Hot Subway cars of the summer

[R3216068E]

 

Back in the day, New York City subway cars had ceiling fans, not HVAC units, to approximate climate control. When air conditioning was first piloted in a subway car in 1955, a New York Times reporter called it "the dream of every heat-maddened subway sardine."

 

Sixty years later, all 6,344 subway cars have air conditioning. Unless, of course, the units break down.

 

That leads to a special "sort of agony" for subway riders, said Harry Stevens, a reporter with The New York World. He was curious as to which subway cars had the most air conditioner breakdowns. So he requested data from the MTA about their performance.

 

He found roughly 6,500 "hot car" complaints over the past five years.

 

Dog Days of Summer

 

Approximate number of hot subway cars by month, 2010-14

 

(Harry Stevens/The New York World)

 

The New York World analyzed data provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in response to a public records request for five years of HVAC repairs by MTA workers. The analysis involved removing several thousand duplicate records and then filtering the remaining records to include only those where the description of the repair included the word “hot.” Though the MTA did not dispute this methodology, it is possible that some relevant repairs were omitted while other irrelevant ones were included.

 

 

 

The results of his data dive were both unsurprising and somewhat counter-intuitive. "Generally speaking, the older cars tend to get hot more often than the newer cars," Stevens said. The car with the most air conditioner breakdowns is the R32, the model that runs on the C line. They are the fleet's oldest cars.

 

(Another issue with the C train: the line runs entirely underground, which can be brutal on A/C units on hot days. So the MTA moves newer-model trains onto the C line during the peak of the summer.)

 

The best performing car, the R143, serves the L train, and is just a dozen years old. But age doesn't determine performance entirely: The R142A cars, which run on the 4 and 6 lines, are also 12 years old. But they break down much more often.

 

"Summer in the city brings dreaded hot subway cars" (The New York World)

 

Predicting which lines will have hot cars is not an exact science, so we've made a Field Guide to NYC Subway Cars to help you out.

 

Should you be without your field guide, a straphanger's best bet for a cool ride is to watch the cars pulling into the station, and then avoid any empty cars. (A vacant car in the summer months, Stevens said, does not signal "your lucky day. It's actually because it's really hot so nobody wants to be on it.")

 

The worst month is July, when 15 hot cars are reported by riders each day. On really hot days, that number can triple. Like on July 19, 2013, when 54 cars were taken out of service due to air-conditioning repairs, according to the MTA data obtained by Stevens. The high temperature that day? 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

An MTA spokesman said crews check the HVAC systems of each car each day, rebuild older systems and "continuously monitor" subway air conditioning. Stevens admitted that hot cars are uncommon.

 

"I think you could probably live in the city for years and never find yourself on a hot subway car," Stevens said. "But when you do, it can be pretty miserable." 

 

 

 

http://www.wnyc.org/story/where-hot-subway-cars-are/ 

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Oh I can predict which lines will not have AC and will avoid them like the plague: for starters.   Luckily for me I only need these trains when tutoring and I don't tutor in the summer in the areas that those trains go through, so I can use the express bus and Metro-North which have normal climate controls in the 21st century.

[R3216068E]

Oh I can predict which lines will not have AC and will avoid them like the plague: for starters. Luckily for me I only need these trains when tutoring and I don't tutor in the summer in the areas that those trains go through, so I can use the express bus and Metro-North which have normal climate controls in the 21st century.

Atleast the will has R160s so as long as you catch R160s on that line you're good

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Atleast the will has R160s so as long as you catch R160s on that line you're good

This is true.  I had them back in June when I was still tutoring uptown and they were nice to have when getting back to the express bus to head home.  

[trainfan22]

R143s are the most reliable subway cars... this confirms the CBTC failures is counted in those 143s MDBF stats they release to the public.. Crazy the 143s are even outperforming the 188s.

[MysteriousBtrain]

R143s are the most reliable subway cars... this confirms the CBTC failures is counted in those 143s MDBF stats they release to the public.. Crazy the 143s are even outperforming the 188s.

Most R188s are actually R142As that are converted, so in a way it makes sense.

[46Dover]

Oh I can predict which lines will not have AC and will avoid them like the plague: for starters. Luckily for me I only need these trains when tutoring and I don't tutor in the summer in the areas that those trains go through, so I can use the express bus and Metro-North which have normal climate controls in the 21st century.

I find it weird that the R68/68A cars would have AC issues, even though they're fairly newer compared to the R32s

[trainfan22]

Most R188s are actually R142As that are converted, so in a way it makes sense.

I remember seeing an article saying the brand new sets had an MDBF as high as 2 million + plus they made improvements to the controverted sets, guess that wasn't enough to push the 188 to number 1# in MDBF.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I find it weird that the R68/68A cars would have AC issues, even though they're fairly newer compared to the R32s

Those cars were always crappy even when they ran on lines like the .  You have to stand basically in the middle of car to feel any cooling and when they're crowded forget it.  I sweat like a pig, and have to take off my coat to feel comfortable, and I am not by any means obese, as I am quite slim at 6'4" 210 lbs and in shape.  I ride those cars in the winter and spring when tutoring a kid uptown and I hate it, which is why I actually only agreed to tutoring uptown once a week to avoid having to use that line, as all of my other sessions are near the Metro-North or require the use of the express bus.  

 

Sadly the R32s seem to have better AC, but then again when I have used them on the they were always relatively empty coming Downtonw.

[RollOver]

R143s are the most reliable subway cars... this confirms the CBTC failures is counted in those 143s MDBF stats they release to the public.. Crazy the 143s are even outperforming the 188s.

 

Exactly. The R143s even have roughly the same breakdown rates like the R46s do.

 

Just another local media...

[R3216068E]

Exactly. The R143s even have roughly the same breakdown rates like the R46s do.

 

Just another local media...

I was surprised when I read this to the R143s have really low MDBF I always thought that the R160s were the most reliable subway cars (other than the converted R142as the R188s)

[RollOver]

I was surprised when I read this to the R143s have really low MDBF I always thought that the R160s were the most reliable subway cars (other than the converted R142as the R188s)

 

Like trainfan22 said, if the has any CBTC-related problems, they also count as a breakdown. The is also one of the heaviest used lines in the system. The R143s' breakdown rates are quite the same as the R46s. The only difference is that the R143s are new, whereas the R46s are old. So yeah, the R143s on the are gonna indeed have problems compared to the R142As on the given that they run a full-time line with heavy ridership and whatever.

[ttcsubwayfan]

You cannot compare the R143s with the R46s. For some dumb reason, the CBTC failures are counted as breakdowns, even if it has nothing to do with the actual trains. Until they cut that sh*t out, you won't be able to objectively compare the R143s against any other train.

[R188 7857]

I feel like some R62A's on the can have their A/C screwed up. Although it isn't as often as some other lines, I have encountered specific empty R62A cars on the because they have no A/C. 

[ttcsubwayfan]

I feel like some R62A's on the can have their A/C screwed up. Although it isn't as often as some other lines, I have encountered specific empty R62A cars on the because they have no A/C. 

 

That sounds about right.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I feel like some R62A's on the can have their A/C screwed up. Although it isn't as often as some other lines, I have encountered specific empty R62A cars on the because they have no A/C. 

I can agree with that.  You also need to be in the middle of the car to feel any AC which is annoying.  The newer cars seemed to have addressed this issue.

[P3F]

R46 cars have good A/C in my opinion; whenever I catch the and it's that type the train is always freezing inside.

[DaTransitMan4608]

I feel like some R62A's on the can have their A/C screwed up. Although it isn't as often as some other lines, I have encountered specific empty R62A cars on the because they have no A/C. 

They can. Last summer I was taking the a lot, and there were a few times where I'd hop on an R62A with a broken A/C. It wasn't pretty. 

 

Is the MTA exploring any options of buying some new cars for the ? I know they're not really acting up like the R32s do, but since they're modernizing the , I wonder if they're planning on doing the same with the ...

[Sparen of Iria]

The R62(A)s have quite a long life ahead of them, and they're in pretty good condition due to SMS and routine fixing.

 

I doubt they will be phased out anytime soon, although they may be 'modernized' with automated announcements in the future. Anything beyond that is unlikely due to the simple structure of the cars (due in part to the trauma induced by the R44 fleet)

[MHV9218]

Had an ice cold R68A and R62 today. Finding a lot of the Corona R188s to have weak A/C, which is disappointing. Anything beats the R42 sets, which are filled with hot cars. Feels like the old days on the Jamaica el with windows open and scratchiti all over those cars.

[MsHottieWithBody]

Oh I can predict which lines will not have AC and will avoid them like the plague: for starters.   Luckily for me I only need these trains when tutoring and I don't tutor in the summer in the areas that those trains go through, so I can use the express bus and Metro-North which have normal climate controls in the 21st century.

Ugh. The B is my home line. I remember growing up how the R was always a sauna.

[ttcsubwayfan]

They can. Last summer I was taking the a lot, and there were a few times where I'd hop on an R62A with a broken A/C. It wasn't pretty. 

 

Is the MTA exploring any options of buying some new cars for the ? I know they're not really acting up like the R32s do, but since they're modernizing the , I wonder if they're planning on doing the same with the ...

The only reason they replaced the cars on the is because they needed cars compatible with CBTC. Note that not a single unit has actually retired.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They can. Last summer I was taking the a lot, and there were a few times where I'd hop on an R62A with a broken A/C. It wasn't pretty. 

 

Is the MTA exploring any options of buying some new cars for the ? I know they're not really acting up like the R32s do, but since they're modernizing the , I wonder if they're planning on doing the same with the ...

I would LOVE to see new cars on the for better AC, better lighting and just a better overall experience.  Riding the is depressing.  The cars are dark, cramped and the AC (if there is any) is only available in the middle of the car.

 

Ugh. The B is my home line. I remember growing up how the R was always a sauna.

lol... A few new cars on the , but not enough.  The got an upgrade from the previous cars, but that's not saying much when those cars are simply hand-me-downs from lines like the and .

[Daniel The Cool]

The AC on the is not bad

[ttcsubwayfan]

I would think a more financially feasible solution to the issue of problematic AC units would be to buy better AC units, rather than junk otherwise perfectly good cars.