History UsefulNotes / NewYorkCitySubway

* Metro-North Railroad, serving [[strike:upstate New York]] [[InsistentTerminology southern]] UsefulNotes/NewYorkState suburbs like Westchester and Putnam Counties, as well as the Connecticut suburbs.

** Within baseball, only three metropolitan areas other than New York have two teams: Chicago (NL Cubs/AL White Sox), the UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco Bay (NL SF Giants/AL Oakland Athletics), and Greater UsefulNotes/LosAngeles (NL Dodgers/AL Angels). The thing for Chicago and Los Angeles is that both teams never seem to be good at the same time (Chicago's teams go one-two for longest World Series droughts in history[[note]]The Cubs at 107 years between 1908 and 2016, the White Sox at 87 years between 1917 and 2005[[/note]]). As for the Bay Area, the Giants and Athletics have in fact faced each other in the World Series since moving to the area,[[note]]In 1989; they also played against each other three times when the Giants were still in New York and the A's were in Philadelphia[[/note]] and a series between them remains a strong possibility (both have made the postseason regularly of late), but the press prefers to call it a "Bay Bridge Series" (the subway connecting the two, the [[UsefulNotes/BayAreaRapidTransit BART]], is too goofily-named and too obscure to outsiders to qualify, anyway).
** Additionally, even if the World Series came down to Cubs-White Sox or Angels-Dodgers, public image of such a series would unlikely give it a Subway brand (c.f., the A's-Giants '89 Series). [[UsefulNotes/ChicagoL Chicago's rapid transit system]] is mostly above-ground, and its most prominent portions around The Loop are actually elevated above street level (hence why it is called the 'L') (even though the Red Line that serves both Wrigley Field and Guaranteed Rate Field, where the teams play their home games respectively, actually runs through downtown in a subway). Los Angeles, on the other hand, is in the public mind the epitome of urban sprawl with a large, expansive freeway network to connect everything - there is [[UsefulNotes/LosAngelesMetroRail a public transit system in LA]], but a lot of people don't even know it exists and those that do think nobody rides it. Add on top of that the likely conscious effort by local promoters and sports fans to ''not'' use the term "Subway Series", as by now the terms are pretty much inexorably linked with built-up super-crowded New York. End result: an Angels-Dodgers series might be termed the "I-5 Series" or "Freeway Series", while Cubs-White Sox might be the "Red Line Series" or "L Series"; they could also go for things totally unrelated to transportation infrastructure like "The Windy City Series" (Chicago) or "The Hollywood Showdown" (LA).

* The first American ''Film/{{Godzilla 1998}}'' featured the titular reptile nesting in the subway.

* During rush hours, passengers are crammed together like garbage in a trash compactor, especially on busy portions of the subway. All the numbered routes (except the 42nd Street Shuttle), as well as the E and L lines are operating beyond capacity, while portions of the A, C, F, M, N, Q and R lines usually double-up to prevent overcrowding. The express tracks on Lexington Avenue and Queens Boulevard are noted for operating at full capacity during peak hours. As a result, overcrowded trains have resulted in an increase of assaults (including [[TheChikan unwanted groping]]) because of tense commutes, and with less platform space, more passengers are at risk of falling on to the tracks. One possible solution being considered is platform screen doors to prevent passengers from falling. Another option is eliminating seats to increase standing space on the newer cars. A limited number of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R211_(New_York_City_Subway_car) R211 cars]] that entered service in 2023 are designed to lessen crowding by using open gangways to make it easier to move from car to car (such a layout has already been seen on the [[UsefulNotes/TorontoSubway Toronto Rocket cars]]). The last time articulated trains were used on the subway were the D-type Triplex cars, which were used on the privately-owned BMT system.

* Crime remains a problem, though not so much in recent years as it used to be when people loathed taking the subway for fear of being mugged or worse. In order to fight crime, various approaches have been used over the years such as PR campaigns, more CCTV cameras, heavier fines and adding cops at high-risk areas. Due to a lack of platform screen doors, people have also been shoved onto the tracks, sometimes in front of an oncoming train. The Bernhard Goetz incident[[note]]a straphanger shot four would-be muggers in a subway car. Goetz became known as the "Subway Vigilante" because of the media coverage. It also raised awareness about the legal limits of self-defense[[/note]] symbolized public dismay at the high crime rate in New York. Terrorism became high on the agenda after 9/11, what with a mass shooting in 2022[[note]]in which a lone gunman opened fire and tossed smoke bombs on a northbound N train that was heading towards the 36th Street-4th Avenue stop[[/note]]. While nobody was killed miraculously, it still highlights the subway's vulnerability to terror attacks.
* [[RailroadTracksOfDoom Track deaths and injuries are rare]], but they do happen. A chunk of these are suicides, followed by clueless passengers hopping over the platform to retrieve something they dropped and people being shoved by deranged criminals in front of oncoming trains, sometimes ForTheEvulz. It's possible to dodge an oncoming train by simply [[ByWallThatIsHoley rolling under the gap beneath the platform]], but nobody ever thinks to do this (at least not on purpose). Most threats are mundane, as many stations outside of Manhattan are poorly maintained and a continual fount of personal injury suits typically filed by old ladies tripping on broken platforms or stairs. Occasionally, some of these deaths occur by touching the electrified third rail. Another problem posed by track fatalities is that they in turn disrupt service, frustrating riders even more.

* Noise is another perennial problem. Many portions still use jointed tracks, making a "clickety-clack" sound when train wheels pass over the small gap. They also make a metallic squeaking noise when going around tight turns, especially on older portions of the subway. Notorious examples of this include the Crescent Street curve along the Jamaica Line (noted to be the tightest one on the B Division and 2nd tightest overall), the City Hall-Cortlandt Street curve on the Broadway Line via Tunnel, the South Ferry loops[[note]]As with City Hall, the noise and the stations' proximity to the Bowling Green stop contributed to low ridership, causing the inner loop to close in 1977 and the outer in 2012. Also, the tracks were designed without having to change crews, but there were no layup tracks that would allow trains to move on to a different track in the event a train went OOS. Due to the loops' curvature (with gap fillers on the outer platform so patrons won't fall onto the tracks, further delaying service), they created a service bottleneck that prevented more service on the 1 line. To speed up service, the MTA built a new South Ferry station that operates as a traditional terminal[[/note]], the City Hall loop (on the Lexington Avenue Line -- the tightest curve in the entire system)[[note]]The noise (as demonstrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRkQXgdgMKI here]]) was probably a factor in the low ridership that caused the station to be closed in 1947. Unlike most abandoned subway stations in New York, which are covered with graffiti and haven't been cleaned since the day they closed, the City Hall station has been pretty well preserved. The NYC Transit Museum (which itself is the closed Court St. station) occasionally does tours of it.[[/note]] and 14th Street-Union Square on the Lexington Avenue Line. In fact, many have noted that the loud noise is unsafe for human ears and lead to deafness.

* Many stations and lines have [[AbandonedArea since been abandoned]] because of track and platform alterations that left portions of a line unusable or due to low patronage. Also, many of the older els were removed as a nearby subway line essentially copied the el's route. The MTA also shuttered portions of existing stops due to redundancy, leaving them to either rot or use as storage facilities, while plans for future expansion have largely been ignored due to funding issues or political bickering.
* The usage of local and express services is unique amongst major metro systems in that it allows multiple services to traverse between subway lines. The downside is the constant switching at major junctions, which has a major impact on train capacity, particularly during rush hours. These bottlenecks typically occur at heavily-trafficked areas such as the [=DeKalb=] Avenue-Gold Street interlocking, which is described as the B Division's heart as several lettered lines converge there, causing trains to be held up on the Manhattan Bridge tracks as even a minor delay on the interlocking would cascade along much of the B Division (except for the G and L lines); the A Division's equivalent is the Rogers Avenue interlocking east of Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line. Other examples include the 59th Street-Columbus Circle interlocking on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the 125th Street-145th Street interlocking also on the IND Eighth Avenue Line[[note]]nicknamed Homeball Alley for the numerous switches, layup tracks, and signals along the way, combined with the IND Concourse and Eighth Avenue Lines merging there[[/note]], and the 36th Street-Queens Plaza interlocking on the IND Queens Boulevard Line.

Additionally, the MTA runs a complicated system of buses; Staten Island (the RedHeadedStepchild of New York City) has its own above-ground train line across the island operated by an MTA subsidiary; and there are several separate local rail systems primarily for commuters:

* '''42nd Street Shuttle''': The IRT shuttle service runs at all times except late nights, connecting Times Square to Grand Central under 42nd Street (for late night service between, the 7 supplements it). It is the shortest regular service in the system, running about 3,000 feet (910 m) in under two minutes. Also in order to distinguish it from the other shuttles in the system, it is internally referred as the 0 (zero). It uses short trains of [=R62A=] cars. In an effort to improve the shuttle, its tracks were reconfigured in 2022 that allowed two six-car trains to run more efficiently (instead of shorter three-car ones that ran previously) and made the Times Square stop wheelchair-friendly. As part of this, the center track was removed.
* '''Franklin Avenue Shuttle''': The BMT shuttle service uses the Franklin Avenue Line exclusively. The north terminus is Franklin Avenue (with a free transfer to the Fulton Street Line), with the south terminus being Prospect Park (with transfer and track connections to the Brighton Line). The shuttle runs One Person Train Operation (OPTO), with the motorman also being the conductor - they will go to the opposite end to make another run at each terminal. Also, in order to distinguish it from the other shuttles in the system, it is internally referred as the S. Previously, the shuttle ran to Coney Island during summers, but years of neglect and declining ridership have led the MTA to consider tearing down the right-of-way and replace it with bus service in the 1980s, though local opposition forced the MTA to instead rehabilitate the line in 1999 with new tracks, platforms and signals. The line uses its own fleet of R68 cars.
* '''Rockaway Park Shuttle''': The IND shuttle service connects with the A at the Broad Channel station and utilizes the Rockaway Line's Rockaway Park branch, terminating at Beach 116th Street at all times (though some A trains come to/from Rockaway Park during rush hours in the peak direction). Also, in order to distinguish it from the other shuttles in the system, it is internally referred as the H, though the route was openly designated as such in the past.[[note]]The H designation was used for the shuttle in its current form from 1985 to 1993. It was also used during the winter of 2012-2013 for a temporary free shuttle service that operated on the Rockaway Peninsula between Far Rockaway and Beach 90th Street via Hammels Wye while these tracks were cut off from the rest of the system as a result of Hurricane Sandy washing out the line crossing Jamaica Bay[[/note]] Throughout the shuttle's history, it ran to Euclid Avenue and/or Far Rockaway, serving as a replacement for routes that didn't run during off-peak hours. Since 2016, the shuttle is extended to Rockaway Boulevard on the Fulton Street Line on weekends during the summer months, allowing single transfers for A train passengers originating on the Lefferts Boulevard Branch. The Rockaway Park Shuttle shares the same rolling stock with the A.

* Website/ThomasFaySyndicate developed the comic strip ''A Train's World'' in 2007, set in New York a few years into the future. The trains talk and have a mind of their own, and is summed up by the creator as "an urban WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends". [[http://trainsworld.deviantart.com/ Highlights of the collection]] are up on Website/DeviantArt.

* The usage of local and express services is unique amongst major metro systems in that it allows multiple services to traverse between subway lines. The downside is the constant switching at major junctions, which has a major impact in the train capacity, particularly during rush hours. These switching bottlenecks typically occur at heavily-trafficked areas such as the [=DeKalb=] Avenue-Gold Street interlocking, which is described as the B Division's heart and a frequent source of delays as several BMT/IND subway lines converge there, causing trains to be held up on the Manhattan Bridge tracks; this in turn impacts the number of trains operating along much of the B Division (except for the G and L lines). Other examples include the 59th Street-Columbus Circle interlocking on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the Rogers Avenue interlocking east of Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line, the 125th Street-145th Street interlocking also on the IND Eighth Avenue Line[[note]]nicknamed Homeball Alley for the numerous switches, layup tracks, and signals along the way, combined with the IND Concourse and Eighth Avenue Lines merging there[[/note]], and the 36th Street-Queens Plaza interlocking on the IND Queens Boulevard Line.

The 7 is also unique for having the only cross-platform transfer to a B Division service, as it has a cross-platform exchange with the BMT Astoria Line at Queensboro Plaza. This is a remnant of the complicated [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensboro_Plaza_station Dual Contracts]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_Contracts history]] under which the IRT and BMT co-shared the Astoria and Flushing Lines.\\

* The usage of local and express services is unique amongst major metro systems in that it allows multiple services to traverse between subway lines. The downside is the constant switching at major junctions, which has a major impact in the train capacity, particularly during rush hours. These switching bottlenecks typically occur at heavily-trafficked areas such as the [=DeKalb=] Avenue-Gold Street interlocking, which is described as the B Division's heart and a frequent source of delays as several BMT/IND subway lines converge there, causing trains to be held up on the Manhattan Bridge tracks; this in turn impacts the number of trains operating along much of the B Division (except for the G and L lines). Other examples include the 59th Street-Columbus Circle interlocking on the IND Eighth Avenue Line, the Rogers Avenue interlocking east of Franklin Avenue-Medgar Evers College on the IRT Eastern Parkway Line, the 125th Street-145th Street interlocking also on the IND Eighth Avenue Line[[note]]nicknamed Homeball Alley by motormen and railfans alike for the numerous switches and signals, combined with the B and D lines coming to/from the IND Concourse Line[[/note]], and the 36th Street-Queens Plaza interlocking on the IND Queens Boulevard Line.

* The infamous Second Avenue Subway, [[DevelopmentHell which was on the city's to-do list for many decades]] [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell until finally opening in 2017]]. It will be built with provisions to expand the line to the Bronx and Brooklyn, but that remains to be seen given the MTA's limited funding and looming debt crisis.

* '''B - Concourse Local-Sixth Avenue-Brighton Express via Bridge''': The B only operates on weekdays. During rush hours, it goes from Bedford Park Boulevard in the Bronx to Brighton Beach, running local on the Concourse and 8th Avenue Lines, while midday trips end at 145th Street in Harlem. After leaving 59th Street-Columbus Circle, it runs express along the Sixth Avenue and Brighton Lines (the Q runs as the Brighton local at all times). During the early 2000s, the Manhattan Bridge's north side closed, and the W was created to replace the B in Brooklyn and provide service to Coney Island (via West End), while the Q was rerouted to the Broadway Line. When the Manhattan Bridge tracks re-opened in 2004, the B and D swapped routes. The D was made the West End service to Coney Island, while the B was made the part-time Brighton Express to Brighton Beach. This was done to eliminate the need for part-time shuttles on the West End Line.\\

* '''M - Queens Boulevard-Sixth Avenue-Myrtle Avenue Local via 53rd Street''': The M operates between Forest Hills and Metropolitan Avenue-Middle Village, Queens via the Queens Boulevard, 6th Avenue (via 53rd Street), Jamaica and Myrtle Avenue Lines, making it the only service that travels through the same borough via two different, unconnected lines. The M short turns at Delancey-Essex Streets in Manhattan on weekends, and at Myrtle Avenue–Broadway in Brooklyn during late nights. Late night service on the Queens Boulevard Line is supplemented by the E. It is the only non-shuttle service that has both of its full-run terminals in the same borough (Queens). The 71st Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue termini of the M are 2.47 miles (3.98 km) apart, marking this as the shortest geographic distance between termini for a non-shuttle service. Prior to June 28, 2010, the M traveled during weekday rush hours to Bay Parkway on the West End Line via Nassau Street, and to Chambers Street during midday hours. As part of the 2010 service changes, it was combined with the V to allow a one-seat ride to Midtown for passengers on the BMT Jamaica Line.[[note]]The rush hour service to Bay Parkway was a remnant of the Bankers' Specials that used to run over the Manhattan Bridge until 1967, when the Nassau Street connection was severed due to the Chrystie Street Connection linking the Sixth Avenue Line to Manhattan Bridge north side, while the south side tracks that originally fed into Chambers Street were rerouted to the Broadway Line express tracks; the Broadway Line used to feed into the north side tracks. The Nassau Street Loop allowed trains to originate in Brooklyn from either via the 4th Avenue or Brighton lines (and through either the bridge or the Montague Street Tunnel), run via Nassau Street and return to Brooklyn without having to reverse directions during rush hours. The Chrystie Street Connection also saw the opening of connecting tracks from the Sixth Avenue Line to the Nassau Street Line at Essex Street, and it is these tracks the M uses to move from the BMT to the IND.[[/note]]\\

* '''R - Queens Boulevard-Broadway-4th Avenue Local via Tunnel''': The R operates between Forest Hills, Queens and 95th Street-Bay Ridge[[note]]Formerly 95th Street-Fort Hamilton. While it doesn't look like it on the map this is actually the westernmost station in the entire system, the subway map turns the Manhattan street grid about 29 degrees from true north to align it with the borders of the map (referred to as "Manhattan north")[[/note]], Brooklyn at all times except late nights (when it short-turns at South Ferry), running local on the Queens Boulevard, Broadway (via the Montague Street Tunnel) and 4th Avenue Lines; some 95th Street-bound trains short turn at 59th Street-4th Avenue during rush hours, while some northbound put-ins begin their run at 36th Street-4th Avenue. Late night service originally ended at 36th Street in Brooklyn, but was extended to South Ferry in November 2016 in order to reduce the need to transfer at 36th Street, thereby eliminating the need for northbound trains to skip the 45th and 53rd Street stops. Also, many southbound trips used to short-turn at either Canal Street or South Ferry during rush hours, resulting in long headways along the R in Brooklyn. Beginning November 2017, one northbound rush hour trip terminates at 96th Street-2nd Avenue due to rising demand for service along the 2nd Avenue Line; this trip is then re-designated as a southbound Q to Coney Island. Until 1987, the R's northbound terminal was Astoria, while the N terminated at Forest Hills, but this was switched over in order to give the R a direct access to a train yard. Previously, the N had easy access to the Jamaica and Coney Island yards, while the R had to run light to/from the Coney Island Yard. Also until 1987, some rush-hour only trips ran from Bay Ridge to Chambers Street on the Nassau Street Line.\\

** The replacement of tokens with [=MetroCards=] in the 1990s killed off some of the old fare evasion techniques. One method once used was token sucking, as it was done by jamming the token slot in an entrance gate with paper. A passenger would insert a token at the turnstile, be frustrated when it did not open the gate, and have to spend another token to enter at another gate. A token thief would then suck the token from the jammed slot with their mouth, and it was done as long as nobody was around. Some station attendants sprinkled chili powder in the slots to discourage this. Another method was the use of "slugs," counterfeit tokens that had a similar shape and weight so they could be used to trick the turnstiles. These [[CounterfeitCash slugs]] came in many forms such as washers and arcade tokens. The vending machines used by the MTA have measures that can identify and detect slugs that do not resemble real coins.

* '''R - Queens Boulevard-Broadway-4th Avenue Local via Tunnel''': The R operates between Forest Hills, Queens and 95th Street-Bay Ridge[[note]]Formerly 95th Street-Fort Hamilton. While it doesn't look like it on the map this is actually the westernmost station in the entire system, the subway map turns the Manhattan street grid about 23 degrees from true north to align it with the borders of the map (referred to as "Manhattan north")[[/note]], Brooklyn at all times except late nights (when it short-turns at South Ferry), running local on the Queens Boulevard, Broadway (via the Montague Street Tunnel) and 4th Avenue Lines; some 95th Street-bound trains short turn at 59th Street-4th Avenue during rush hours, while some northbound put-ins begin their run at 36th Street-4th Avenue. Late night service originally ended at 36th Street in Brooklyn, but was extended to South Ferry in November 2016 in order to reduce the need to transfer at 36th Street, thereby eliminating the need for northbound trains to skip the 45th and 53rd Street stops. Also, many southbound trips used to short-turn at either Canal Street or South Ferry during rush hours, resulting in long headways along the R in Brooklyn. Beginning November 2017, one northbound rush hour trip terminates at 96th Street-2nd Avenue due to rising demand for service along the 2nd Avenue Line; this trip is then re-designated as a southbound Q to Coney Island. Until 1987, the R's northbound terminal was Astoria, while the N terminated at Forest Hills, but this was switched over in order to give the R a direct access to a train yard. Previously, the N had easy access to the Jamaica and Coney Island yards, while the R had to run light to/from the Coney Island Yard. Also until 1987, some rush-hour only trips ran from Bay Ridge to Chambers Street on the Nassau Street Line.\\

Unlike many similar subway systems that use a zone system or calculate fares based on the entry and exit stations, the New York subways are flat-rate: pay once when you enter, and you can go anywhere the cars will take you, be it one stop away or to the opposite end of the city. Originally costing a nickel, it's now $2.75 for entrance[[note]]Sort of: a single-ride ticket is $3, but a swipe from a reusable "[=MetroCard=]," the standard fare card for New York subways and buses, costs $2.75; when you put more money on a [=MetroCard=], you also get a 10% bonus. Plus, new [=MetroCard=]s cost an extra $1. Also, you get one free transfer within 2 hours, but only bus-to-bus, subway-to-bus, and bus-to-subway. And also subway-to-subway, but only at certain "out of subway transfer" stations. Again, [=MetroCard=]s only, not single rides. Get all that?[[/note]], with the option to purchase unlimited cards that last a set time period--7 days (perfect for visitors) or 30 days (the Commuter Standard)--instead. On top of all of that, students of New York public schools receive free [=MetroCard=]s for the duration of the school year. The cards are only supposed to be used only on school days, but that rule is often ignored.

** Ironically, [=MetroCards=] themselves are prone to fraud with scofflaws selling "swipes," where they buy an unlimited 30-day pass and charge riders less than the usual fare, thus undercutting the MTA. Others damage the vending machines so that riders have no choice but to fork out money for a ride. This fare evasion method is now being eliminated as [=MetroCards=] are being replaced with a contactless fare payment system called OMNY in 2023. The rising cost of the 30-day unlimited-ride pass and the 18-minute delay between swipes also makes it harder for "swipers" to pull this scam.

** Under Fresh Pond Road and 65th Place to Maspeth, where it would connect with the Myrtle Avenue Line and provide direct service to the Rockaways via the LIRR's Rockaway Branch, which is currently connected to the subway via the Fulton Street Line. The spur would also connect with the Queens Boulevard Line in Jackson Heights, where a station shell (complete with tile work) and bellmouths were built in preparation.

* Although relatively rare compared to the 1970s and 1980s, trains sometimes break down at inconvenient times, with the older fleets more prone to mechanical failures such as faulty doors or stalled trains. Worse than mechanical breakdowns are scheduled trackwork, which can make traveling on the weekends or late nights difficult. At least, the MTA is smart enough to not mess with rush hours. At times, equipment issues such as faulty track switches or malfunctioning signals can force trains to run at slower speeds and/or take a detour.

* Flooding remains a problem, as even minor ones can disrupt service despite improvements to the pump rooms and grates in recent years. Rainwater can damage signals underground and require the third rail to be shut off. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused a major damage to New York and many subway tunnels were inundated with floodwater. The subway opened with limited service two days after the storm, and was running at 80% capacity within five days; however, some infrastructure took years to repair as much of the equipment dates back to the ''1920s''. The storm flooded nine of the system's 14 underwater tunnels, many subway lines, and several train yards, as well as completely damaging a portion of the Rockaway Line, the Montague Street tunnels (which carries the R line between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn), and much of the South Ferry terminal station, requiring long-term closures and repairs.
* Many stations and lines have [[AbandonedArea since been abandoned]] because of track and platform alterations that left portions of a line unusable or due to low patronage. Also, many of the older els were removed since a nearby subway line essentially copied the el's route. The MTA also shuttered portions of existing stops due to redundancy, leaving them to either rot or use as storage facilities, while some of the provisions for future expansion have largely been ignored due to funding issues or political bickering.

** Under Fresh Pond Road and 65th Place to Maspeth, where it would connect with the Myrtle Avenue el and provide direct service to the Rockaways via the LIRR's Rockaway Branch, which is currently connected to the subway via the Fulton Street Line. The spur would also connect with the Queens Boulevard Line in Jackson Heights, where a station shell (complete with tile work) and bellmouths were built in preparation.

* Trains don't run on anything that resembles a schedule. Residents don't expect it to, visitors get frustrated, and yet the MTA still tries to claim that [[http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/schemain.htm their official schedules have worth]]. There are now countdown clocks in every station that are more or less reliable (though sometimes glitched out or unreadable), as well as the My MTA smartphone app that synchs to the same data. The app has a default option to display the nearest station and estimated walking time to get there, so it's quite a bit easier to plan to catch a train (or show an irate boss that it's delayed) nowadays.

* [[RailroadTracksOfDoom Track deaths and injuries are rare]], but they do happen. A chunk of these are suicides, followed by clueless passengers hopping over the platform to retrieve something they dropped and people being shoved by deranged criminals in front of oncoming trains, sometimes ForTheEvulz. It's possible to dodge an oncoming train by simply [[ByWallThatIsHoley rolling under the gap beneath the platform]], but nobody ever thinks to do this (at least not on purpose). Most threats are mundane, as many stations outside of Manhattan are poorly maintained and a continual fount of personal injury suits, with the majority of these are old ladies tripping on cracked/uneven platforms or stairs. Occasionally, some of these deaths occur by touching the electrified third rail. Another problem posed by track fatalities is that they in turn disrupt service, frustrating riders even more.

* Although relatively rare compared to the 1970s and 1980s, trains sometimes break down at inconvenient times, with the older fleets more prone to mechanical failures such as faulty doors or stalled trains. Worse than mechanical breakdowns are scheduled service interruptions, which can make traveling on the weekends or late nights difficult. At least, the MTA is smart enough to not mess with rush hours. At times, equipment issues such as faulty track switches or malfunctioning signals can force trains to run at slower speeds and/or take a detour.

* The cars and platforms are full of bums, hucksters, and napping vagrants. Though panhandling is illegal and riders tend to deliberately ignore it, it's still common for someone to enter a subway car and tell a sob story, ending with "if you can help me out at all..."

** When a retired [=LIRR=] worker stated he made roughly $500K in total pay (including overtime, benefits and salary), this raised eyebrows on why [[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/nyregion/mta-overtime.html handwritten time sheets are used]] when it can be automated. Earlier attempts were kiboshed because managers feared pushback from employees. [[https://nypost.com/2019/05/17/feds-probe-mta-overtime-king-over-a-dozen-other-lirr-workers-report/ According to the New York Post]], the MTA spent $1.3 billion in overtime in 2018, up more than $100 million from the previous year.
* Though vandalism remains an occasional problem, it isn't as much as it was once during the subway's nadir. By the mid-2000s, a new form of vandalism had taken root: scratchiti. Instead of spray paint, taggers were using etching tools and acid to mar windows and stainless steel surfaces. Since then, treatment — including scratch-resistant window shields — has minimized the problem. Even then, vandals remain determined to damage subway equipment, whether by tagging [=MetroCard=] vending machines or etching on the subway cars.
* Though not so much anymore, fare evasion remains an occasional problem, contributing to lost revenues. The most basic is jumping over or crawling under the turnstiles, unauthorized entry to subway yards or tunnels (which sometimes runs the risk of being fried to death by touching the third rail or being hit by an incoming train if on the tracks), or entering through the gate intended for disabled riders when it happens to be open. To crack down on fare dodging, the MTA has implemented several measures, including adding police officers at high-risk areas and installing high entry-exit turnstiles ([=HEETs=]) designed to make jumping difficult.

* Litter accumulation is a perennial issue[[note]]And the main source of the vermin problem mentioned above[[/note]]. In the 1970s and 1980s, vandalized trains and platforms were serious problems. The situation has improved since then, but the 2010 budget crisis, which caused over 100 of the cleaning staff to lose their jobs, threatened to curtail trash removal from the subway system. Sometimes, objects thrown on the tracks touch the electrified third rail, resulting in a track fire, which in turn disrupts subway service. The litter also poses a health hazard. The MTA even [[InsaneTrollLogic tried to curtail littering by removing trash bins]] from several stations in 2011, but it didn't work out as intended and was abandoned in 2017.

** The R46 fleet was once [[TheAllegedCar the subway's lemon]], being plagued with many issues from the start. The train manufacturer delivered them behind schedule due to a worker strike in 1977. Design flaws such as cracks on the train bogies[[note]]Later traced to manufacturer Pullman Standard using a faulty design (created by a third party) that they were under the impression had been cleared in testing. In reality it was just a prototype and had ''never'' been tested.[[/note]] and faulty brake controls (which sometimes stalled the train ''when it was in operation'') limited the [=R46=] fleet's usage and caused the MTA to sue Pullman Standard for $80 million in damages. Later on, they were overhauled in the 1990s to improve their reliability.
** The recently acquired R179 fleet has become the new "lemon," having been plagued with the same issues that affected the R46. Because of this, Bombardier was banned from bidding on the R211 contract for new subway cars. Train workers have also complained about faulty train controls and design flaws. To make matters worse, defects that could cause doors to open even when a train is in motion caused the entire fleet to be grounded in January 2020, forcing the MTA to reuse the retired R42 fleet for service. [[HereWeGoAgain The entire fleet was once again grounded]] in June 2020 when a set of cars accidentally unlinked while in service, causing the consist to be split into two. The R179 fleet was restored to full service in September 2020.

* ''Theatre/AnimalCrackers'': A deleted version of Captain Spalding's African exploration monologue alludes to how IRT lines were designated before the city took over and numbered them:

* The {{Jazz}}-Standard "Take the "A" Train" is about the line that runs express up to Harlem.

The trope here is that the subways of UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity are [[SubwaysSuck hot, grimy, filthy, encrusted with graffiti, and magnets for street crime]]. While this was once basically true, subway cars haven't fit this bill since 1990[[note]]By the mid-80s, MTA NYCT had a 5 year program to eradicate graffiti from the city, starting with the subway cars. It worked, and by 1989, there were no graffiti on the cars. However, the tunnels themselves are still completely covered in graffiti (as are a lot of the buildings alongside the elevated lines) and probably always will be. It would take a massive amount of manpower and money to clean it all off, not to mention the subway would have to be shut down while they're working since power washers and 600v third rail don't get along too well. If you actually ''want'' to see graffiti your best bets are the elevated sections of the Flushing line (the 7 train) and the Nassau-Jamaica line (the J/Z train)[[/note]]. Some common representations, however, ''are'' true:

** The other sport in which two teams from the same area could face each other is football. However, the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl is a single game played in a pre-determined neutral location; no subway applies. Theoretically, one supposes a "Subway Super Bowl" could be where both teams can get to the stadium by subway for the single game - as of 2020 this is only possible for the New York (Giants, Jets) and Los Angeles (Rams, Chargers) teams, and they would both have to win their respective conference championships in the exact year the Super Bowl was held in that particular stadium (hosts are determined three or four years ahead of time), which has only happened exactly once, when the Rams reached -- and won -- Super Bowl LVI in 2022, which was played at their and the Charger's home stadium, [=SoFi=] Stadium[[note]]Both the Giants and Jets missed the playoffs when [=MetLife Stadium=] hosted Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014; and the Chargers likewise missed the playoffs when Super Bowl LVI took place[[/note]]. (And at any rate, you can't get to [=MetLife=] Stadium on the NYC Subway since it's actually in the Meadowlands of New Jersey - best you can do is take the [[UsefulNotes/PortAuthorityTransHudson PATH]] to Hoboken, then switch to UsefulNotes/NewJerseyTransit's Meadowlands Rail Line.) Meanwhile the K Line of the UsefulNotes/LosAngelesMetroRail does get somewhat close to [=SoFi=] Stadium, but the closest stations are a fair distance away, plus the line didn't open until eight months after Super Bowl LVI.