Testimony of the New York City Transit Riders Council
Regarding the Capacity of the Subway System
to the New York City Transit Committee
MTA headquarters Board Room, 2 Broadway, New York, NY
February 21st, 2017
Good Morning, I am Ellyn Shannon the Associate Director of the PCAC. Last month, I along with a others, spoke about the serious decline in subway performance. We’ve spent the month listening and observing and we are feeling hopeful for the first time in over a year. We understand that we were heard and the delays are now being taken seriously.
Acting President Irick it’s great to see you. We believe Darryl Irick is exactly the right person to lead NYCT’s subway rebound effort. Mr. Irick is a strong strategic thinker who inspires his work force with a vision of where the organization needs to go.
He is also a proactive manager who knows that improvements can be made. Applying that skill set to this problem will be beneficial to everyone.
We would like to see that you are fully supported with the appropriate financial resources required for this effort. Supported by Governor Cuomo, MTA HQ, and this MTA Board. Yes $65 million matters.
Given that crowding is an overwhelming portion of the delay causes. We believe it is critical all stakeholders have an appreciation of the actual Capacity of the Subway system. It’s not enough to be told two years ago that 15 of the 20 lines are at or over capacity. We need to know where and by how much. We’d like to see NYCT provide a report to this Committee on two areas of concerns:
1. The scheduled vs. actual run times for each subway line. We believe the capacity of the system has been reduced as a result of necessary safety flagging rules, installation of signal timers that slow trains, and increased dwell times from crowding.
2. The Board should also know the number of scheduled trains vs. actual trains run each month. The scheduled trains are a promise to meet the loading guidelines. The MTA Board approves the schedules and the loading guidelines, therefore they should have this information to make informed decisions.
President Irick we are extremely lucky to have you, if only for a short time. We would like to make the most of this opportunity. Thank you
Download here: 022117 NYCTRC Subway Performance Irick