First, fancy new train cars, now, silencio! The pilot program for quiet cars on Metro-North trains has proven so popular that it'll be rolled out to all lines. According to the Post, "The railroad says the last car on all morning trains and the first car on all evening trains will be designated as quiet cars. That means cellphones, music players and other electronic devices will be prohibited unless they can be operated quietly. Headphones will have to be at a volume that cannot be heard by others. Conversation must be subdued." more ›

An MTA worker tells the Daily News that the person struck by a subway train at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue was a man who committed suicide. "He jumped so suddenly," the worker says. "The driver never even saw him. He was dead before he even hit the tracks." Surveillance footage reportedly shows the unidentified 37-year-old man leaping in front of a northbound E train around 4:30 p.m. more ›

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." more ›

The LIRR service disruptions, which were caused by an Amtrak train derailment in an East River tunnel on Sunday, are continuing this morning, and the MTA says get used to it. Rush hour service is expected to be affected through "at least" Wednesday. This morning the MTA reduced the number of trains that it normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush by 25 percent: a total of 22 of the 98 trains are be canceled, terminated or diverted this morning, and you can expect the same for the evening rush. On the bright side, at least everybody's keeping this situation in perspective on Twitter: more ›

After an Amtrak train derailed in an East River tunnel yesterday, the Long Island Railroad is experiencing heavy delays and a "significantly reduced" schedule this morning. 23 westbound trains are cancelled, diverted, or terminating at Jamaica Station, where passengers can transfer to the subway into Manhattan. According to the MTA, about a quarter of the trains that the LIRR normally operates into Penn Station during the morning rush will be affected. Officials expect more cancellations and delays for tonight's p.m. rush as well! Let's turn to Twitter to see how people are coping: more ›

This morning, there have been a couple crashes with multiples injuries. One was on the Cross Bronx Expressway, between a tractor-trailer, a van and other cars, with at least seven injured. The other was on the Manhattan Bridge, involving a motorcycle and two cars. more ›

More facts have emerged from yesterday's subway face slashing. Despite initial reports that the attack on the 3 train took place with a pencil, it now appears the weapon was a pen. And that cigarette that the attacker was supposedly lighting up on the subway? It was actually more like a blunt. Perhaps he thought yesterday was 4/20? more ›

[Update Below] As much as we love the subway—and boy do we love the subway—we do have some not-entirely irrational fears about it. Like, what if we end up on the garbage train? What if we get in the middle of a food-related fight? What if the rat guy is in our car? And more seriously, what if we fall into the tracks? Now we can add another probably irrational fear to that list: What if a homeless man stabs us in the head with a pencil? more ›

Forget the days of colorful, clunky seating filling up the subway cars—the future is here, straphangers, and it looks mighty uncomfortable. The new flip-up seats arrived late last year, and we finally spotted them this morning on the E train (as you can see, the perfect line to test the rush hour seats on!), so we thought we'd check in with the MTA on their fleet of ten testing cars. Deirdre Parker, Deputy Director of Public Affairs, tells us they were brought in for "a test to see if it would add capacity on crowded lines during rush hour. Those seats are locked in the down position and will remain that way. There is no plan at this point to run those cars in the up position." Parker wouldn't answer why the seats were remaining locked, or if they would ever be unlocked, so for now we'll just assume they had some extra cash burning a hole in their pockets. more ›

Surprise: there's a big difference between the kind of efficiency commuter rails are reporting and the delays commuters are experiencing. Though New Jersey Transit and Metro North Rail Road claim almost 96% of trains were on time last year, the Times discovered the numbers were vastly skewed by trains that ran on time during off-peak hours. During rush hours, they found almost 25% of NJT trains coming into Manhattan were running late, and LIRR customers traveling from Huntington to Manhattan arrive late one out of every ten trips. But if a train is always late doesn't that become the new "on time"? more ›

Dan Dickinson Tweeted this photo just before 9 a.m., "What happens when there's only one working up escalator at PATH WTC during rush hour." And, as it happens, according to the PATH's Twitter, "Management staff will be at WTC Station today from 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM to answer your service questions." more ›

Subway ridership dropped last year but the Staten Island ferry had people hanging off the railings. Passenger numbers set an all-time record: more than 21 million people rode the ferry in 2009, reports the Staten Island Advance. During rush hours sleepy commuters couldn’t catch a nap since all the seats were taken; they couldn’t get a pick-me-up since the concessions line took almost as long as the ride. "Ferry riders tell us we're on the right track and we will continue to look for new ways to make their rides as safe, comfortable and attractive as they can be,” said DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. more ›

Taking a cue from Flatbush Avenue’s Dollar Vans, some yellow cabs will begin running on routes with predetermined stops where passengers can get on and off. Best of all, the credit card swipe for these “group rides” will be significantly less costly than in a single-payer situation. In Midtown Manhattan the group rides will be available during the morning rush hour from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. "The concept really boils down to: take less money out of passengers’ pockets, put more money in drivers’ pockets, put less pollution in the air, and give passengers more transportation options," said outgoing Taxi and Limousine Commission chief Matt Daus. more ›

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(directed by Jeffrey Blitz) more ›

Franklin spent more than two decades working among trains and on the tracks where he would eventually die, but his passion was art and he carried a sketchbook with him nearly always. In a poignant intersection of two stories this week, when two homeless men were also killed in one night while in the subway system, the people who lived in the subway were Franklin's frequent subjects. Marvin Franklin was awarded Best in Show for his art work at the 2006 City Workers Invitational, hosted by the 136-year-old Salmagundi Art Club. The honor included a year's membership in the club. The work he entered was a watercolor chosen from his "Homeless Series." Some of Franklin's sketches of the homeless in the subway system can be seen here. One of the last watercolors Franklin completed can be viewed here (scroll down). He held a degree in illustrative arts from the Fashion Institute of Technology and spent many of his off-hours studying and practicing at the Art Students League. The New York Times reported that for his retirement, Franklin's dream was to open a gallery and give the proceeds to the homeless, the people he worked around for 22 years. more ›

This week the box office juggernaut that is the new , there's still tons of repertory to take in instead this weekend. more ›

Our commenters make it into the Times! In Motoko Rich's article about cliches about Japan and the Japanese coming from Hollywood films, one of Gothamist's posts about Lost in Translation becomes a rich resource of quotes. Debate broke out over whether or not the film is racist or on the nose. There is a murky area between what would be acceptable if it came from an American/white director versus a Japanese/Asian director (the latter possibly having more leeway for satire, though an eagle eye would be afixed on accuracy), as well as the film being critically well received (like Lost in Translation) or a film not as worried about ideas (Rising Sun, Rush Hour, anyone?); for our money, many Japanese men of a certain age are shorter than Bill Murray, so that sight gag worked. Some of our regular posters quoted, but not named, are Frankenstein (whose quotes are even kept in the article) and RIO. So keep your comments coming, dear readers – the Times needs its quotes! more ›

A picture of what happened during the terrible tragedy of the Staten Island Ferry ship, the Anthony J. Barberi, crashing into piling near the SI Ferry's piers is starting to emerge. The ship was approaching and missed the piers at a high speed. When the second captain was unable to gain total control of the ship, the ship slammed into a maintenance pier, and then that concrete pier sheared the side of the ship. People fell into the water, girders were torn out, boards were splintered. It's unclear how many were on the boat at the time; officials believe the 3:30 ferry was at full capacity, 1500 passenger. Mayor Bloomberg reported 10 died with many injured. While he did not give any thoughts about what might have caused the crash, he did suggest that the 45 MPH winds may have been a factor. more ›