YOU DON’T SAY
Commuters fume at rosy MTA report
Subways are running closer to schedule this year than a year ago, the MTA said Monday.
Commuters' response: Yeah, right.
“You guys SUCK!” tweeted @_LittleBigO to the MTA early Monday morning. “3 people almost fell on the tracks at Lex 53 because of over crowding in the station due to all y'all dumb ass delays and ‘signal problems.' ”
The MTA's good news — revealed at an agency board meeting held on the heels of a hellish morning commute — was only incremental.
The new stats show 66.3% of trains have run on time in the 12 months ended Nov. 30, compared with 63.4% in the 12 months leading up to Nov. 30, 2017.
The month-to-month comparisons for November also showed signs of improvement, with 69.9% of trains running on time last month compared with 62.3% in November 2017.
Hardly anyone using the trains Monday morning could easily see the improvements.
Early-morning signal problems and, later on, a rider in need of medical help and signal problems crowded the platform at Lexington Ave. and E. 53rd St. and caused extensive delay son the E, F, Man dR lines. The problems rippled onto the 7 line, where commuters also reported long delays and dangerous conditions at the Court Square station in Queens.
“[P]pl are getting trampled on escalator,” @KelllyJohnson tweeted at 7:13 am. “No where to go! Can't get on anything at court square! Been here an hr!!”
In Jackson Heights, Queens, one commuter complained of crowds so thick straphangers couldn't move on the stairs.
“[G]ood start to the week,” @kittyamericana tweeted sarcastically. “[T]he platform at jackson heights so packed people can't even get down the stairs and there's no cell service on the platform.”
Despite rays of statistical hope the MTA posted on Monday, not all the latest numbers were positive.
“Major incidents,” which are classified as incidents that delay at least 50 trains, hit 67 on weekdays this November, compared with 53 in November 2017.
NYC Transit subways chief Sally Librera blamed last month's increase in major incidents on the Nov. 15 snowstorm and an “unusually high number” of subway surfers and people who walk the tracks.