Comments on: Praising the 4 express service

By: rhywun

rhywun — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:43:06 +0000

I remember when they tried this on the W in Astoria (where I was living at the time), and it was a disaster. By some quirk of development patterns, the 2 busiest stations in Astoria have only local service, and it was maddening watching all those half-empty W’s sail by every morning. I hope the express stations are more intelligently spaced in the Bronx.

By: D Train

D Train — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:11:03 +0000

“Maybe the real reason for this is to get some relatively empty trains into Manhattan for riders boarding at 125th Street and south.”

Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner!

I thought the same thing, “The MTA caring about us outerborough folks? Who is this really going to benefit?” Follow the money, and there’s the answer.

By: Marc Shepherd

Marc Shepherd — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:12:08 +0000

The schedules and maps weren’t updated because this is just a pilot for a few weeks. If the pilot is considered successful, I am sure they will update the maps, signage, and so forth.

According to the press release, conductors were directed to make announcements on the train. Obviously any change to the service pattern will confuse some people at first, but riders quickly catch on, especially in that area, where practically everyone on the train will be a regular subway user.

Whether it’s a success will depend, in part, on whether the benefit for riders at express stops more than offsets the inconvenience to those at local stops. You can’t change the service pattern without someone complaining that it’s a drawback.

By: Scott E

Scott E — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:11:50 +0000

I wonder how much confusion there might have been for people who wanted to travel local (3 or 4 stops). Did they use the express “diamond” indication on the trains? Did the conductors shout “EXPRESS! EXPRESS! Next Stop is xxxxx” at the stations? The schedules and maps on the MTA website were not updated.
I’ve never understood why the signs on the side of the trains were not designed to show the circle or diamond. It’s a different type of display than the interior signs [which improvise the bullets with ( ) and ] and the exterior end-signs [which include the circle/diamond]

By: Kid Twist

Kid Twist — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:08:01 +0000

Yeah, but.

I don’t think they added any trains because there’s no capacity on the Lex. Which means that riders at the busy local stops get four fewer trains each morning.

Maybe the real reason for this is to get some relatively empty trains into Manhattan for riders boarding at 125th Street and south.

Still, I’m all for trying something new.