going to be because you have other options, different choices," said another rider at a newly-equipped terminal. more ›

The MTA's $200 million plan to install countdown clocks at all numbered train line stations is moving forward, though it's already running slightly behind schedule, the Times reports. By the end of next month, MTA NYC Transit will start the clocks at the Longwood Avenue, Brook Avenue and East 149th Street 6 train stations in the Bronx, but the installation of the timepieces in the remaining 152 numbered stations won't be completed until April 2011 — despite previous reports of a December 2010 finish. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg is calling for the MTA to eliminate the fare of the most frequently used—and very slow—crosstown bus lines such as the M50 and M14. Perhaps sensing that the campaign season was beginning to get bogged down in talk of neverending term limits and a recent poll that showed challenger Bill Thompson closing the gap among voters, the Bloomberg campaign came out today with a 33-point proposal to reshape the transit system throughout the five boroughs. After largely letting the MTA stew in its own juices throughout the budget crisis, Bloomberg is reminding New Yorkers that he is still the mayor who not that long ago attempted to make congestion pricing his legacy. more ›