Subway Savant

ex-genius: So 30 more subway stations in NYC got fitted with...

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:41:35 -0400

So 30 more subway stations in NYC got fitted with cell phone service today, which is pretty great - but AT&T, you should be pretty embarrassed that Internet service is now way, way better below ground than it is at street level.

In case you missed it, a whole bunch of the west side now has underground cell service.

The South Ferry Loop reopens tomorrow, and along with it return...

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:34:53 -0400

The South Ferry Loop reopens tomorrow, and along with it return these familiar signs to the 1 train.

See, the first subway lines in manhattan, what are today the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 trains were all built with loop terminals at their southern ends. The platform was built around a sharp curve, allowing the train to reverse direction without hassle.

But the loop platforms were a hassle, as they created large gaps between the platform and the doors. The city hall loop was closed first, there was already a station nearby. The inner track of the south ferry loop was used for a shuttle service to Bowling Green for a while, but this was later eliminated. The last loop to see service, the south ferry outer loop, closed in 2009. It was replaced with a brand new two track stub terminal built beneath the existing station.

Said terminal was under about 20 feet of water during hurricane Sandy. The MTA estimates 2-3 years to repair, so in the meantime, they’ll re-open the South Ferry outer loop to passengers tomorrow morning at 5 am.

The station uses motorized platforms, or “gap fillers” for every door of the train, and only platforms the firs 5 cars. You should check it out at some point: the next time it closes, I doubt it will reopen.

City Hall Subway Station under construction, 1904. (you do know...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:18:39 -0400

City Hall Subway Station under construction, 1904.

(you do know about the long closed, beautiful and ornate old City Hall station, right? right???)

petervidani: York Street → East Broadway Uncommon view of the...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:22:47 -0400

petervidani:

York Street → East Broadway

Uncommon view of the Rutgers St Tube from up front.

There’s only 1 type of subway car left that gives passengers this view, they’re about to be 50 years old, and they’ll be all gone before the end of the decade.

“Uh, is this the Express?” (alternate caption: This...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:30:56 -0500

“Uh, is this the Express?”

(alternate caption: This is a Manhattan-bound Cement Truck. The next stop is Vernon-Jackson Blvds. Stand clear of the closing doors)

But yes - this is a photo of a cement truck making a stop at Hunterspoint Ave on the 7 line.

It’s from the MTA flickr, where it bears the caption “This is the first time we have used a crane to lower a cement truck onto tracks and into a tunnel.”

Part of me hopes this becomes a trend, mostly because I’d love to see the looks on peoples faces if something like this trundled through an In-service station.

This metrocard vending machine is having a worse day than you.

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:47:22 -0500

This metrocard vending machine is having a worse day than you.

The New Normal: Quietly and unceremoniously - the MTA’s...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:07:25 -0500

The New Normal:

Quietly and unceremoniously - the MTA’s New York City Transit has updated their regular subway map to include the last remaining service changes caused by Hurricane Sandy - namely the closure of South Ferry station, the severing of service to the Rockaways, and the temporary H shuttle train.

After the storm, as the system limped back to life to serve its wounded city, the MTA released “Recovery Service” maps, detailing what the current state of the subways was. The MTA was moving so quickly and the scene changing so rapidly that at some points they were changing the map 2 or 3 times per day.

This, however, is the first time the effects from the storm have seen their way onto the official, normal Subway Map. If nothing else, it’s a pretty humbling reminder to those of us, who’s lives have largely returned to normal, that there are many people who have not been so fortunate.

(download a pdf of the new map)

Tunnel Boring is anything but. Consider for a moment that this...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:30:00 -0500

Tunnel Boring is anything but.

Consider for a moment that this is 150 feet below Manhattan, and not on Mars. Because it totally looks like the reactor from Total Recall.

(photo: Patrick Cashin/MTA)

MTA to conduct “Full Line Review” for the G...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:32:00 -0500

MTA to conduct “Full Line Review” for the G train.

The G is the black sheep of the NYC subway. It’s the only non-shuttle line that doesn’t enter Manhattan, and as such, its ridership is on the low end of the scale. The G has been scaled back from its original route many times, and while it used to head all the way out to Jamaica, it was shortened to Forest Hills, and later to it’s current terminal at Court Square, only venturing two stops into Queens. It runs short, 4 car trains, and while it’s generally on time, its trains are often frustratingly infrequent.

The original design of the IND system called for local trains along the Culver Line and the Queens Boulevard Line to be routed via Crosstown, and the express trains to head into Manhattan. This plan was gradually abandoned, as people complained about having to change trains.

It’s still the fastest way from Queens to Brooklyn, mind you. For many people, it’s the only rapid transit link nearby - and many of the areas it exclusively serves have undergone substantial growth in recent years.

Pressured by community leaders and politicians - the MTA will now put the whole line under the microscope, and see what can, and what should be done to improve service.

Before you dismiss this review as a conciliatory meaningless gesture - recent full reviews of the F and L lines resulted in substantial service improvements.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2013/02/the_slow_rise_o.php

(original G line map: vanshookenraggen)

Looking northbound at Rockefeller Center at the Tunnel from 53rd...

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:30:50 -0500

Looking northbound at Rockefeller Center at the Tunnel from 53rd St lit up like a Christmas tree.

Fun fact: there are 5 bulbs on each of those work light fixtures because, wired in series, this lets normal 120v bulbs run off the 600v third rail.

Can you hear me now? (No, there’s a train going by) See...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:30:30 -0500

Can you hear me now? (No, there’s a train going by)

See that sign? See those little black domes on the bottom?

Cell phone antennas, just installed Tuesday night at Columbus Circle.

The question, though: Is cell phone service underground a welcome addition to a former dead zone, or an unwelcome intrusion into a former refuge of digital isolation? I’ll leave that for you to ponder.

Subway Style What you’re looking at above are excerpts...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:38:51 -0500

Subway Style

What you’re looking at above are excerpts from the 1970 Graphic manual for the NYCTA put together by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda.

There are 468 subway stations in New York City. Well, 421 if you count stations connected by a transfer as a single station, but the point is there are a lot. Each of them is filled with signs. Signs on the street, signs on the platform, mezzanine, trains - there could easily be over a million system-wide. The influence of this humble manual can not be overstated.

That’s not Helvetica, by the way: it’s Akzidenz-Grotesk.

More on the story of the Subway’s typography here from the AIGA. The full photoset of the graphics manual is available on flickr.

Source: fawny via Daring Fireball. H/T to: inalonelyplace.tumblr.com

Nobody can move the earth, but to build a subway, you’ve...

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:26:21 -0500

Nobody can move the earth, but to build a subway, you’ve sure got to move a huge chunk of it.

Since the last photo I put up was more from the Railroad than the Subway proper - Here’s a snap from what will one day be the 72nd Street station on 2nd Av in Manhattan, taken back in October.

They’re farther along still, now, as the MTA’s photos demonstrate. But the photos like these, before the linings and concrete go up, which I find the most striking.

Meanwhile, under Manhattan: As work slowly but surely but mostly...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:03:37 -0500

Meanwhile, under Manhattan:

As work slowly but surely but mostly slowly progresses on the Second Avenue Subway, and East Side Access, construction crews have dug some really wonderful looking caverns.

Vintage subway packed with modern misery This is why we...

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:52:54 -0500

Vintage subway packed with modern misery

This is why we can’t have nice things.

MTA Officials reported at this morning’s board meeting the...

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:26:10 -0500

MTA Officials reported at this morning’s board meeting the R train may be back to it’s full route this coming Friday, December 21st.

The R has been split into two sections since Hurricane Sandy, with it’s Montague St Tunnels sustaining heavy damage from the storm.

468 Stations, 842 miles. Every track, station, siding, and...

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:20:27 -0500

468 Stations, 842 miles.

Every track, station, siding, and connection of the New York City subway in one shockingly easy to read schematic.

Funny story. Starting Tomorrow, there’s going to be an H...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:21:08 -0500

Funny story. Starting Tomorrow, there’s going to be an H train.

Hmm, subway service to Hell seems suspect, this looks shopped....

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:51:00 -0500

Hmm, subway service to Hell seems suspect, this looks shopped. Although, the train to hell would definitely stop at Van Alst, so…

Developing: unconfirmed but reliable source states portion of...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 10:17:00 -0500

Developing: unconfirmed but reliable source states portion of Montague st tunnel, which carries the R train between Brooklyn and Manhattan, collapsed onto the tracks early this morning

The R train tube is the last of the 7 subway tunnels flooded by Hurricane Sandy that remains closed. It is unclear the extent of the damage at this time.

Report says MTA structure team working to re-asses tube, as well as other tunnels damaged by Hurricane Sandy but since reopened

Update - Monday 11/12: MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz has categorically denied reports of a partial collapse, citing the delays in re-opening the tunnel as related to work on Track, Switches, Signals and Relays, all of which were extensively damaged in the storm.