These will have to wait. (Photo by flickr user craigshadow2007)
Surprise, surprise! A contract issued by the MTA will not be fulfilled on time because of a mechanical problem. This time, a whole bunch of R160 cars won’t hit the tracks on time due to a gearbox defect, according to the Daily News. Pete Donohue has [...]

Every few months, it seems, I run the same story about the MTA and text message alerts. But I — or at the least the MTA — swear that things are moving closer to reality on this technological front.
The saga started in August when a flood knocked out subway service in New York and [...]

While transit employees are gearing up to field complaints from irate customers next week when the fare hikes go into effect, the MTA has reprogrammed the MetroCard Vending Machines. The hulking beasts that dispense the cards will be automatically programmed to adopt the new fares on Sunday. Anyone want to place bets on the first [...]

On and off over the last few weeks, I’ve questioned the delays in implementation the MTA has faced as the agency has tried to implement its long-overdue security plan. While Homeland Security has funneled more money toward the MTA, the reality is that the MTA’s $1.1 billion plan to secure the subways is short [...]

For all the grief I give the MTA and New York City Transit for their in-system technology problems, the agency has made a real effort to improve their digital presence since the August flood knocked out its Website. Yesterday, New York City Transit unveiled a series of improvements to its Trip Planner designed to further [...]

So cameras in the subway. I think it’s a good idea; at the very least, it’s a major deterrent. While I understand the concerns of civil liberties groups, the truth is that no one will ever watch thousands of hours of tape each day, and we’re already all videotaped just about everywhere in New [...]

If London can do it, so can we.
The MTA’s mediocre technological track record is about to get worse.
As we know, the MTA has its issues with late 20th Century technology. Other subway systems in lesser cities have managed to figure out ways to display when the next train is coming, where the next bus is [...]

Let’s pretend it’s the middle of December, about 24-48 before everyone heads out of work for a ten-day vacation. Would you say that’s a good time to drop a major technological upgrade onto expectant customers?
Of course not. But you don’t work at the MTA.
Shortly before the Christmas holidays, the MTA unveiled its new mobile [...]

Oh, those pesky Rider Report Cards. The City Council thinks they were just a grand publicity stunt, but the MTA seems set on responding to the issues raised by the hordes of disgruntled riders.
After adding service on just two of the 22 lines in response to rider complains, the MTA is skipping the next [...]

With their new technology, the MTA could now get train arrivals times wrong outside of the station too. (Robert Stolarik for The New York Times)
A few months ago, the MTA and CBS signed a deal that will help bring free wireless to midtown. By installing wireless access points and advertising screens above various subway stations [...]