“WE ARE delayed because of train traffic ahead of us,” intoned the familiar automated message on a stalled subway train on June 27th. Earlier that morning a train had derailed, injuring 34 people. The derailment caused delays, re-routings and suspended trains across the century-old system. “The subway is worse now than in the 70s,” grumbled one experienced commuter. Back then the subway was plagued by crime, graffiti and delays galore. Today crime is low, graffiti gallery-worthy and rider numbers at levels not seen since the 1940s. Partly as a result of this popularity, delays have increased by more than 200% since 2012.
The problems have become so bad that Andrew Cuomo, New York’s governor, declared the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the state entity that runs the subway, bus lines and two regional commuter rails, to be in a state of emergency. Emergencies are usually called when a natural disaster strikes. The...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2tlThq9
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