Subways

Topic

√ NY Agencies

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

This is the primary agency responsible for the subway system in New York City. The MTA is a public benefit corporation chartered by the State of New York, and it operates the subway through its subsidiary, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA).

New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT)

While the NYCDOT does not directly operate the subway system, it plays a role in coordinating transportation services in New York City, including aspects that may impact the subway system. Mayor’s Management Report

New York City Transit Police Department (Transit Police)

The Transit Police is a specialized law enforcement agency responsible for policing and ensuring the safety and security of the subway system. Mayor’s Management Report

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)

This bi-state agency manages and maintains infrastructure within the Port District of New York and New Jersey, including bridges, tunnels, and terminals. They also operate the PATH trains, which are a rapid transit system serving Newark, Harrison, Hoboken, and Jersey City in New Jersey, and Manhattan in New York. The PATH system connects with New York City’s subway system at various points.

New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit)

While primarily focused on New Jersey’s public transportation, NJ Transit’s operations, particularly its commuter rail services, connect with New York City’s subway system at several key transit hubs, facilitating commuter movement between the two states.

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)

The DEP can be involved in issues related to the environmental impact of the subway system, such as noise pollution, water drainage, and air quality. Mayor’s Management Report

√ Reports

MTA Annual Reports

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates NYC’s subway system, publishes annual reports detailing its operations, financial status, and future plans.

"Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit"

This comprehensive MTA 2018 plan outlines strategies to modernize the subway system, improve reliability, enhance accessibility, and address infrastructure needs.

MTA FINANCIAL AND BUDGET STATEMENTS

This MTA portal has links to a range of financial reports like the Subway Action Plans and MTA budgets. In a separate page, Disclosure Page and Financial Reports, has more financial documents.

State Comptroller's Audits

The New York State Comptroller releases audits and analyses of the MTA’s finances and performance.

MTA 2020-2024 Capital Program

These reports track the progress of ongoing modernization projects like station upgrades, new train cars, and signal upgrades. They offer insight into the MTA’s long-term plans for the subway system.

Riders Alliance Subway Ridership Reports

This rider advocacy group tracks ridership trends and analyzes the impact of fare increases and service changes.

"An Unhealthy Commute: The Transit Challenges Facing New York City’s Healthcare Sector"

This report argues that the city’s subway and bus system, designed for a past era, has not kept pace with the growth of healthcare jobs and the increasingly dispersed locations of hospitals and medical facilities. This mismatch leaves many healthcare workers, especially those living outside Manhattan, with long, unreliable, and expensive commutes.

REPORT OF THE BLUE-RIBBON PANEL on MTA Fare and Toll Evasion

Fare and toll evasion cause revenue losses approaching record levels of nearly $700 million. The panel recommends modernizing subway entrance experience, providing support to low-income bus and subway riders and Improving enforcement.

"Out of Service: Creating an Equitable Transit System for New York City"

This report highlights the significant inequities faced by disabled New Yorkers due to inaccessible public transportation in the city. It argues that the current system disproportionately burdens people with disabilities with longer commutes, limited travel options, and dependence on unreliable assistance.

"The Subway Safety Plan"

This February 2022 plan aims to address public safety concerns within the subway system while supporting individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness and serious mental illness. It focuses on three key areas: collaboration and outreach, increased resources and support, and law enforcement and system rules.

Public/Board Meetings and Hearings

This MTA site lists public meetings, hearing and issues involved. MTA Board meetings are listed here.

MTA Annual Reports

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates NYC’s subway system, publishes annual reports detailing its operations, financial status, and future plans.

"Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit"

This comprehensive MTA 2018 plan outlines strategies to modernize the subway system, improve reliability, enhance accessibility, and address infrastructure needs.

MTA FINANCIAL AND BUDGET STATEMENTS

This MTA portal has links to a range of financial reports like the Subway Action Plans and MTA budgets. In a separate page, Disclosure Page and Financial Reports, has more financial documents.

State Comptroller's Audits

The New York State Comptroller releases audits and analyses of the MTA’s finances and performance.

MTA 2020-2024 Capital Program

Riders Alliance Subway Ridership Reports

This rider advocacy group tracks ridership trends and analyzes the impact of fare increases and service changes.

"The Subway Safety Plan"

Public Meetings and Hearings

This MTA site lists public meetings, hearing and issues involved. MTA Board meetings are listed here.

√ Data sets

Ridership Data

This includes daily, monthly, and annual ridership figures, which are essential for understanding usage patterns, peak times, and long-term trends in subway use. There is also hourly ridership on DATA.NY.GOV

Subway Performance Metrics

The MTA publishes various performance metrics for the subway system, such as on-time performance, train reliability, and customer satisfaction. These metrics help assess the overall performance and quality of subway service.

MTA Subway and Bus Employee Assaults and Harassments

This dataset reflects the weekly number of employee-reported incidents of assaults and harassments, as those terms are defined in the NYS Penal Law, against on-duty New York City Transit and MTA Bus Company employees.

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Periodic surveys gauge rider satisfaction on various aspects like cleanliness, safety, and service quality.

Turnstile Data

The MTA releases turnstile data, which includes information on entries and exits at subway stations. This data set can be used to analyze ridership patterns, station usage, and trends over time.

Carbon Accounting

The MTA has reported its greenhouse gas emissions with The Climate Registry since 2008.

GTFS Data

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) provides General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data for the subway. This includes information on schedules, routes, stops, and service alerts.

Subway Data NYC

This group of datasets includes train arrival times for the New York City subway starting April 1, 2021. It provides a list of stations where the trains stopped and the times.

Improving Language Access on NYC Transit

This NYU Rudin Center for Transportation report considers the need for language access on NYC transit systems and the current state of service for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) riders.

√ Data visualizations

MTA Subway Performance Dashboard

This real-time dashboard shows delays, service changes, and planned maintenance, offering a high-level overview of system performance.

Budget Transparency

This MTA site breaks down the the budget with a series of pie charts. “Where the Dollars Come From/Go” among other charts illustrating the budget allocations dating back to 2016. Additional budget data can be found here.

Accessible Subway Stations

The NYU report, “Accelerating progress: Making transit accessible for all New Yorkers” has data visualizations about current ADA compliant status of stations and the number of accessible stations over time.

TransitCenter Equity Dashboard

This report evaluates whether New York residents have equitable transit access to jobs, stores, hospitals, and other destinations. It provides a series of data visualizations and interactive features.

NYC DCP Travelshed

The Department of City Planning (DCP) Transit Travelshed shows the areas a New Yorker can reach by transit within one hour. It uses schedules of various public transit services, such as the subway, to provide a measure of transit accessibility for any location in New York City.

Subway Ridership 1975-2015

This 2017 NYU Rudin Center for Transportation report provides an historical overview of the evolution of the subway system, complete with data visualizations illustrating some of the more significant trends.

NYC Subway Maps

Daytime, night-time, opn bathroom, winter underground only and accessible subway maps.

Historic Transit maps

A Brief History of New York City Transit Maps (1888-2022): This visualization provides a historical perspective of New York City transit maps.

"Subway Lines Data on NYC Open Data"

The NYC Open Data platform provides a dataset on city subway lines. This includes comprehensive data on subway lines, stations, and transfers, which can be visualized as maps, tables, and other formats.

NYC Subway Stringlines

Stringlines are a time & distance chart which illustrate the movement of trains between stations over time. Stringlines are an easy method to visualize operational problems that affect rail service; such as delays, train bunching and gaps in service.

√ STATISTICS

Nunber of subway stations

2023, MTA

Number of subway cars

2023, MTA

Approximate daily subway ridership

Million, 2022, MTA

Number of Lines and Stations

The system has 36 lines and 472 stations, making it one of the most extensive subway networks globally. Source: MTA

Ridership

The subway had a daily ridership of about 3.2 million in 2022 and an annual ridership of 1 billion. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the subway had an annual ridership of about 1.7 billion. Source: MTA

Cars and miles

The NYC subway system has more than 6,455 subway cars. In 2021 they traveled about 331 million miles. Source: MTA

Popular Stations and Lines

Flushing-Main St had the most MetroCard swipes: 6.3 million. Grand Central-42 St had the most OMNY taps: 5.4 million. The 6 line was busiest and was on track to carry about 140 million passengers for 2023, more than the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad together. Source: MTA

Nunber of subway stations

2023, MTA

Number of subway cars

2023, MTA

Approximate daily subway ridership

Million, 2022, MTA

Number of Lines and Stations

The system has 36 lines and 472 stations, making it one of the most extensive subway networks globally. Source: MTA

Ridership

The subway had a daily ridership of about 3.2 million in 2022 and an annual ridership of 1 billion. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the subway had an annual ridership of about 1.7 billion. Source: MTA

Cars and miles

The NYC subway system has more than 6,455 subway cars. In 2021 they traveled about 331 million miles. Source: MTA

Popular Stations and Lines

√ Census & American Community Survey

Commuting Patterns

The ACS collects data on commuting patterns, including modes of transportation used by residents to travel to work. This data can help understand the proportion of subway riders among commuters in different neighborhoods.

Demographic Data

The Census and ACS provide demographic data such as population, age, race, ethnicity, and income levels. Analyzing this data alongside subway ridership can provide insights into the demographics of subway users.

Housing Data

The Census collects information on housing units, including characteristics such as tenure (rented or owned), type of housing, and household size. This data can be analyzed to understand the housing patterns of subway riders.

Journey-to-Work Data

The Census and ACS include data on the time it takes for residents to commute to work, the distance they travel, and the means of transportation used. These data sets can offer insights into subway usage for commuting purposes.

Poverty and Income Data

The Census and ACS provide data on poverty rates and income levels at various geographic levels, including neighborhoods. Analyzing this data alongside subway ridership can help understand the relationship between socioeconomic factors and subway usage.

Commuting Patterns

Demographic Data

Housing Data

Journey-to-Work Data

Poverty and Income Data

√ Non-Profits

Transportation Alternatives

Transportation Alternatives is a non-profit organization focused on advocating for safe, equitable, and sustainable transportation options in New York City. They work on improving subway access, promoting transit equity, and advocating for better subway infrastructure.

Riders Alliance

The Riders Alliance is an advocacy organization that aims to give a voice to subway and bus riders in New York City. They work on issues such as subway reliability, accessibility, fare affordability, and improving the overall rider experience.

Straphangers Campaign

The Straphangers Campaign is a non-profit advocacy group that focuses on improving the quality of subway and bus service in New York City. They work on issues such as subway cleanliness, timely service, accessibility, and fare affordability.

Tri-State Transportation Campaign

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign is a regional non-profit organization working on transportation issues in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. They advocate for efficient, safe, and sustainable transportation systems, including subway improvements and expansions.

TransitCenter

TransitCenter is a foundation that works on improving public transit systems across the United States. They support research, advocacy, and initiatives aimed at enhancing subway and public transportation services in New York City.

NYU Rudin Center for Transportation

The Rudin Center, based at New York University, focuses on research and analysis of transportation issues. They have conducted studies on various aspects of transportation, including the subway system, and offer insights on subway infrastructure, operations, and policy.

Center for an Urban Future (CUF)

CUF is a think tank that conducts research on economic development, workforce issues, and public policy in New York City. They have published reports on transportation infrastructure, including subway-related topics such as transit accessibility and subway modernization.

√ Experts

Janette Sadik-Khan - Former DOT

Former NYC DOT commissioner and urban planning expert, she played a key role in implementing improvements like pedestrian plazas and bike lanes during her tenure. Her book “Street Fight” offers valuable insights into urban transportation systems.

Renae Reynolds - Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Reynolds is Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Previously she was at the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance where she managed the organization’s transportation advocacy efforts aimed at reducing the harmful impacts of transportation pollution in New York’s most vulnerable communities.

Elizabeth Adams - Transportation Alternatives

Adams is the Deputy Executive Director for Public Affairs at Transportation Alternatives. Previously, she served as a Legislative Director in the City Council and the Director of Government Relations for Planned Parenthood of NYC.

Nicole Gelinas

Urban planning journalist and author of “Failure-Free Transportation: The Making of Reliable NYC Transit,” she provides in-depth analyses of subway operations and potential solutions for its challenges.

Andy Byford - Former MTA

Former President of NYC Transit, he implemented several service improvements and introduced the OMNY fare payment system before his departure.

Bob Previdi - Former MTA

A transportation policy advisor with 14 years of experience at New York City Transit. He has contributed to discussions on how to improve the subway system, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

√ Journal Articles

"Examination of New York City Transit’s Bus and Subway Ridership Trends During the COVID-19 Pandemic"

This paper addresses the techniques used to estimate dramatically changing ridership, at a time when previously dependable sources suddenly became unavailable (e.g., local bus payment data, manual field checks).

"Urban Travel Time Variability in New York City: A Spatio-Temporal Analysis within Congestion Pricing Context"

The economic cost of congestion is in the order of billions of dollars especially for dense
urban cities. Besides the congestion which relates to the magnitude of travel time, travel time variability is also studied extensively by researchers as an additional measure for transportation network efficiency.

"Violence in Advertisements in New York City Subway Stations"

With annual ridership reaching over 1.7 billion in 2014, the New York City subway system is abundant with advertisements. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the frequency and type of violent advertising on the Lexington Avenue/East Side Line in New York City, running through the Bronx and Manhattan to represent the lower and higher median income earning boroughs.

NYPL: "Subway Construction: Then and Now"

Periodically, the MTA posts images to its Flickr Photostream that document workers’ progress on many projects, including the Second Avenue Subway, the 7 Line Extension, and East Side Access project. Side by side with NYPL’s collection of photographs of the construction of New York’s first subway, which opened in 1904, these images provide stark contrast to each other.

√ Key Issues

Reliability and Delays

One of the primary concerns for subway riders has been the reliability of the system and frequent delays. Aging infrastructure, signal failures, track maintenance, and overcrowding have contributed to service disruptions and unreliable subway operations.

Maintenance and Upgrades

The subway system requires ongoing maintenance and upgrades to address aging infrastructure and ensure safe and efficient operations. Lack of consistent funding, deferred maintenance, and the need for major capital investments have posed challenges in maintaining and modernizing the system.

Accessibility

Many subway stations in New York City lack full accessibility for people with disabilities, limiting their ability to use the system. Retrofitting stations with elevators and improving accessibility throughout the subway network has been a significant issue.

Funding and Financial Sustainability

The subway system relies on a complex funding structure, with challenges in securing sustainable and dedicated funding sources. Budget shortfalls, fare revenue fluctuations, and funding disputes have affected the system’s ability to maintain and expand services.

Equity and Affordability

Fare affordability has been a concern for many riders, particularly as fares have increased over time. Ensuring that subway services remain affordable and accessible for all New Yorkers, regardless of income or geographic location, has been an ongoing issue.

√ Social Media Accounts

