The NYC Subway's Getting a Much-Needed Facelift
These are some attractive quick fixes for a transportation network stretched well beyond its capacity.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
If you’re going to dedicate $27 billion to the transit equivalent of plastic surgery, it might as well look nice. Yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a long-anticipated car and station redesign for the New York City subway, part of that pricey, five-year Metropolitan Transportation Authority capital plan. While the subway waits for more serious updates—like signal systems not out of the 1930s and a completed Second Avenue line—these are some attractive quick fixes for a transportation network stretched well beyond its capacity. New Yorkers might see these improvements on the tracks as early as 2020 (though some will certainly take longer). Appearance may not be everything, but this is money well spent.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityYou'll see more color.
Let’s start with the face---the new face of subway cars, that is. Today’s cars are a muted silver, but 1,050 new ones will have some color. A dash of blue, a hint of yellow: It’s a little Miami for monotone-loving New York, but no matter. Meanwhile, subway doors are getting wider, going from 50 to 58 inches wide. Folks who use wheelchairs, parents with strollers, and anyone who hates squeezing through a crush of bodies before their first cup of coffee should rejoice.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityAnd have room to breathe.
Riders will breathe better in the [subway’s new open gangway cars](https://www.wired.com/2016/01/nycs-finally-trying-a-subway-design-that-cuts-crowding-and-delays/). This subway design, already used in similarly crowded systems in London, Toronto, and Paris, nixes the doors between cars, opening up that area to more riders. That means up to 10 percent more people can fit on each train, and that those people can spread out more evenly. Sure, the smells on one car might migrate to another. No one said surgery is pain-free.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityYou can plug in your phone.
A younger, hipper subway system—such is the promise of USB charging ports. They’re also a primo final resting place for teenagers’ gum wads, so count this among the plan’s less exciting nips and tucks. A [recent report](https://www.wired.com/2016/07/public-transit-riders-want-better-service-not-free-wifi/) found transit riders would much rather have faster, more frequent service than fancy amenities like charging ports and Wi-Fi. And yet: On the currently phone service-free subway system, having decent Wi-Fi is not the worst idea, if only for safety reasons. A tepid thumbs-up.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityEnjoy your time on the platform.
The subway platform: arguably the [stinkiest of subway elements](https://www.wired.com/2015/08/nycs-cleaning-subway-taking-away-trash-cans/). The new ones will come, blessedly, with easier-to-clean surfaces. The platforms will also get better signage, even more USB charging ports (hooray?), better lighting, and countdown clocks. The latter’s a biggie: A [2014 study](http://trrjournalonline.trb.org/doi/abs/10.3141/2419-01) of the the Boston-area subway found that riders are more relaxed when they have access to real-time signage---*and* the trains are running on time, of course.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityYou'll get help exploring the city.
It’s going to be much easier to see New York. The redesign calls for stations with much better maps, ones that actually show the neighborhood surrounding the station instead of just the sprawling, confusing map of the system. Riders will also be greeted by real-time service announcements. The 6 is [running late again](http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/mta-one-day-625-delays.html)? You’ll know even before you swipe your Metro Card.
Metropolitan Transportation AuthorityAnd know what's happening underground.
New station entrances will debut in three Brooklyn stations, arrival TBD. The things look good, and continue the theme of more-information-is-better with service announcements at the street level. But there’s something tragic about losing the original shape of the subway---those [iconic globes](http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/13/nyregion/tunnel-vision-the-light-at-the-top-of-the-subway-stairs.html), for example. When you go under the knife, there’s no guarantee that it will all change for the better.
Aarian Marshall is a staff writer covering transportation systems and cities. Before joining WIRED, she wrote for The Atlantic’s CityLab. Marshall is based in San Diego and is developing opinions about tacos. ... Read More
