In August 2012, the Straphangers Campaign gave the F train a $1.40 grade, which is basically a B+ or a C-. The score was given based on cleanliness, breakdowns, and service--and, for the F train, this grade is generous. The line between Culver and Jamaica-179th Street is known for its long waits; if you decide to take it after midnight, best of luck to you.

But there is hope on the horizon for disgruntled commuters.

Yesterday, at a City Council budget hearing, the New York City Office of Management and Budget announced that the MTA will be conducting a review of the F train this summer once work is finished on the Culver Viaduct. The inspection could result in good news for all--an express F in Brooklyn; something that hasn't happened since 1987.

Except the proposal might not be as great as it sounds. The F train has a limited amount of trains on its line--hence the delays--so if it does become express, the trains will be distributed to either local or express routes. Also, the stops that used to be on the express line aren't exactly the most used ones. Obviously, much has changed in South Brooklyn in the past 26 years.

Oh, and the MTA doesn't have that much money. But we already know that.

But the news comes right after we heard the G train is getting its full line review as well. So we're keeping our fingers crossed.

[jsurico15@gmail.com/@JSuricz]

On March 3rd, the MTA will seek budgetary revenge on straphangers. Sorry, it's happening. And we're being service-y because it's the only thing left to do before this fare hike takes effect on Sunday.

So here's what you should keep in mind before you swipe your life away.

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The growing controversy over subway deaths has stricken all parties involved in the transportation scene.

The MTA, stuck with little cash to maneuver, has provided flat solutions, including platform doors and laser alarm systems, that are getting nowhere because, given, the agency can't get past the whole price tag thing. The Transport Workers Union Local has informed its conductors to slow down but this advice was chastised by the MTA as a major service delayer. As a result, the emergency meeting called by Councilman Joe Vacca ended in a yelling match between the union and the agency. And then there's the NYPD, with its officers busy Big-Brother-ing the mentally ill.

Needless to say, this controversy has hit a brick wall... at the worst time possible.

In the past five days, seven people have been struck by a subway. Do the math: that's more than a person a day. If that's not enough reason to spark urgency to this situation, we seriously have no idea what is.

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Wikimedia Commons

[UPDATE, February 22nd]

Looks like the public campaign by State Senator Daniel Squadron and others to refocus attention on the increasingly popular G train worked in the end.

According to the Daily News, the MTA has agreed to conduct a Full Line Review of the green line in an attempt to make the line run faster and smoother. A spokesman from Mr. Squadron's office informed the Voice that the judgement call for improvement will come some time in July.

Here's a statement from the Senator on the matter:

"G train riders spoke. Now, this Full Line Review will give us real answers to lead to real changes," said Senator Daniel Squadron. "Working together in the past, we've made dramatic improvements throughout the system -- including first-of-their-kind Full Line Reviews that led to better F and L train service. The MTA deserves great credit for its willingness to continue working together toward the reliable service G train riders deserve. Thank you to Senator Dilan, our colleagues, and the Riders Alliance for their continued advocacy."

South Brooklyners, rejoice!

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Okay, the platform doors, laser alert system and the advice for conductors to slow down were one thing. But this goes a little above and beyond that.

Yesterday, news came that the NYPD, in accordance with the Health Department, has tracked down 25 mentally ill patients that have been deemed dangerous and on "mental hygiene warrants." And, contrary to the MTA and the Transit Workers Union, the NYPD has no problem going right ahead with this "solution" to the subway death problem.
Apparently, the law enforcement agency is using this "real life crime center" to arrest them, which we believe is similar to the one Morgan Freeman's character has access to in The Dark Knight.

In other words, the NYPD is on the lookout for those behind the subway incidents that have occurred over the past few months -- situations where innocent passerby's were pushed onto the tracks by said suspects, all of which have raised major concerns about subway safety in recent weeks. The "epidemic" even prompted an emergency hearing by Councilman Joe Vacca (except it basically turned into a yelling match between the MTA and the union).

We're still unsure if surveillance is the best or the creepiest way to combat this problem. Actually wait, no, the bloody MetroCards were. But this is a close second.

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These stories aren't limited to Wall Street.

In a Daily News exclusive yesterday, writer Pete Donohue learned that Mr. Joe Lhota, the MTA-chief-turned-mayoral-candidate, handed out a few raises and buyouts before he stepped out of office this past December, totaling about $253,000 in cold, hard, much-needed cash. According to the agency, the end-of-the-year gifts were a result of contracts made years ago that set these raises in motion. And, since these raises come at a time where the agency is strapped for cash, there naturally has to be a few details of the story that are meant to simply irritate.

Like the fact that the money was issued to the MTA's top executives around the same time the fare hike for millions of commuters was passed, which is really just great. Or the fact that most MTA workers haven't seen a dime above their standard wages since 2008. Or the fact that union workers now face wage freezes because of how broke the MTA is.

Gotta love it.

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If you can't beat them, give up and lock everyone else out.

We have all seen/felt the horrors of subway congestion. That time around 5 or 6pm, when it seems like everyone in the world wants to go exactly where you're going, and every crevice at said station is packed beyond despair. And that moment when a subway door opens and throngs of people, moving in one single step, push in and out of the train. Yeah, that time.

Well, last October, MTA officials raised an interesting proposal at a CB5 meeting: when the events listed in the above paragraph happen, why don't we just shut the stations? This was a measure taken at Penn Station this past Thanksgiving Eve - the Midtown hub was literally walled off because overcapacity became a reality.

Except the agency's eyes are more focused on Grand Central (no mention of Union Square? Really?) and its consistently clogged rush hour commute. Although there is "zero risk" that a station will be closed tomorrow, the only solution to avoid closure is to widen the access points (stairways, corridors, etc.) for straphangers. And, even if that's started now, the project wouldn't be finished until 2030.

Also, guess what? That costs a ton of money and, as we learned from the proposed platform doors and laser beam system, the MTA doesn't have much cash to throw around.

Prepare to travel lightly.

[jsurico15@gmail.com/@JSuricz]

Sasha Patkin

Grand Central Station is turning 100 on Saturday! She's getting pretty old. To celebrate the landmark, we've compiled 100 fascinating facts about the historic transit hub. Many of them we discovered in Grand Central Terminal: 100 Years of a New York Landmark by The New York Transit Museum and Anthony W. Robins, but some were also gathered from our recollections and obscure Google searches.

The station is celebrating its centennial with a huge party this weekend; see our handy party facts for more info.

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The City Council urged Mayor Bloomberg to postpone the negotiations of school bus driver contracts yesterday in a letter that called for "restoring much needed normalcy to the thousands of students and families affected by the strike." The stakes get higher for workers today as health insurance for the striking members of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1181 expires.

44 members of the 50-person council signed off on the letter, which encouraged the mayor to accept a "cooling off" period proposed by retired Justice Milton Mollen, which would allow drivers to return to their routes while the union renegotiates its contract with the city. The council members pointed to the impact on school attendance as reason enough to stop the strike.

"Unnecessarily prolonging this strike puts the education of thousands of students, especially special needs students, at risk," the council wrote. It's not just a claim intended to tug the heartstrings -- the Department of Education reported that attendance has dropped since the strike began. Regular schools had a 89.4 percent attendance rate yesterday, while District 75, which serves special needs and disabled students, was at 70.6 percent.

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We've heard about the platform doors on the L train. We've told you about the Transport Workers Union Local telling conductors to hit the brakes more. And we've gone over the 'emergency meeting' called by City Councilman James Vacca next week to discuss what the hell the MTA and straphangers alike can do about this subway death epidemic facing the City.

So, at this point, we'll take anything we can get.

Yesterday, the Daily News reported on the latest from the transportation heads: an alarm system that will send off all sorts of noises and signals if someone falls into the tracks. Interim head Thomas Pendergast announced on Monday that laser beams, typically used for security, could sense when someone is in an unwarranted area (like, uh, on the tracks). Once activated, the laserz would set off the alarms to get the conductors attention.

Hopefully, he or she would have enough time to react in order for the person to pull themselves out of harm's way.

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