An MTA defender gets real about the annoyance of train delays.

I will forever love the MTA despite its many flaws. It runs 24/7, is the most extensive metro system in the world, and I can get anywhere in the city for less than three dollars—though I have watched the price increase almost a full dollar during my lifetime. It’s truly the circulatory system of the city, and the 1/2/3 trains are the lifeline of Columbia students. Of course, as much as I love the subway, there are some bones I have to pick with the IRT line developers. 

I love the variety of stops on the 1 train. You can get directly from Columbia to the Natural History Museum, Columbus Circle, Times Square, Penn Station, and more—all the way down to Battery Park. However, it’s not the best option for getting downtown quickly. I have to commute to the Financial District twice a week, and the 1 train stops so frequently that transferring to the 2 or 3 shaves off a good 10 to 15 minutes from my ride. The frequent stops also mean that the 1 is much more susceptible to delays. The most humbling experience is being stuck in-between stations and watching the express train zoom past while straining your ears to hear the conductor’s garbled announcements. At night, I take the 2/3 back up to campus to try and catch an earlier 1 at 96th Street, but I end up waiting upwards of 10 minutes just to go three stops. Living on a local stop is not for the faint of heart, especially when we’re decently far uptown. 

The 2/3 trains aren’t perfect, either. Sometimes, I feel like they skip too many stops. There should be a happy balance between the crawl of the 1 and the 30-block increments of the express. If I redesigned the trains, I would add express stops at 59th Street-Columbus Circle and Canal Street to even things out a bit. Also, I really wish 116th was an express stop. I’ve been going to school at non-express stops for pretty much my entire life. It’s tiring. But, on a good day, the subway is my best friend, and it should be yours too.

116th Street Station via Wikimedia Commons
1 train via Bwog Archives