FamousNYLover Posted July 10, 2009 Share #1 Posted July 10, 2009 I found interesting story on AM NY today. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE riders often left uninformed because platforms lack public address system. Straphangers left hanging on No service updates for riders at stations without PA System BY HEATER HADDON hhaddon@am-ny.com Inaudible subway announcements are irritating, but better something than noting. Nearly all of the -train's platforms lack public addresss systems, forcing riders on the Brooklyn-Queens line to reply on station agents and conductors to get info about delays. NYC Transit, however, is eliminating hundreds of station agents across the system, so riders in need of information are out of luck. "It's uncomfortable," said Kirill Naumov, 21, a rider from Brooklyn. "You don't know when the train will come." The issue caused outrage earlier this week when a busted signal knocked out service in Brooklyn for more than an hour. Hundreds of angry riders at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn waited in vain for an announcement. "I understandt that the signals break down and there is no money to repair them," said Steve Cusson, 40, a, Brooklyn rider who had to take a car service from the station. "But there is no PA System. ... There is no communication." James Anyansi, an NYC Transit spokesman, confirmed that most of the stations don't have public address systems, but said the agency will receive funding this year to install a new system of digital boards noting train arrival times. Installing the technology, however has hit major snags on other lines. A 2005 report by the Permanent Citizizens Advisory Committeee to the MTA found that nearly a third of the 468 stations lacked PA systems. Since then, transit installed speakers connected to some agent booths, but the seems to have gotten the short end of the stick. At the Court Square stop in Queens, for example, an address system feeds to the (E)but not the neighboring . "It's a big gap," said Ellyn Shannon, of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee. "There's no means of communication." The MTA planned to replace all of the PA systems by 2009. Instead, it prioritized the installation of the digital boards on platforms. The boards are up and running on , but problems with the contractor have slowed the expansion. The boards wouldn't go liv in 156 stations until 2011, five years after the deadline, according to the most recent report by an independent engineer mandated to study MTA Projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7LineFan Posted July 10, 2009 Share #2 Posted July 10, 2009 Is this really surprising, considering how maligned the is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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