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More People And Complaints Fill Subways On Weekends
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 11, 2011
Modified Jul 11, 2011
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By
Jamie Feldmar
Published Jul 11, 2011
Modified Jul 11, 2011
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Subway ridership on weekends has increased in recent years, and with the crowds come more complaints about conditions and service on the tracks.
According to transit officials, weekend subway trips have doubled in the past 20 years, carrying millions of riders during what used to be considered a slow time for the trains. Now, weekend riders are faced with "crowded platforms and sardine-tight train cars" writes the NY Times. The increased numbers are result of more residential developments across the boroughs, a rise in service jobs with nontraditional hours, and a safer public image of taking the subway at all hours of the day or night.
But while the trains remain nearly as packed on the weekends as they are during the week, the MTA continues to schedule maintenance work during the weekends, resulting in "long waits, jumbled routes, trains that skip stops and sometimes never appear." MTA officials say they are working to keep riders as informed as possible about service advisories and delays, but "the complaints about weekend service resound all throughout the city," said John C. Liu, the city comptroller, whose office is conducting an audit of the agency’s weekend service. Last year, subway ridership hit an (almost) record-breaking 1.6 billion.
Tagged
MTA
service advisory
subway
subway ridership
weekend
Jamie Feldmar
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