SUBWAY ‘WALK’ OF SHAME
MTA walkway repairs drag on for months
IT’S A walkway to nowhere.
An airport-style people mover at the Court Square/23rd St. subway station in Queens has been broken for more than a month — and the MTA was in no rush to bring the equipment up to speed.
But the agency scrambled two workers to the Long Island City subway station to inspect the walkway Wednesday, after the Daily News twice requested service records on both it and a second motorized walkway at the station.
Straphangers say at least one of the devices is chronically out of service, and sometimes both are on the fritz at the same time. Together, the Jetsons-like conveyor belts cover about 350 feet.
The station is home to the only two such people movers in the city’s subway system. The $3.5 million walkways were installed in 2002 to help riders zip through a corridor linking the E and M lines and the No. 7 and G lines.
But more often than not, straphangers say, all they get is zip. For the elderly and people with mobility issues especially, having to walk the equivalent of a football field — and then some — when both walkways are down can literally be a pain.
“I’m 64. I have a little problem with my foot. It does help when it’s working,” said John McFarland of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who regularly uses the station.
This time around, one of the walkways has been out of service since March 31, according to riders and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s website. Entrance and exit points at either end were blocked off, and the only evidence of repairs prior to Wednesday evening were strips of duct tape and ribbons of masking tape covering parts of a metal sidewall.
A sticker affixed to the device last week indicated it would be up and running by Sunday. But that didn’t happen, and it was replaced by a notice saying it will be back in operation by May 13. The MTA’s website is more optimistic, listing an estimated return date of Friday. The other walkway was operating as normal. But that’s not always the case. Stacy Wilkins, 53, who uses a cane and travels through the station on her way to medical appointments, said at least one of the people movers has been broken since the fall.
“Usually, one is always down,” she said.
Keeping the walkways in good working order is a hassle because the equipment is unique and replacement parts are hard to obtain. The MTA dropped $200,000 last year alone, and crews have spent 3,400 hours working on the machines since 2015, according to the agency.
The constant breakdowns have led MTA officials to question their necessity.
“Given that the walkways only save commuters nine seconds on average, we are evaluating whether to replace or remove them,” said agency spokeswoman Beth DeFalco.
The MTA already faces state and federal class-action lawsuits, both filed April 25, alleging the agency violates the rights of people with disabilities because broken subway elevators and escalators make stations inaccessible.
City Controller Scott Stringer released an audit this week showing a “complete maintenance mess” at the MTA because scheduled upkeep was skipped on 78% of its equipment.
Riders in the Court Sq.-23rd St. subway station corridor would find that unsurprising.
“It’s an inconvenience, it should be working,” said Beatrice Gaston, 53, a city Health Department worker who was walking through the station with a cane.