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Wet hot American subway: Heat wave leaves NYC riders sweaty and suffocating
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 24, 2025
Modified Jun 24, 2025
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Ramsey Khalifeh
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 24, 2025
Modified Jun 24, 2025
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New York City subway trains can offer commuters cool relief on a scorching summer day — so long as their car’s air conditioning is working.
But as a historically miserable heat wave set in this week, regular 1 train rider Ahmad Perry considered himself one of the city’s unluckiest commuters.
“In the last few days, I’ve traveled back and forth on the 1 line and I have not been on a car that has AC yet,” said Perry, 55, as he used his hat to dab sweat from his brow inside a car that reached 93 degrees. “This is the hottest day of the year … and we are sitting on a hot car. Ridiculous.”
There's usually a reason why a subway car is empty. This week, it's often the heat.
Ramsey Khalifeh
Getting off the train wouldn’t make things any better for Perry. Gothamist recorded temperatures of nearly 100 degrees on the platforms at the 14th Street station on the 1 line, just shy of the 101 degrees recorded at JFK Airport that broke a record for June.
The problems with the AC units on 1-line cars are well-known to West Side riders. The trains used on the route are among the city's oldest, and the shop where they’re fixed is also in need of upgrades.
MTA spokesperson Eugene Resnick said crews removed only seven subway cars from service due to broken air conditioners from Monday morning to Tuesday night.
MTA officials plan to replace the 1 train cars and upgrade the line’s repair shop through the agency's new five-year capital plan. But for now, conditions on the subway line remain dreadful during the summer.
There is no relief from the heat when you're on a New York City subway platform.
Ramsey Khalifeh
Tuesday morning commuters — many of whom were heading out to vote in the primary election — said they were feeling the pain. Michael Johnson, a 1 train rider at Houston Street, was dripping in sweat as he waited for his train to arrive.
“You’ve got the clock up to see how long til the next train,” said Johnson, 37. “I saw one minute, so I came running down because I just don’t want to get trapped on the platform for another five because it’s usually suffocating in here.”
Tribeca resident Vincent Dipilato, 74, grew up in New York before air conditioning was even available on subway cars.
“It gets you where you wanna go, even though it’s kind of uncomfortable and hot,” he said.
At South Ferry — the 1 line's southern terminus — MTA workers were sweating profusely. One employee carried a portable fan to cool herself. Their shift requires them to stand along the train platform the entire day and clean incoming cars.
The heat in the subways came as a surprise to tourists who aren’t acclimated to New York’s hellish subterranean environment.
“This is kind of a little bit of a shock,” said Saahiti Annamneedi, who visited from San Francisco, where she usually takes Ubers or buses. “It’s definitely hotter underground for sure. It’s unfortunately part of the deal, I’ve got to take it to get places.”
Tagged
environment
manhattan
new york city
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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