A Subway Delay Story

Learn how a single delayed train can cause delays throughout an entire subway line -- and one strategy that train dispatchers use to get service back to normal.

Music: "Chip Goes to Town" by Peter Oldroyd and Gary Scargill. Used under license from APM Music.

[SparenofIria]

This is one of the simplest, yet most informative things I have ever seen the MTA ever put out. However, it does not tell us as passengers how to help alleviate the problem (besides not shoving ourselves into the next train).

[JeffrevinYT]

For some reason, I feel like this would make a great game, trying to prevent dwell times between stations with random events and different times (medical emergencies, fights on the trains, rush hour, evening hours, etc) and having to juggle them on real life lines with real life congestion statistics.

[prn]

This is all fine. My problem as a daily MTA rider is you don't ever make announcements about problems in service. It isn't until the platform is terribly overcrowded and you've been waiting 25 minutes that you hear a garbled announcement like "because of a switch malfunction at Canal St, N and R trains are experiencing delays". By then, you have 500 people all thinking "no shit" in unison and forcing their way out of the station. Token booth clerks claim to have no heads up either. Communication is the key part and that's where the MTA fails miserably. Otherwise, for a system over 100 years old, it runs pretty damn well.

[Palal]

A very simplistic view, but not a bad representation.
One more thing you can do - the train that's at the cause of the gap - if there are trains stacked up behind it - unload it and send it express forward to close the gap.

[ruzzelladrian]

This has to be the cutest thing I've seen lately.

[AxisX]

I'm honestly really happy this video exists, proving that the MTA knows what train/bus bunching is, and how to combat it. Too bad neither Liberty Lines, nor NICE Bus will ever be able to do the same. If they did...ahh, that'll be the day.

[HQ]

**PUTS QUARTER UP ON SCREEN** I got next.

[jordanbatista]

Now if only the MTA can just catch and take down those subway conquestors

[boojwahz]

There is a section of track in queens on the E and F line where it can sometimes take a half hour to go from Roosevelt Ave to the next stop. That's unacceptable

[bwuh]

Give credit where credit is due. Where are the credits? Who made this?!

[VeenSauce]

I would prefer if the delayed train went express to close the gap. This solution seems to just frustrate everyone.

[ladikira]

So please explain why the E and F always seem to run smoothly until the next stop is Jackson Heights - Roosevelt Ave and/or 71st and Continental Ave. Its at this point the trains start moving as slow as molasses through the tunnels and the constant announcements about train traffic start. Ridiculous.

[Townsen]

This. Explains. So Much! Great Video :)

[mtamaster]

is this the official MTA transit channel

[busvanninunofficial]

Good way of getting info out to the public The subway cars look like a combination of IRT cars and the R32 fleet

[allenklosowski]

This is an awesome and informative explanation.

[CharlesAlanRatliff]

I like the video, but the obnoxious bright white flashing used as a transition makes it difficult to watch.

[alvarorodriguez]

Can I have the link for the background music?

[flamegaming]

Headway’s appear because some trains turn around?

[RaNdMkDoI]

I kinda want to poke holes into this logic, like what if it's an express track, the distances of each station, whether or not the medical case becomes bigger, and etc etc ixnay, but I'd rather not get bombarded, lol.