Riders of the New Haven line on Metro North: relief is on the way. Those grimy trains that were cool when mustaches weren't ironic are being steadily replaced by these beauties, the M-8. MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan says the "top of the line" cars are "roomier, have higher-backed seats, bigger bathrooms, and outlets at every seat." Your move, Richard Branson. more ›

In another dangerous yet vital lesson to our city's youth, it appears that crime does pay. According to an MTA study, fare beaters entered the subway 18.5 million times in 2009, an average of 50,684 times each day. If they're fined $100 every 6-13 weeks, that means the scofflaw is saving $62 based on the price of a weekly farecard. And that was in 2009 dollars! While the Daily News quotes the report as stating, "The basic street economics might explain observed evasion behaviors," we have a more succinct explanation: paying the MTA is for suckers! more ›

Apparently, city subway riders can't make up their damn minds. First it's all bad service this and unfair fare hikes that, but when it comes to sticking it to the man in a survey, everyone is having a grand ol' time in the tubes! According to a survey taken by the MTA, 71% of subway passengers felt satisfied or very satisfied with service, and 77% of riders were happy with the the line they use the most. The MTA itself said over the summer (when this survey took place) that service is declining. So, is the MTA being selective with its numbers, or has Stockholm Syndrome finally taken hold? more ›

One young Brooklynite over at the Cheap Thriller blog is tired of seeing his money go down "the same black hole that sucks up all the G trains," so he's come up with a short list of alternative ideas the MTA can put into effect before draining the rest of our pockets with another fare hike. Here are a few: more ›

Yesterday we saw what douchey dealings were happening underground, on a website that tracks them via user-submitted photos. Someone then pointed out a new Twitter account called N Train Gossip which includes a 140-character takedown of each victim the author snaps a photo of. Consider this a warning N train riders! Seems a little harsh, too — this photo was accompanied by the words, "Ummm... nice Mickey Mouse mp3 player, grown Asian woman." (It's cute!) However, this nose picker had what was coming to him. Seems NYC is no longer the place where everyone is invisible. more ›

This morning the NYC Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives held their big awards show for the worst exemplars of poor bus service. The "top" prize is called the Pokey award; it's a golden snail on a pedestal, and it went to the poor sad crosstown M42, which had the slowest bus speed at 3.7 miles per hour, as clocked at 12 noon on a weekday. According to the award presenters, the M42 would lose a race with a five-year-old riding a motorized tricycle with a speed of 5 mph (as advertised by X-Treme Scooters). But the M42 wasn't the only bus to crawl away with a prize! more ›

So now that all these station agents have been cut, who are folks turning to when they need help navigating the subway system? The NY Times says "unsuspecting Samaritans like Mr. Hossain, a snack vendor in the Times Square station," have been lending a helping hand. He told the paper, “It’s all day long. When I get a chance, I tell them go this way, go that way. But sometimes, I’m serving a customer so I don’t say anything.” more ›

With the MTA's budget shortfalls this past year leading to what was once the "Doomsday" possibility of steep fare hikes and service cuts only to become a "moderate" new burden for commuters, you can't imagine that New Yorkers have had the kindest words for the agency. (If you had any doubts, please refer here or here or possibly here.) But today's Post shares some of the official feedback given to the MTA in a sampling of the 300 letters they've received this year with greetings such as "Dear morons in charge," and accounts to follow such as, "Please be advised that for the last five days, there is a horrendous stench emanating from two vomit stains located on the side of the last staircase." And with recent spat of peepers, gropers and molesters making their way through the subways, the following shouldn't shock anyone: "I recently returned to NYC, and was once again shocked by how much groping, exposure, fondling and other acts of sexual aggression occurs on the subways, especially while riding the trains." If you'd like to join the underground love fest, here's the page to reach the blessed souls at the MTA's customer service department. more ›

If the MTA's service cuts announced earlier this week do in fact go into effect, 1.3 million New Yorkers will be affected by the changes. During the press conference Thursday, MTA heads Elliot Sander and Dale Hemmerdinger encouraged straphangers to contact their reps in Albany as a last resort to bail out their 1.2 billion deficit. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver must have heard the call because yesterday he suggested a tax to help alleviate the burden on the MTA saying, "I am not afraid of a reasonable, responsible tax being part of the solution." The only additional good news following the announcement of cuts is that with the W train gone, plans are to extend the Q to Astoria. more ›

After much speculation and the local papers preparing commuters for what was to come, the MTA made their official budget proposal today and as expected, the cutbacks were dramatic. In addition to the slashing of the W and the Z lines among other cuts listed Tuesday, today's 2009 budget also included the following: more ›

With the MTA's budget deficit now being projected at 1.2 billion (after an original prognosis of 900 million), the Daily News has learned that a report to be released Thursday will include what some are calling "Doomsday" cuts. The big one for many commuters is the elimination of the W line. more ›

Beginning today, the New York Transit Museum (the only museum dedicated to public transportation in the nation!) will start showing off their goods. Their collection includes recent arrivals and "the best and most unusual of the Museum’s acquisitions," as well as the stories behind them. Ever wonder how they get their hands on these pieces of commuting collectibles?

Collecting at the Transit Museum tends to be a bit different from the way most museums collect. Often in the nick of time a call comes in triggering an instant expedition to a construction or demolition site in order to rescue pieces of transit history before they are lost forever. In this frenzied yet exciting manner the museum is able to salvage all sorts of artifacts from subways, buses, bridges, tunnels, and railroads locations.

“Crushed by crowds? Have to wait for more than one bus to go by? It’s not your imagination. Transit officials have never caught up to the waves of new bus riders,” says Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign. His group is reporting that despite an increase in average weekday bus ridership of 22 percent over the past ten years (to 2.45 million), weekday service on city buses increased less than 15 percent. more ›

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NYPIRG's Straphangers Campaign released its 2007 report on Subway Schmutz today and there was reason for encouragement. Overall, car cleanliness improved slightly between 2005 and 2007, but there was significant improvement on the 7 and L lines. The L line actually has the cleanest cars in the system according to Straphangers, with 88% of cars earning a clean rating versus 61% in 2005. The 7 train line was tied for second place, with 78% getting a clean rating versus 22% in 2005.

Starting in mid-September 2007, "additional cleaners were deployed at both terminals for these lines, working in multiple shifts to provide 24-hour coverage," according to MTA New York City Transit. Beginning on December 10, 2007, two new "line general managers" were appointed with greater authority to run the L (Greg Lombardi) and the 7 (Lou Brusati).