I'm a New Yorker born and raised. Awesome video! My wife is Brazilian and it was memorable for her to ride the MTA subway for the first time in her life. She especially enjoyed the surly attitudes of the MTA workers over the speaker systems, lol. "Please don't hold duh doors!!!"
As a New Yorker I fell disappointed about the NYC metro when I see how clean and how the train are 2 min apart in the London Underground also the train have a character to them with the color it have glad the new R-221 or was 211 have a blue front instead f being all silver but it the same story with metro I seen on the when I went to look at them on the web you got the Stockholm metro which have stataion that look different it like waking at an art gallery or German U bhan where the each station have a different collar or design and in Tokyo the metro is clean and like how people follow the train rule of the metro unlike in New York where the okay thing we do is let’s people off the train first I seen people take like two seat play loud music and throw trash in the track in New York and sometimes you see the graffiti done by kids truing to look cool also when they do the line the don’t make sense it just a bunch of lines their no effort put into it to me it like drawing a stick frigure that anyone can draw and have it be seen like it the Mona Lisa it stupid or as they say in Japan Baka
We live in Tokyo these days (and have been for the past five years). The Tokyo subway trains are much cleaner compared to the New York MTA, of course, but can be just as crowded during rush hours (crammed like sardines in a tin). Tokyo rails are known for their punctuality but they can be late due to "human accidents" (aka someone has jumped in front of a train in a suicide attempt). Blue lights have been installed at the ends of most station platforms as it's thought to alter human moods and reduce instances of suicidal thoughts.
@@raymonds7492 Depends. I grew up in 80's New York City and I clearly remember just how disgusting the trains were back then with graffiti everywhere and worse. Today, it's much better compared to the 80's, lol. Tokyo trains are miles (well, kilometers since the Japanese use the metric system) better, of course, in terms of cleanliness.
"New York's government failed to make the subway a viable transit for non-urban populations" doesn't need to be when NJ Transit, LIRR, Metro North (both LIRR and Metro North are operated by the MTA as well), PATH (operated by the local Port Authority, a joint venture between the state governments of NEW YORK and New Jersey; and connects NYC with Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, and in a few years time EWR airport), and Amtrak serve the suburbs. And you can connect to the subway at Grand Central, Penn Station, World Trade Center, George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and Port Authority Bus Terminal (GWBBS and PABT for NJ Transit bus routes and other suburban services) for those services. So in a way, it is viable Sure, the NYC Subway is far from perfect, but for what it does, it still keeps the city going and well connected. As a public transit advocate, having public transit like the massive NYC Subway is better than having none what so ever. Greetings from NY
"better than none" is not even a low bar. NYC transit system is inadequate at best. One should be able to get on a bus or subway and get to any of the airports without having to make 58 transfers. The purpose of the rail is to both efficiently bring people in for work and then just as efficiently take them back home. That's the bar we should aim for.
@@shargor 1. "Inadequate at best" way to ignore the history, which shows you didn't watch the video. The subway is the result of different COMPETING companies being combined. Of course it leads to transfers. And 58? Yeah, it's clear you don't know what you're talking about. The Tube in London was the same way. Different companies 2. That's not its purpose. It's a SUBWAY, a METRO! NOT commuter rail! The purpose of the subway is to take people wherever and whenever they want to go, not just for work. The beach, museums, parties, sports matches, fine dining, etc. The subway is one of the only ones in the WHOLE world that runs 24/7 every day of the year. Stop acting like it's the worst smh.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican Wouldn't the NYC Subway and the London Metro (Underground) be analogous to each other? The both serve major metropolitan areas in a similar capacity as they are both subway systems. And runs round the clock. Where is the difference between a "metro" and "subway"
The subway is the best value in NYC and should be appreciated. Used to travel from midtown to JFK and for a couple bucks would get there quicker than a $60 Uber.
@@shargorYou really think nyc is so dumb to have a subway just sitting right there without a way to connect to all other transits? It’s literally called the “Howard Beach JFK Airport” stop on the A train. I’ve done the trip a dozen times 😂
In their expansion, the subway company had many openings for the position of civil engineers since at least the first trains started moving in 1904. They were reaching out to all the major colleges and universities to recruit graduates in the field in engineering. One such graduate from Harvard was Clifford M. Holland, who assisted on the construction of the subway tunnels that went under the East River. Clifford was quickly promoted to senior engineer, and was well respected by those who worked under him including tunnel diggers(known as sandhogs). These sandhogs said among themselves that he (Clifford) can walk into a construction project blindfolded and find any errors that they may be committing. Meanwhile, the need for a dependable New Jersey Hudson River vehicular crossing became apparent. Crossing the Hudson for people and freight became a major issue. The Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel can only handle long distance passenger services. This would become known as the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel project. The crossing was discussed at length on whether a bridge or a tunnel would be built. The tunnel won out. Holland became the designer and head engineer of the project. A new ventilation system needed to be developed to remove the exhaust of motor vehicles while in the tunnel. One such was created after much testing. In October, 1924, Holland died unexpectedly. The Vehicular tunnel project construction continued and completed in 1927, In memoriam to this great engineer, the name was changed to the Holland Tunnel, which is still in service today.
As someone who has studied the NYC Subway for 50+ years, I appreciate your effort!!! There are some inaccuracies, but for the most part you've explained the NYC Subway's history and status spot on. I fell off my couch @ 7:29 when you said, "The New York Times Transit Authority." The NYC Subway has always been my favorite railroad. It's got its problems and is much maligned. BUT, no other US railroad moves more people more efficiently than the NYC Subway. There is no US freight or passenger railroad system capable of the intensity of traffic. People put it down and curse it, but the NYC Subway remains an awesome, amazing mover of people, that no other rail system in the United States even comes close to!!!!!
@@johnsmith1474 Move to a rural area. I used to complain about the CTA/RTA when I lived in the Chicago suburbs but moving to the middle of nowhere and having to pay a driver to take me everywhere disabused me of those criticisms.
I'm from Paris originally and I rode the subway systems all around the world. NYC subway system is unique in its kind and became on my top 5 preferred subways in the world (along London, Chicago, Paris and Berlin). One interesting note between NYC and Paris subway / metro systems, if it was unsafe to ride the NYC subway in the 70s and 80s, it was safe in Paris at that time. Today, that's the opposite. All Parisians like me will tell you that the NYC subway is one of the most safest system in the world, while the Paris metro faces daily delinquance, racket, people who don't pay their fares and gangs from the suburbs making it unsafe
As a native New Yorker I think you fail to grasp how proud we are of this thing. Remember that we run such a gigantic subway system in a country whose federal government is hostile to public transportation. It bears noting that in a country that boasts fine transit systems in San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago (DC's is suffering), more than one half of all public transportation movements takes place in New York. It is our glory.
@@shargor you cant really measure the impact of a public transit system by how much money it makes/loses because it has so many secondary benifits. Have you ever been to New york? The city is so densely populated that it simply cant function without the subway system. The system by itself moves millions of people each day from New Jersey and long island. Its economic benifit to the city is incalculable. Also its worth mentioning that all forms of infrastructure cost money. Houston is spending billions to expand its highway system to Katy and its unlikely to decrease commute times. If youre going to spend billions on infrastructure, might as well spend the money on a system that works.
@@littlerockdoc3183 NYC subway moves people from NJ and Long Island? I don't think so. My point is that we live in a capitalist society and, while I agree that a really good public transportation system is essential to NYC, I abhor how it is run into the ground financially and how both politicians and people who ride the subway not treasure it. I believe that NYC subway system and MTA in particular need a heavy hand that is good at cutting fat off its list of expenses and punishing the people who vandalize public transportation in the city.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up to be a subway fan and was dubbed as a "railroad buff," while I was a youngster. The subway was my first favorite place. I can think of the New York City rapid transit system almost all day and every day. Renovations for many parts of the rapid transit system would be too late. The rail lines were built by old-fashioned methods that make renovations too impractical. My favorite times on the rapid transit system were when I rode some express trains just to watch them skip the local stations at full speed. Megaprojects did a fine job.
Could we get a video on the New Orleans Levee project? Getting destroyed by hurricane Katrina right before it’s completion definitely makes the rebuilding process a megaproject.
In a remote part of Victoria Australia the McKillop Bridge was built around 1880, it replaced a smaller structure that was washed away a week before the opening ceremony.
I was not living in Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina. I was living in Sebastian Florida. I should not have been under a GLOBAL MARKETING POLICY without my knowledge. Also I did not own a personal computer at that time.
I've lived in New York for 45 years. The subway system was horrible in the 80's, but now I find it clean, reliable, and safe. It's able to get me where I need to go. The only complaints I have are the homeless people who frequently shelter in the system, beggars who ask passengers for money, self-appointed Christian preachers who insist on preaching in the trains, and performers (musicians, break dancers, etc.) who never ask if the passengers want their performances.
How about as contrast the Berlin U-Bahn for many years divided by the wall, but still used by east and west. First opened in 1902, but not the first underground train in the city. It all started in 1880.
As anyone who has lived or worked in Manhattan, if you need to get from Midtown to the financial district, the subway is the way to go. The city just took delivery of 5 of the newest cars in the fleet, and they're being tested in the Coney Island yard. They are designated as the model R211 and will replace cars on the Staten Island Railway and the R46 cars from the late 70s.
born and raised new yorker, our subway may not be the cleanest, or most efficient, but it keeps the city very well connected at a good price compared to other cities’ subway systems
Without the subway, NYC would not work- yes the roads might still work but the everyday workers would be severely impacted. So the boss turns up at the office and the water and power does not work or the doors are locked shut. Menwhile every parking space is full and the roads are gridlocked. I still think state funds are better sources than federal cash as it makes all cash spent more important that dollars falling from never ending cash machines. Wiping the debt off the NYC books might be a better idea.
Not compared to Warsaw, Poland, or Daegu, Korea (which recently opened up a automated monorail line), hell I'd even say the Moscow subway was cleaner and more pleasant. All of these are cheaper too.
My favorite part of the new york subway is that everyone seems to know the rules, don't make eye contact and don't try to start a conversation with other people. Just sit there, stare at floor or read something, and get where you're going.
@@phillwainewright4221 I was going to reply with the same haha. Even if you're with someone you just sit their in silence then wait until you're outside to say something haha.
I have only been to NYC once and I found during a week there that the subway system was the best way to get around. I really thought it compared favourably to other places I have visited, such as London, Stockholm, Berlin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing. It may not have been quite as good as those cities, but I was pleasantly surprised and found it better than Washington DC, Rome and Bangkok. It was cheap to use, extensive network, frequent services, pretty clean and reliable. The subway is cheaper than taxis and unlike buses, you don't get stuck on traffic all the time.
Better than DC, are you sure you rode on the subway in NYC? Don't get me wrong WAMATA has a whole slew of issues to, but its cleaner and more reliable then NY. Not to mention they have been rebuilding the entire system for the last several years and will soon have no train older than the 2010's. Plus its just more spacious, the cars and the stations (most of them). DC is still considered the gold standard in the US (which is pathetic) but it is pretty good. LA has a good one, Chicago's L is being rebuilt and modernized all while the MTA just can't get any project off the ground.
@@austinlawler3739 Thank you for your reply. I have only ridden the DC subway when I was there for three days in 2017. I was really thinking about the extent of the NYC network and how easy it for a visitor to get around the city at a reasonable price, which is the prime purpose of a subway system. Yes, the DC subway was very nice and modern and the staff were very helpful for us tourists. But it is still a work in progress. I haven't been to LA or Chicago, maybe one day when the Zombie Apocalypse is over and travel is easier. I live in Sydney and we are on a lockdown until the end of the month, so I think it will be a while before I get to the USA again.
Great video, Thank You ! I was there when the rat ran down the stairs on West 4th station lower section with the slice of pizza. There was a college student that fell sleep on the upper A/C trains level with and open pizza box around 4:30 AM. Everybody was laughing, even a guy said that the rat complained, she wanted peperoni. LOL ! Take care and hope you have a great/safe week , Tony
Having grown up in the NY area I was very surprised when I traveled to find that other cities' subways shut down at night. Maybe that's why NYC is "the city that never sleeps".
Some of the film you showed was actually was actually the New York Elevated Trains, which lasted in Manhattan from `1879 to 1956, which was replaced by the subway. Someone should have known the difference. It's an easy system that doesn't taken long to learn how to use. It runs so often, you don't need a schedule to know when the next train runs. If the systems in other cities could run so often and most of the night so no one is stranded
Some comments: Broadway is the name of the avenue, not Broadway Street. The "financial troubles" glossed over regarding the pneumatic subway were from government corruption, and deserve their own story. The video at 4:36 shows trolley cars going over the Brooklyn Bridge. That bridge did have its own dedicated light rail system (before the tracks were replaced with road lanes), but it NEVER connected to the subway system.
I like the line in the original Taking of Pelham 123 when they're discussing paying the ransom for the hijacked passengers. "What do they expect for their lousy 35 cents; to live for ever?"
With the updated one, we see Denzel Washington on a subway. We have also seen him fly a plane, drive a train, and a taxi. The Denzel Washington mass transit series just needs a movie with him driving a bus.
Haha the irony of this video coming out to day as nyc is flooded with rain 3ft deep in some parts when i saw the bbc news a few hours ago, at least it will get a good clean.
One on the longest Tunnel in the world! The Aqueducts feeding NYC. Impressive engineering feet. NYC tap isn't even conventionally filtered like every other urban area in North America
And the water that is coming in has the pressure to get to the 6th or 7th floor of most buildings but any higher then that and they need pumps to send it up to water tanks on the roof. The reason you see so many wooden water tanks on the buildings is the wood has an insulation rating where metal warms the water in the summer and helps it freeze faster in the winters.
And the resulting water regularly wins contests for the best-tasting water in America. It's a great engineering project that produces an unequaled result. It deserves to be far more famous than it is.
First came the BMT, with its average loading gauge. Then came the IRT, with tunnels too small for the rival's trains. At last the city invented the IND, then after the merger connected the B division at Chrystie Street
As a former resident of Manhattan I will tell you I never went near a Subway unless I absolutely had to. When I moved to Washington DC I was amazed at how clean and bright the stations were. Such a huge difference.
...They have not upgraded the signal system. over 90% is still "Fixed Block" one of the lines has CBTC (Communications Based Train Control) and another they are slowly working on. (just like here in Toronto its over due and over budget) Since NYC system is a 24/7 operation doing ANY track/signal or tunnel work is a huge challenge.
The have a plan to bring CBTC to small portions of most the lines and they do work on weekends. Also because of covid they removed 24/7 service but then they just brought it back which is kinda funny
@@zrinzoj ya 7 and L (wasn't sure) Problems? Ha! (We in Toronto call its ATC Automatic Train Control) well apparently in an ATC zone one train coming in off a pocket track came within 1 foot of crashing/derailing another train!
The pizza rat is SO iconic, there's video of a man cosplaying as the rat dragging a huge slice of pizza up the stairs. It instantly makes complete sense if you know about the pizza rat.
Its better since the MTA had started to making improvement to the subway system from keep declining. The policy that introduced the car culture in New York actually caused problems such as traffic congestion, yet the subway was not extended to the suburbs or initiating Commuter Metro (a type of high frequency commuter rail (known as regional rail in USA) ) during the years.
Eh. I really feel this video skipped on a lot of important details. First and foremost, explain the map of the systems. Really hard to understand the context of the suburbs without a better understand of the map. Secondly, despite the funding issues, there is always work being done. Seriously, always. I even worked for one of the contracted companies to update the control software of the PATH system. While that's not exactly the city's system, it does serve important areas. The same company was also working on other projects for the MTA.
I come from small city where for transit we have a bus system that has to compete with traffic. Every time I have been in a larger centre with a subway system I wonder why anyone would drive.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska where we have a pretty robust bus system. Unfortunately, it doesn't serve the entirety of the city but I think if I lived in an area it served, I'd use it quite a lot. Maybe I'm kidding myself and I'd drive just for the convenience. We don't suffer from the traffic congestion of larger cities and I might decide waiting for a bus just wasn't worth it.
Most don't drive. 55% of NYC households don't own one. In areas with subway lines that number increases to around 80-90%. Owning a car in NYC only makes sense if you live in the outer areas where there is limited transit.
Many people do not like the "clientele" on NYC subways and the crime risk it carries. Remember, traveling from Manhattan to parts of Brooklyn or Queens can take well over an hour, and you pass through some extremely dangerous neighborhoods. A few of my family members live in Queens and pay for a parking space in Manhattan so they don't have to ride the subway, especially after dark.
@@VisibilityFoggy Been taking the subway for years. Crime is not a problem. It happens but the subway is very safe. Yeah it can take close to an hour to go from Manhattan to Queens but that beats 2 hours in traffic.
@@dustin6804 I took it for years too. Fortunately I've moved to a much nicer city and state. Crime was always present on the subways - along with graffiti, bodily fluids, annoying/smelly people, idiots playing loud music, people asking for money, general foul behavior. I'll take my car any day over that nonsense. After college I never looked back at the NYC area. Gigantic taxes for miserable living standards - hooray!
Ugg. That ended on a depressing note, Simon. I remember toiling around lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in the mid 1980's. It was intimidating for a college boy used to the Chicago subways of a similar age and maintenance issues.
Most of the Manhattan substructure is hard solid rock (granite and marble), so boring is very expensive and very impractical. And it is only because of that solid bedrock foundation that so many mega skyscrapers can stand.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the NYC subway system's death are grossly exaggerated. The first phase of the 2nd ave line has opened. The LIRR now connects directly to Grand Central Terminal, and Moynahan Station is the rebirth of old Stanford White Penn Station. Furthermore MetroNorth is extending the Harlem line down the east side of the Bronx, to cross the Hell Gate Bridge and bring riders into Penn Station... WRT mass transit, NY abides
I lived on Long Island NY between 1985 and 2000, I _NEVER_ drove into Manhattan, Queens Brooklyn or the Bronx if I could avoid it. Staten Island is a different story, much better parking in general and traffic wasn't as bad. I'm not sure when the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), Metro North and PATH commuter rail lines were built, but those went a long way towards letting people live in the "suburbs" while working in the metro area.
To me, it’s the best way to get around Manhattan and beats dealing with the hassle and cost of a taxi. I haven’t been in NYC since the advent of ride-sharing services, so things may have changed.
Okay Simon, you're on the right track with transit infrastructure. Take a look at Denver International Airport!! It's the second largest airport in the world, though runway for runway it would be the largest since King Fahd only has two (vs DIA's six!). It's one of the busiest in the world by passenger volume too, and has some gorgeous architecture. Oh also there's a lot of conspiracy theories around it, and it has it's own mascot: Bluecifer.
One of the reason costs are so ridiculous is any construction requires unreasonable union costs. If union and non-union companies were able to bid on the work, the prices would fall dramatically. This would allow expansion of the system in terms of capacity as well as reaching out to the suburbs. Once that was in place, private automobile traffic could be severely restricted (i.e. taxed via special permit stickers) and the movement of people to the (expanded) subway would provide even more revenue.
Hah - we used to have private, non-union bus lines in NYC in my lifetime. It sucked - they pulled service in bad weather, cut routes or reduced frequency in poorer neighborhoods, and still charged the City a mint for the privilege. Look at Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, or Pennsylvania if you want to see what happens when municipal & commercial labor unions are broken - rips the heart right out of a city/state.
One thing that should have been mentioned, NYCs subway system is only designed to get you in and out of Manhattan. It's next to impossible to use the train to commute within the other 4 boroughs. Grew up in NYC, didn't have to use the train daily until I was like 20.
It's hub & spoke, but the buses are meant to provide the "webbing" between lines. Having lived in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, and worked in Brooklyn, I'd say Manhattan & the Bronx are easily the best served (by location coverage & frequency), while Queens & Brooklyn outside of LIC & Downtown Bklyn are just woefully underserved "stepchildren" a hair above Long Island.
Have used the bus & subway to get to school or travel to museums & such since I was a kid. Started commuting on my own in about 5th grade, out in Queens back when there were like 5 private bus companies, before the MTA absorbed them all (late 80s).
When it comes to metro rail systems there are now a host Simon could choose for future Megaprojects videos. From Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and others.
Born and raised NYer! I love our subway and commuter rail system! It's far from perfect but it gets the job down most of the time! Love that I can get pretty much anywhere without a car. The MTA really needs to be under city country. Lawmakers in Albany don't understand the needs of riders and the system! Restore city run transit!
Main issue is that upstate/LI tends to lean away from investing in the City. Bit of a love/hate relationship there, given that they wouldn't have jobs or tax revenue without the beating economic heart that is the City.
Its more-so the massive corruption. The MTAs budget is spent almost entirely in paying off transit workers and building up the bureaucracy. The only reason why privatization of the system didn't work was because the government forced the private companies to keep their fares artificially low, but the private companies themselves were consistently reliable, and the cost of maintenance when they were in power was significantly lower.
On my first visit to New York back in the late 1970's, I made the unfortunate decision to use the Subway. It was an unforgettable experience - and not in any positive way. I will never forget the graffiti, the dirt, the surly staff, the confusing signage, the smell, the heat.
I’m proud to have been born in Queens NY. I love the city. It’s not for everyone and some people certainly like to criticize it. But, everyone wants to go there, even if just for a little while.
To sum this up. America just doesn't seem to like public transport or mass transit systems in general. Just add more, wider roads and more cars. That'll fix things! ...
Widening the existing highway, bringing more cars and vans from consumers by buying it, congesting the same highway that brings road rage and the cycles all over again when solving traffic
@@MarloSoBalJr Well, they turned down the $123 million because they would've had to spend billions. Add in all the bribery and labor union corruption and you'd have a disaster. I genuinely do hate to get political, but the problem is that most of America's large cities are poor, dysfunctional, crime-filled, corrupt and dominated by one political party. The rest of the country hates throwing money at these cities, which is always wasted. The vast majority of Americans have absolutely no need for urban transit systems, and those who do have a need can't afford to pay for them.
@@VisibilityFoggy Honestly, "the rest of the country" should STFU. As a person born and raised in NYC, I know for a fact that New York City's five boroughs contribute more to the federal budget (via tax revenue) than most STATES. I also know that New York City has a higher GDP than the vast majority of UN entities (11th highest in the world if it were a country, ahead of Russia). A majority of Americans don't hold a passport. Does that mean we should ignore international travel infrastructure? "The rest of the country" should worry about why they can't get and/or keep a pro sports franchise or why Wyoming was entitled to federal funds earmarked to rebuild after 9/11. New York has subsidized lots of things we're not the least bit interested in or have no need of and we've done it for decades. What's the big deal? And if NYC is poor, what are Sioux City or Montgomery or Baton Rouge? I could rent an Antebellum mansion in Baton Rouge for the price of a broom closet in Manhattan or Brooklyn.....and I'd have a lot more time to make up my mind since that broom closet is not going to be available for very long. You're using that same old tired 'city=bad, exurb/sticks=gud' trope that's been done to death for literally decades. Remember Atlanta? Probably not. When I was a kid, Atlanta was a sleepy small to mid-size town that exploded due to urban flight from places like NYC, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. You're right about one thing though: inefficiencies caused by union contracts and government bureaucracy is a serious problem in EVERY heavily populated US city. While heavily populated cities tend to be bastions of liberalism and progressivism, even the "red" cities have this issue (hi Charlotte! Hi Dallas/Fort Worth/Houston/San Antonio/any Texas city not named Austin!). So it's not a case of 'blue=bad, blue=poor, blue=corrupt' as you tried to suggest.
When I moved to NoVa in 2003 the metro system (WMATA) was reliable and relatively inexpensive. By the time I left the area in 2015 I could get to the station at the same time two days in a row and it might take 20 minutes to get to my office one day and 35 the next. I could leave my office at the same time and have the same inconsistent return commute. After multiple fare increases it was no longer cheaper than driving into the District if you had employer subsidized parking and since they slowed the trains down to share tunnels it also took longer than driving. To add insult to injury Arlington kept raising property tax to subsidize a system that was so broken few people in my community used despite a station being within walking distance. Another note, when I started parking wasn’t subsidized, but after WMATA hit critical suck in 2008 many companies started to provide it because they didn’t like employees coming in late or leaving early to compensate for unpredictable commutes and delays.
At least the D.C. Metro is clean and the stations are well maintained. I've actually turned down a couple job offers in the D.C. area because I have no desire to live in the district, and everything takes forever from the suburbs.
Do BART next. That one is interesting if only because it's not only in an earthquake zone (but is an insanely safe design because of that) but is missing at least half of it's proposed layout. It was also featured in THX-1138 including the climax at the end. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THX_1138#/media/File:Toward_the_Transbay_Tube.jpg
Corruption & Software Corruption & App Mobsters. I DO NOT SUPPORT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. I WAS USED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE & MY RIGHTS WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME FOR NO REASON. NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL & OTHER INSURANCE COMPANIES FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS. STOLEN PROPERTY & INSURANCE THEFT TOO. CORRUPT ENTERPRISE. VERY DANGEROUS!
this was a good episode! now, how about doing the Chicago Transit (Subway) system? you'll find it just as interesting- with corruption, money-laundering, segregation, catastrophes, cooperate trickery and much, much more!
I have been to NYC several times for business and for pleasure. I loved the subway there. It was not as nice as say the TTC in Toronto, Canada, bit it is still decent.
I am from Queens NY. I am 70 years old and been riding the subway all my life. The things that killed the subway was and still are, the Unions and the Political appointees at the top, who know nothing about running a subway system. 5 men to change one light bulb. 2 men working and 5 mem standing around supervising Workers who should be working are either on their cell phones or sleeping on the platform. MTA Board Members who get free easy passes to drive around the city and avoid using the system I can go on and on. I have gotten up on spoke at the Fare hearing pointing out the corruption from Top to bottom. No one care. You can not force the workers to do their jobs because they are votes needed for an election win. The only solution is to privatize the system again. Get rid of the corruption and make the system profitable so it will be updated when needed
Forget that. I lived in Queens back when there were 5 private bus lines, before the MTA bought them out. Still remember freezing my little-kid ass off in the snow because the private bus owners didn't want to risk equipment damage or driver overtime and pulled all their buses off the line. Public transit is essential to a truly democratic economy. Queens & Brooklyn barely have real public transit service, so you see all the poorer folks crammed onto too-infrequent buses, or using dollar vans & rideshares to reach distant trains, while others pay a second rent's worth of money to keep a car without the convenience of a suburban garage. We need to properly fund & maintain the subway like the essential public infrastructure that it is.
Yup. Even now if you look at the operational budget for the system, it's all going to labor. The system is already 50% funded by riders and more than 50% of the cost is going towards labor. If the system was automated like most modern systems, it would be profitable, and that's just one piece of the puzzle. A ton of money that the system generates goes to subsidize the LIRR, Metro North, and the buses. If the subway was split from those system too, the thing would probably be a cash cow.
Shame you didn't mention how the first subway system in the 1880s was a lie to make a mail tube tunnel so they could get the rights to make the subway.
Should mention that elevated rail and streetcars were quite extensive even in 1904, when the subway opened. NYC has had rapid transit since 1868, but it was largely elevated or at-grade, and the first major underground rapid transit was built in 1904.
All the European systems were overhauled after the War, and the Asian systems are only a few decades old. None are as extensive, serve as many people (Tokyo might), or operate 24/7. Also none of those places have quite the same animosity between the State and the place being served. Upstate NY hates the City, and would happily privatise or decimate the subway if they could.
One of the keys for NYC is to use Metro north and LIRR lines within the city more effectively as subways. Add additional stations and increased service on those lines and charge subway fare and you're halfway there. Essentially, treat them as the RER in Paris. Then, take over some of the existing freight lines and transform them into transit lines. A lot of good can be done with less money.
I'm afraid you don't know how trains physically work. All those lines have different gauges (width between the rails) and different height/width clearances. Metro-North and LIRR already have stations within the Bronx & Queens/Brooklyn, respectively, but there's no way to interoperate them with subways. Closest you can have is a transfer hub, and that already exists at Jamaica hub, Flushing-Main St, & Atlantic terminal (LIRR), and Fordham and 125th Street (MNR). As for freight lines, Amtrak owns those routes - where Metro-North uses them, the State is paying for the privilege. They're even going to double-down with the Gateway project coming into GCT & Penn - nice bit of cash for Amtrak, and convenience for NYC riders of Metro-North.
@@mandisaw I didn’t say “put subway trains on those tracks”. I’m aware that they have different gauges. I was advocating for treating the portion of the LIRR and MNRR within city limits as a subway-like service akin to the RER in Paris. Additional stations could be added along those lines, additional trains could be run to increase service frequency, and the fare could be the same as the subway. While the Paris Metro and the RER operate very different sized trains, for all intents and purposes it operates much like a subway within city limits and becomes a bit more like a commuter train on the outer portions and branch lines.
@@douglasjgallup Can't speak to how Paris does it, but that doesn't make much economic sense here, given that we already have both a subway and a commuter rail. All the rail lines that stop within City limits already have frequent, local service, are generally cheap to use based on their City zone, and are reduced even further on the weekends (CityPass). You can't just add more trains without a ridership need and most city residents either can't afford anything above subway base fare, or are unfamiliar with the way commuter rail operates (fixed schedule, pay before you board, etc). The Bronx is slated to get a handful of new MNR stations, so we'll see how that goes, but as to the existing service, there's already max ridership on those rush hour local trains that serve the City & border stations. Outside of the AM/PM rush, there's just no money in it.
@@douglasjgallup the Parisian RER is a fantastic model for New York’s Metro North and LIRR service. However, I’m wary about converting tracks used by freight trains into transit lines. Freight trains are important.
Now do the water system. The original brick pipes were used so heavily they couldn't be shut for maintenance, and many believe the pressure is keeping them from collapsing.
There is no such agency as the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Its proper name is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Nelson Rockefeller created an agency initially called the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority which eventually became the MTA known today.
My last ride on the NYC Sub was in 1972… “Oh my, what a waste land. Fortunately my fellow USN Sailors and I were big and buff, people didn’t mess with us. And the nefarious minded gave is a wide berth. As young Sailors in town for the weekend, we discovered the glories of the Puerto Rican neighborhood. Incredible hospitality, incredible food! I❤️NY!!
Please visit again, hospitable neighborhoods you'd love would be: Little Dominican Republic (which isn't so little) - take the A to Dyckman Street and simply enjoy the food markets, outdoor drink carts, people, food and nearby one of the loveliest parks in NYC, Inwood Hill Park. West Village around Hudson and Washington street - less crowded with tree-lined street and nice brownstones with a few pleasant small parks, check out the wonderful revitalization of the West Village Piers. Serviced best by the 1 line Christopher Street and then walk toward Hudson Street then go a little north to Abdington Square and explore the small side streets before walking west to the piers. Jackson Heights Queens - Basically you are traveling several parts of the world within a dozen square blocks. Walk up 74th for the delightful South Asian gold shops, Indian, Pakistani food along with some Nepalese. 37th Ave and Roosevelt heading East will be a great way to see the commercial heart of the area while walking under the 7 (but if you don't want the direct noise of the overhead train, walk 37th Ave that runs parallel to Roosevelt) . Roosevelt Ave , while noisy, will give you a new feel- - Mexican, Columbian stores and some great taco and tamales carts. Walk back north to 35th Avenue for the historic area of Jackson Heights with its London like Garden area and beautiful, large early 20th century apartments, tree-lined avenues and simply a great relaxing walk - it runs approximately from 70th Street all the way to the low 90's along 35th Ave. Go to Google Maps to get a preview. Astoria/LIC area is more spread out but offers many great avenues to explore, eat and check out some good museums and lovely waterfront parks - for hustle and bustle, Broadway, 30th Ave, Ditmars Blvd. A little quieter commercial aves, 36th Ave,31st Ave and 23rd Ave. At the end of Ditmars is a lovely respite with stunning views of northern Manhattan and other parts of the city - Astoria Park. Museums - Museum of Moving Image has three floors of exhibitions about film and animation plus a few theaters to check out old and new classics. Noguchi features the beautiful stone sculptures of Isamoru Noguchi and Socrates Sculpture Park offers a few outdoor installations and pleasant views of Manhattan and the East River. West Side and East Side Ave on opposites sides of Manhattan above 59th Streets provide great walks through affluent residential sections that aren't too busy. You can head to Columbus Ave from West End Ave easily to grab some good food, theaters and more active street life, for East End Ave it is especially lovely in the upper 80's low 90's Streets not far from Gracie Mansion, Lexington 3rd and 2nd Ave all offer commercial corridors to try some good food and check some interesting shops that are spread out. Carl Shurz Park is a good green space, for West End Ave, you have the magnificent park running along the Hudson River that is worth a walk. Caroll Gardens/Boerum Hill, Brooklyn is one of my favorite neighborhoods in NYC. Walk down Smith Street for old school Italian pizzerias and shops. A good place to visit after a visit to one of the best parks in NYC in the neighborhood a little north of this one, Prospect Heights, Prospect Park In Brooklyn which has a Botanical Garden and excellent museum and library close by. I find Caroll Gardens a little warmer area than Prospect Heights (it is a gorgeous area but not as welcoming as Carrol Gardens. Morris Heights /Bronx Community College - Bronx NY. This area is not always mentioned but if you want to see cool architecture and one of the most interesting and pretty walks in NYC, check out the Hall of Fame Walk in Bronx Community College as well as their new library done in a late 19th century French neo-classical style. The Hall of Fame features busts of artists, scientists, politicians and military from the 19th century to early 20th. There is nothing like it inNYC and I rarely see this in other American cities, Europe probably has more of this but the Hall of Fame walk is really worth the trip. GO to Burnside Ave 6 train stop in Bronx, enjoy the riot of West African and Puerto Rican/Domincan restaurants before entering the quieter working class neighborhoods with its mix of 2 family homes and large apartment buildings. West Brighton, Staten Island and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. It is a bit of a hike but Snug Harbor is worth the trip featuring historic 19th century homes that housed retired sailors, ample green spaces, a great Japanese Garden and later in the Summer early Fall some astounding art displays. For eats best to find places closer to the ferry in the St George neighborhood with is hills and overlook of New York Bay giving it feel of parts of San Francisco. Staten Island is best visited with a car --- plus a car would allow you to easily visit Bay Ridge, another great neighborhood, in Brooklyn and drive over the Verrazano Narrows bridge which is a treat. This would afford you a chance to visit military sites such as the 19th century fort, Fort Wadsworth and check out restaurants in other sections of Staten Island.
There's so much potential for the NYC subway to be amazing. Sadly, its history goes to show that money (or rather, the love of money) is the root of all evil.
IIRC one of the issues is that it's in non-stop service & the city is used to that. In comparison most other metro systems (and many high speed railways) close down for the night, allowing a 5-7 hour daily maintenance window. You don't have that for the New York subway, so every time you want to fix something (or do preventive maintenance) you need to re-route traffic or limit the service. And given the city being used to the non-stop service (eq. people getting to their work shifts) it's unlikely they could switch the system to a more sane schedule where it shuts down for the night.
Just think if the federal government didn't spend money on defense spending for 5 years other than personnel costs. What could the states do to better their cities with all that money?
I remember riding the subways as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 60's. The fare was a 15¢ token. One token could take you pretty much all over the city.
That was a precious era no doubt, remember the form of the tokens? Very cool. You can still get around pretty much all over the city on one hit of today’s “token” aka the metro card. It’s quite different from London’s Tube and the convoluted pay structure of the Oyster Card. I invite folks to try both.
@@BMWE90HQ the railways are almost impossible to upgrade due to ridership levels. Like highways that decay because the traffic is too high on them to divert it for roadwork.
I fell like i need to point out that the subway is only one of 6 railroads for nyc, 5 of them are owned and operated by the mta. You have the subway, long island railroad, PATH train, statan island railroad, metro north, and new jersey transit railroad
"The city started to regret its decision to hand over so much power, funding, and profit to these private companies. Their desire to contend with one another just didn't serve the public interest in the way the city's mayors had hoped." Well shit, the practical limits of capitalism ahoy~
I've never got all the hate for the NY subway. It's by far the most convenient subway/metro in the states. The design is well layed out, you can easily walk from anywhere in Manhattan to a station. It's dirt cheap to ride. Is it clean and new? No, but neither is New York.
@@KingJohnMichael You prove yourself to be a true idiot! You talk about “right wing”ers and guns and little egos! Seems a “little ego” is something you actually have yourself! Pontificating & looking down on people, thinking you’re so worldly and sophisticated! Let me clue you in on something, no one thinks you’re worldly and sophisticated! No one cares what you think! Save us all and keep your opinions to yourself?
The "not clean and new" is fine for a few days on vacation, but becomes misery quickly. The other issue is that once you leave the tourist areas of Manhattan, you start seeing some very scary people on the subways as it goes through very dangerous neighborhoods. People are assaulted, robbed, etc. on a regular basis, and it has gotten FAR worse over the last year as the city has stopped police from arresting people and letting criminals out of jail with no bond. It's not so much the system itself or the rolling stock - it's the other riders that cause many people to avoid the subway.
@@VisibilityFoggy Pandemic aside, what most outsiders call "scary people" often equates to "Black commuters on their way home". I've come home on the train at 2am - Bklyn to Bronx! - and felt safer than driving out West at 8pm.
@@VisibilityFoggy I ride the subway every single day and I rarely see anything like what you're describing. It's not so much that the subway goes through "dangerous neighborhoods" as the subway is itself is full of "sketchy people". A lot of drug addicts and mentally ill people, people trying to sell things, preachers, annoying performance artists.
@@johnsmith1474 40,000 or so deaths per year from car accidents. That’s much more likely to happen than you are to get indiscriminately stabbed by a homeless person on a train
Sometimes, it's good to come to a relaxed video like this. Especially after binging BB. Where Simon fights with his other personalities. AM I RIGHT, PETER?
@@johnathin0061892 MTA controls the subway which is controlled by the STATE government not the city government. City council and Mayor can't do shit about that. Blame Cuomo and Albany.
@@johnathin0061892 Make no mistake, I hate DeBoso. But MTA is run by the state government and the city has nothing to do with the trains. And on the voting front, not everyone votes democratic here.
I don't think the NY subway should go past the city limits, the commuter rails are covering that just fine. I mean, there are parts within the city that STILL are not serviced the subway, especially in Queens.
it has more coverage and trains come more often, but being built in 1860 there is no ventilation so is slowly being made unfit for human life by climate change
@superdug have to agree about the NYC subway compared to the London tube. It’s night and day. The nyc stations seem grubby and it’s like stepping back in time on the carriages. Though they are starting to trial 24hr services on some of the major lines and sorting out things like wifi and AC in the trains themselves It should be highly informative to see how the new Elizabeth line does when it opens I have less hope for the nyc subway keeping up with other modern metros
Looking at the Futurama models, how did they expect anyone to get around? I have a hard enough time with the stroads where I live, and have been hit a couple times while crossing, but that has 16 lanes of highways.
@@mandisaw It's important to me, and I find Not Just Bikes are good at presenting some of the problems and solutions. I'd like to see them team up with disability activists and ask about some of the accessibility problems and solutions.
I'm a New Yorker born and raised. Awesome video! My wife is Brazilian and it was memorable for her to ride the MTA subway for the first time in her life. She especially enjoyed the surly attitudes of the MTA workers over the speaker systems, lol. "Please don't hold duh doors!!!"
same here, lived in Brooklyn my whole life, moved to queens last year.
As a New Yorker I fell disappointed about the NYC metro when I see how clean and how the train are 2 min apart in the London Underground also the train have a character to them with the color it have glad the new R-221 or was 211 have a blue front instead f being all silver but it the same story with metro I seen on the when I went to look at them on the web you got the Stockholm metro which have stataion that look different it like waking at an art gallery or German U bhan where the each station have a different collar or design and in Tokyo the metro is clean and like how people follow the train rule of the metro unlike in New York where the okay thing we do is let’s people off the train first I seen people take like two seat play loud music and throw trash in the track in New York and sometimes you see the graffiti done by kids truing to look cool also when they do the line the don’t make sense it just a bunch of lines their no effort put into it to me it like drawing a stick frigure that anyone can draw and have it be seen like it the Mona Lisa it stupid or as they say in Japan Baka
We live in Tokyo these days (and have been for the past five years). The Tokyo subway trains are much cleaner compared to the New York MTA, of course, but can be just as crowded during rush hours (crammed like sardines in a tin).
Tokyo rails are known for their punctuality but they can be late due to "human accidents" (aka someone has jumped in front of a train in a suicide attempt). Blue lights have been installed at the ends of most station platforms as it's thought to alter human moods and reduce instances of suicidal thoughts.
@@arcturionblade1077 Tokyo is Tokyo and New York is Filthy
@@raymonds7492 Depends. I grew up in 80's New York City and I clearly remember just how disgusting the trains were back then with graffiti everywhere and worse. Today, it's much better compared to the 80's, lol. Tokyo trains are miles (well, kilometers since the Japanese use the metric system) better, of course, in terms of cleanliness.
"New York's government failed to make the subway a viable transit for non-urban populations"
doesn't need to be when NJ Transit, LIRR, Metro North (both LIRR and Metro North are operated by the MTA as well), PATH (operated by the local Port Authority, a joint venture between the state governments of NEW YORK and New Jersey; and connects NYC with Newark, Hoboken, Jersey City, and in a few years time EWR airport), and Amtrak serve the suburbs. And you can connect to the subway at Grand Central, Penn Station, World Trade Center, George Washington Bridge Bus Station, and Port Authority Bus Terminal (GWBBS and PABT for NJ Transit bus routes and other suburban services) for those services. So in a way, it is viable
Sure, the NYC Subway is far from perfect, but for what it does, it still keeps the city going and well connected. As a public transit advocate, having public transit like the massive NYC Subway is better than having none what so ever. Greetings from NY
amen
You forgot the connection to subway at Atlantic terminal, Jamaica and a few more like 61st - Woodside, mets willets point
"better than none" is not even a low bar. NYC transit system is inadequate at best. One should be able to get on a bus or subway and get to any of the airports without having to make 58 transfers. The purpose of the rail is to both efficiently bring people in for work and then just as efficiently take them back home. That's the bar we should aim for.
@@shargor 1. "Inadequate at best" way to ignore the history, which shows you didn't watch the video. The subway is the result of different COMPETING companies being combined. Of course it leads to transfers. And 58? Yeah, it's clear you don't know what you're talking about. The Tube in London was the same way. Different companies
2. That's not its purpose. It's a SUBWAY, a METRO! NOT commuter rail! The purpose of the subway is to take people wherever and whenever they want to go, not just for work. The beach, museums, parties, sports matches, fine dining, etc. The subway is one of the only ones in the WHOLE world that runs 24/7 every day of the year. Stop acting like it's the worst smh.
@@AverytheCubanAmerican Wouldn't the NYC Subway and the London Metro (Underground) be analogous to each other? The both serve major metropolitan areas in a similar capacity as they are both subway systems. And runs round the clock.
Where is the difference between a "metro" and "subway"
The subway is the best value in NYC and should be appreciated. Used to travel from midtown to JFK and for a couple bucks would get there quicker than a $60 Uber.
How did you get on the subway in JFK if there is no subway in JFK?
@@shargor Airtrain, so not the subway the entire way but public transit nonetheless
@@shargorYou really think nyc is so dumb to have a subway just sitting right there without a way to connect to all other transits? It’s literally called the “Howard Beach JFK Airport” stop on the A train. I’ve done the trip a dozen times 😂
In their expansion, the subway company had many openings for the position of civil engineers since at least the first trains started moving in 1904. They were reaching out to all the major colleges and universities to recruit graduates in the field in engineering. One such graduate from Harvard was Clifford M. Holland, who assisted on the construction of the subway tunnels that went under the East River. Clifford was quickly promoted to senior engineer, and was well respected by those who worked under him including tunnel diggers(known as sandhogs). These sandhogs said among themselves that he (Clifford) can walk into a construction project blindfolded and find any errors that they may be committing.
Meanwhile, the need for a dependable New Jersey Hudson River vehicular crossing became apparent. Crossing the Hudson for people and freight became a major issue. The Pennsylvania Railroad tunnel can only handle long distance passenger services.
This would become known as the Hudson River Vehicular Tunnel project. The crossing was discussed at length on whether a bridge or a tunnel would be built. The tunnel won out. Holland became the designer and head engineer of the project. A new ventilation system needed to be developed to remove the exhaust of motor vehicles while in the tunnel. One such was created after much testing.
In October, 1924, Holland died unexpectedly.
The Vehicular tunnel project construction continued and completed in 1927, In memoriam to this great engineer, the name was changed to the Holland Tunnel, which is still in service today.
As someone who has studied the NYC Subway for 50+ years, I appreciate your effort!!! There are some inaccuracies, but for the most part you've explained the NYC Subway's history and status spot on. I fell off my couch @ 7:29 when you said, "The New York Times Transit Authority."
The NYC Subway has always been my favorite railroad. It's got its problems and is much maligned. BUT, no other US railroad moves more people more efficiently than the NYC Subway. There is no US freight or passenger railroad system capable of the intensity of traffic. People put it down and curse it, but the NYC Subway remains an awesome, amazing mover of people, that no other rail system in the United States even comes close to!!!!!
It's a mind bending shithole and assault on the senses. You feel subhuman using it, nice work NYC.
In your opinion what are some solutions to modernize and make it better?
@@johnsmith1474 Move to a rural area. I used to complain about the CTA/RTA when I lived in the Chicago suburbs but moving to the middle of nowhere and having to pay a driver to take me everywhere disabused me of those criticisms.
I'm from Paris originally and I rode the subway systems all around the world. NYC subway system is unique in its kind and became on my top 5 preferred subways in the world (along London, Chicago, Paris and Berlin).
One interesting note between NYC and Paris subway / metro systems, if it was unsafe to ride the NYC subway in the 70s and 80s, it was safe in Paris at that time.
Today, that's the opposite. All Parisians like me will tell you that the NYC subway is one of the most safest system in the world, while the Paris metro faces daily delinquance, racket, people who don't pay their fares and gangs from the suburbs making it unsafe
As a native New Yorker I think you fail to grasp how proud we are of this thing. Remember that we run such a gigantic subway system in a country whose federal government is hostile to public transportation. It bears noting that in a country that boasts fine transit systems in San Francisco, Boston, and Chicago (DC's is suffering), more than one half of all public transportation movements takes place in New York. It is our glory.
You can be proud all you want but why would you be proud of a system which billions of dollars in debt and keeps losing money?
@@shargor you cant really measure the impact of a public transit system by how much money it makes/loses because it has so many secondary benifits. Have you ever been to New york? The city is so densely populated that it simply cant function without the subway system. The system by itself moves millions of people each day from New Jersey and long island. Its economic benifit to the city is incalculable. Also its worth mentioning that all forms of infrastructure cost money. Houston is spending billions to expand its highway system to Katy and its unlikely to decrease commute times. If youre going to spend billions on infrastructure, might as well spend the money on a system that works.
@@littlerockdoc3183 NYC subway moves people from NJ and Long Island? I don't think so.
My point is that we live in a capitalist society and, while I agree that a really good public transportation system is essential to NYC, I abhor how it is run into the ground financially and how both politicians and people who ride the subway not treasure it. I believe that NYC subway system and MTA in particular need a heavy hand that is good at cutting fat off its list of expenses and punishing the people who vandalize public transportation in the city.
Boston’s is actually a (mostly figurative, but occasionally literal) trainwreck a lot of the time.
Nyc subway is just dirty and yucky
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and grew up to be a subway fan and was dubbed as a "railroad buff," while I was a youngster. The subway was my first favorite place. I can think of the New York City rapid transit system almost all day and every day. Renovations for many parts of the rapid transit system would be too late. The rail lines were built by old-fashioned methods that make renovations too impractical. My favorite times on the rapid transit system were when I rode some express trains just to watch them skip the local stations at full speed. Megaprojects did a fine job.
Could we get a video on the New Orleans Levee project? Getting destroyed by hurricane Katrina right before it’s completion definitely makes the rebuilding process a megaproject.
In a remote part of Victoria Australia the McKillop Bridge was built around 1880, it replaced a smaller structure that was washed away a week before the opening ceremony.
A mega frustrating project too! I second this idea though :D
I was not living in Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina. I was living in Sebastian Florida. I should not have been under a GLOBAL MARKETING POLICY without my knowledge.
Also I did not own a personal computer at that time.
@@ronniedelahoussayechauvin6717 And what's your point?!?
The old levees would not have survived.
1:20 - Chapter 1 - Before the subway
3:35 - Chapter 2 - Opening & expansion
6:00 - Chapter 3 - Peak & decline
8:10 - Chapter 4 - The dark ages
10:45 - Chapter 5 - Modern subway, modern challenges
Thank you 🙏🏼
Thanks, I would never have made it through 14 minutes without that :D
I've lived in New York for 45 years. The subway system was horrible in the 80's, but now I find it clean, reliable, and safe. It's able to get me where I need to go. The only complaints I have are the homeless people who frequently shelter in the system, beggars who ask passengers for money, self-appointed Christian preachers who insist on preaching in the trains, and performers (musicians, break dancers, etc.) who never ask if the passengers want their performances.
Sounds like a normal day during rush hour riding the A, E, L, Q or 4 trains. And in NO particular order.
@@DDELE7 don’t forget the 2, 5, and D trains as well lol
I can relate, having been on the NYC subway many times and seen many of the aforementioned things.
How about as contrast the Berlin U-Bahn for many years divided by the wall, but still used by east and west. First opened in 1902, but not the first underground train in the city. It all started in 1880.
As anyone who has lived or worked in Manhattan, if you need to get from Midtown to the financial district, the subway is the way to go. The city just took delivery of 5 of the newest cars in the fleet, and they're being tested in the Coney Island yard. They are designated as the model R211 and will replace cars on the Staten Island Railway and the R46 cars from the late 70s.
Now if they can find a way for a person from Marine Park Brooklyn to get to Manhattan faster than a person coming from Philly. 😂
Yeah, I tried getting to King hwy mall in Brooklyn. The subway is barren there. Had to take 2 diff buses.
The BMT uses the R-46 car as well and will all its own replaced also. Not just SIRS
born and raised new yorker, our subway may not be the cleanest, or most efficient, but it keeps the city very well connected at a good price compared to other cities’ subway systems
Without the subway, NYC would not work- yes the roads might still work but the everyday workers would be severely impacted. So the boss turns up at the office and the water and power does not work or the doors are locked shut. Menwhile every parking space is full and the roads are gridlocked. I still think state funds are better sources than federal cash as it makes all cash spent more important that dollars falling from never ending cash machines. Wiping the debt off the NYC books might be a better idea.
Not compared to Warsaw, Poland, or Daegu, Korea (which recently opened up a automated monorail line), hell I'd even say the Moscow subway was cleaner and more pleasant. All of these are cheaper too.
trust me it dont compare to the london underground
@@abhaymanoj3784 Positively or negatively? I've never been on that one, but the one in Paris is... OK.
@@the_kombinator i would say the London underground is much better and also cleaner
I used to live in New York and only travelled by subway. Thanks for covering this
What's interesting is they still use cars from the 1970s.
Tries 60’s
Also @Trainfan1055 I like trains
Only some lines use cars that old. Such as the A, C and F lines.
Old cars have been remanufactured
It's to save money
My favorite part of the new york subway is that everyone seems to know the rules, don't make eye contact and don't try to start a conversation with other people. Just sit there, stare at floor or read something, and get where you're going.
Just like the London Underground, then ...
They do that because if you look up you might get assaulted by the heroin addict sitting across from you.
@@phillwainewright4221 I was going to reply with the same haha. Even if you're with someone you just sit their in silence then wait until you're outside to say something haha.
And you can clear a car by pulling out a bible and asking if they have a minute to talk about Jesus.
I'm from the Bx I talk to strangers all the time on the subway how else we gonna be friends
I have only been to NYC once and I found during a week there that the subway system was the best way to get around. I really thought it compared favourably to other places I have visited, such as London, Stockholm, Berlin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing. It may not have been quite as good as those cities, but I was pleasantly surprised and found it better than Washington DC, Rome and Bangkok. It was cheap to use, extensive network, frequent services, pretty clean and reliable. The subway is cheaper than taxis and unlike buses, you don't get stuck on traffic all the time.
Better than DC, are you sure you rode on the subway in NYC? Don't get me wrong WAMATA has a whole slew of issues to, but its cleaner and more reliable then NY. Not to mention they have been rebuilding the entire system for the last several years and will soon have no train older than the 2010's. Plus its just more spacious, the cars and the stations (most of them). DC is still considered the gold standard in the US (which is pathetic) but it is pretty good. LA has a good one, Chicago's L is being rebuilt and modernized all while the MTA just can't get any project off the ground.
@@austinlawler3739 Thank you for your reply. I have only ridden the DC subway when I was there for three days in 2017. I was really thinking about the extent of the NYC network and how easy it for a visitor to get around the city at a reasonable price, which is the prime purpose of a subway system. Yes, the DC subway was very nice and modern and the staff were very helpful for us tourists. But it is still a work in progress. I haven't been to LA or Chicago, maybe one day when the Zombie Apocalypse is over and travel is easier. I live in Sydney and we are on a lockdown until the end of the month, so I think it will be a while before I get to the USA again.
The one in Tokyo is so confusing because different lines are run by different companies. Same mistake NYC made many years ago
are you being serious Martin?
@@clumsytriangle2436 ?
Great video, Thank You ! I was there when the rat ran down the stairs on West 4th station lower section with the slice of pizza. There was a college student that fell sleep on the upper A/C trains level with and open pizza box around 4:30 AM. Everybody was laughing, even a guy said that the rat complained, she wanted peperoni. LOL ! Take care and hope you have a great/safe week , Tony
Having grown up in the NY area I was very surprised when I traveled to find that other cities' subways shut down at night. Maybe that's why NYC is "the city that never sleeps".
Some of the film you showed was actually was actually the New York Elevated Trains, which lasted in Manhattan from `1879 to 1956, which was replaced by the subway. Someone should have known the difference. It's an easy system that doesn't taken long to learn how to use. It runs so often, you don't need a schedule to know when the next train runs. If the systems in other cities could run so often and most of the night so no one is stranded
I personally know nothing about Trains. I never rode a TRAIN in my life.
I was born in NYC, I haven't lived there in a few years but the thing I miss most, by far, is the convenience and utility of the public transit system
Some comments:
Broadway is the name of the avenue, not Broadway Street.
The "financial troubles" glossed over regarding the pneumatic subway were from government corruption, and deserve their own story.
The video at 4:36 shows trolley cars going over the Brooklyn Bridge. That bridge did have its own dedicated light rail system (before the tracks were replaced with road lanes), but it NEVER connected to the subway system.
You want a cookie for being the smartest kid in class?
@@helljumper912 Just give him a cookie :D
Wasn't light rail.
It was streetcar.
@@helljumper912
Why do you care?
Go eat a Snickers with all that hate
Indirectly.Don't forget about the Trolley Terminal at Essex Street on the J,M,and Z.
Nice timeing the tunnels are flooded right now.
First Hurricane since Superstorm Sandy. MTA didn’t fix the problems, apparently.
*timing.
I like the line in the original Taking of Pelham 123 when they're discussing paying the ransom for the hijacked passengers. "What do they expect for their lousy 35 cents; to live for ever?"
With the updated one, we see Denzel Washington on a subway. We have also seen him fly a plane, drive a train, and a taxi. The Denzel Washington mass transit series just needs a movie with him driving a bus.
I really like this camera angle and length.
Haha the irony of this video coming out to day as nyc is flooded with rain 3ft deep in some parts when i saw the bbc news a few hours ago, at least it will get a good clean.
OMG, somebody save the rats!
One on the longest Tunnel in the world! The Aqueducts feeding NYC. Impressive engineering feet. NYC tap isn't even conventionally filtered like every other urban area in North America
And the water that is coming in has the pressure to get to the 6th or 7th floor of most buildings but any higher then that and they need pumps to send it up to water tanks on the roof. The reason you see so many wooden water tanks on the buildings is the wood has an insulation rating where metal warms the water in the summer and helps it freeze faster in the winters.
This is worth an episode
And the resulting water regularly wins contests for the best-tasting water in America. It's a great engineering project that produces an unequaled result. It deserves to be far more famous than it is.
@@LatitudeSky The first rule about delicious NYC tap water is we do not discuss NYC tap water 😆
I drove the subway system but it was split from IRT and IND. IRT was “A” division. A division was the 3 door cars . “B” division cars were 4 doors.
The main difference is the clearance gauge. IND/BMT is much closer to FRA size at least width wide, while IRT/PATH is a lot narrower.
First came the BMT, with its average loading gauge.
Then came the IRT, with tunnels too small for the rival's trains.
At last the city invented the IND, then after the merger connected the B division at Chrystie Street
@@sblack53 BMT came well after IRT.
@@woodalexander
No, BMT was first, but it didn't have subways. It ran elevated lines. It was added to MTA later.
@@blue9multimediagroup IRT was first.
As a former resident of Manhattan I will tell you I never went near a Subway unless I absolutely had to. When I moved to Washington DC I was amazed at how clean and bright the stations were. Such a huge difference.
I would hope so. The cost of riding the DC metro is on par with getting an Uber.
@@johnallen8248 Not really. But it is well worth the cost.
...They have not upgraded the signal system. over 90% is still "Fixed Block" one of the lines has CBTC (Communications Based Train Control) and another they are slowly working on. (just like here in Toronto its over due and over budget) Since NYC system is a 24/7 operation doing ANY track/signal or tunnel work is a huge challenge.
The have a plan to bring CBTC to small portions of most the lines and they do work on weekends. Also because of covid they removed 24/7 service but then they just brought it back which is kinda funny
2 lines have CBTC that I know of, the 7 and L. I know the 7 has been a problem since its been installed
@@zrinzoj ya 7 and L (wasn't sure) Problems? Ha! (We in Toronto call its ATC Automatic Train Control) well apparently in an ATC zone one train coming in off a pocket track came within 1 foot of crashing/derailing another train!
When I was a touring NYC I found the subway to be a convenient way to get around but I also found it quite unpleasant
That's how every new yorker views the subway
Same - Once I figured out the express trains, I was like, wow, this IS pretty cool.
where wer you coming from?
@@clobberelladoesntreadcomme9920 Canberra Australia
@@clobberelladoesntreadcomme9920 Super King was the greatest.
Rat eating a pizza in the subway. Can't get more New York than that!
The pizza rat is SO iconic, there's video of a man cosplaying as the rat dragging a huge slice of pizza up the stairs. It instantly makes complete sense if you know about the pizza rat.
He wasn't eating it. He was delivering it!
Its better since the MTA had started to making improvement to the subway system from keep declining. The policy that introduced the car culture in New York actually caused problems such as traffic congestion, yet the subway was not extended to the suburbs or initiating Commuter Metro (a type of high frequency commuter rail (known as regional rail in USA) ) during the years.
Eh. I really feel this video skipped on a lot of important details. First and foremost, explain the map of the systems. Really hard to understand the context of the suburbs without a better understand of the map.
Secondly, despite the funding issues, there is always work being done. Seriously, always. I even worked for one of the contracted companies to update the control software of the PATH system. While that's not exactly the city's system, it does serve important areas. The same company was also working on other projects for the MTA.
7:20 "The New York Times..." Lol. I'm not sure a city = newspaper 👍🤣
Im here just HOPING Simon includes stuff about the subway being flooded over last weekend.
Shit was epic
I can feel the rumbling in the walls from the train when doing the laundry downstairs 🙆♂️
I come from small city where for transit we have a bus system that has to compete with traffic. Every time I have been in a larger centre with a subway system I wonder why anyone would drive.
I live in Anchorage, Alaska where we have a pretty robust bus system. Unfortunately, it doesn't serve the entirety of the city but I think if I lived in an area it served, I'd use it quite a lot. Maybe I'm kidding myself and I'd drive just for the convenience. We don't suffer from the traffic congestion of larger cities and I might decide waiting for a bus just wasn't worth it.
Most don't drive. 55% of NYC households don't own one. In areas with subway lines that number increases to around 80-90%. Owning a car in NYC only makes sense if you live in the outer areas where there is limited transit.
Many people do not like the "clientele" on NYC subways and the crime risk it carries. Remember, traveling from Manhattan to parts of Brooklyn or Queens can take well over an hour, and you pass through some extremely dangerous neighborhoods. A few of my family members live in Queens and pay for a parking space in Manhattan so they don't have to ride the subway, especially after dark.
@@VisibilityFoggy Been taking the subway for years. Crime is not a problem. It happens but the subway is very safe. Yeah it can take close to an hour to go from Manhattan to Queens but that beats 2 hours in traffic.
@@dustin6804 I took it for years too. Fortunately I've moved to a much nicer city and state. Crime was always present on the subways - along with graffiti, bodily fluids, annoying/smelly people, idiots playing loud music, people asking for money, general foul behavior. I'll take my car any day over that nonsense. After college I never looked back at the NYC area. Gigantic taxes for miserable living standards - hooray!
Ugg. That ended on a depressing note, Simon. I remember toiling around lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in the mid 1980's. It was intimidating for a college boy used to the Chicago subways of a similar age and maintenance issues.
Tunnel boring is more expensive than cut and cover, but the big cost of new lines is utility relocation and the huge underground stations.
Most of the Manhattan substructure is hard solid rock (granite and marble), so boring is very expensive and very impractical. And it is only because of that solid bedrock foundation that so many mega skyscrapers can stand.
To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of the NYC subway system's death are grossly exaggerated. The first phase of the 2nd ave line has opened. The LIRR now connects directly to Grand Central Terminal, and Moynahan Station is the rebirth of old Stanford White Penn Station. Furthermore MetroNorth is extending the Harlem line down the east side of the Bronx, to cross the Hell Gate Bridge and bring riders into Penn Station... WRT mass transit, NY abides
I lived on Long Island NY between 1985 and 2000, I _NEVER_ drove into Manhattan, Queens Brooklyn or the Bronx if I could avoid it. Staten Island is a different story, much better parking in general and traffic wasn't as bad. I'm not sure when the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), Metro North and PATH commuter rail lines were built, but those went a long way towards letting people live in the "suburbs" while working in the metro area.
Don't forget the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines.
They are all part of the MTA too!
@@jimurrata6785 Forgot about those three, thanks!
@@jimurrata6785 Those are all Metro-North, and yes, part of the MTA :)
To me, it’s the best way to get around Manhattan and beats dealing with the hassle and cost of a taxi. I haven’t been in NYC since the advent of ride-sharing services, so things may have changed.
Okay Simon, you're on the right track with transit infrastructure. Take a look at Denver International Airport!!
It's the second largest airport in the world, though runway for runway it would be the largest since King Fahd only has two (vs DIA's six!). It's one of the busiest in the world by passenger volume too, and has some gorgeous architecture.
Oh also there's a lot of conspiracy theories around it, and it has it's own mascot: Bluecifer.
Would be nice to see a video without the crazy aspect of all the other Denver airport videos I've seen
"The right track" pun intended?
@@irshkashirkle *Shakes head* Absolutely.
One of the reason costs are so ridiculous is any construction requires unreasonable union costs. If union and non-union companies were able to bid on the work, the prices would fall dramatically.
This would allow expansion of the system in terms of capacity as well as reaching out to the suburbs. Once that was in place, private automobile traffic could be severely restricted (i.e. taxed via special permit stickers) and the movement of people to the (expanded) subway would provide even more revenue.
Allow international competition
Hah - we used to have private, non-union bus lines in NYC in my lifetime. It sucked - they pulled service in bad weather, cut routes or reduced frequency in poorer neighborhoods, and still charged the City a mint for the privilege.
Look at Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, or Pennsylvania if you want to see what happens when municipal & commercial labor unions are broken - rips the heart right out of a city/state.
Mega Project suggestions: Benban Solar Park, Aswan High Dam, Bar Lev Line and Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
One thing that should have been mentioned, NYCs subway system is only designed to get you in and out of Manhattan. It's next to impossible to use the train to commute within the other 4 boroughs.
Grew up in NYC, didn't have to use the train daily until I was like 20.
It's hub & spoke, but the buses are meant to provide the "webbing" between lines. Having lived in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx, and worked in Brooklyn, I'd say Manhattan & the Bronx are easily the best served (by location coverage & frequency), while Queens & Brooklyn outside of LIC & Downtown Bklyn are just woefully underserved "stepchildren" a hair above Long Island.
Have used the bus & subway to get to school or travel to museums & such since I was a kid. Started commuting on my own in about 5th grade, out in Queens back when there were like 5 private bus companies, before the MTA absorbed them all (late 80s).
There's never been a problem on the beautiful Pyongyang Metro. And only half of a cent in USD to ride...
can't say the same about NYC
In another year or so NYC will bear an uncanny resemblance to Pyongyang. North Korea is Creepy Joe's model for The USA.
When it comes to metro rail systems there are now a host Simon could choose for future Megaprojects videos. From Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and others.
Born and raised NYer! I love our subway and commuter rail system! It's far from perfect but it gets the job down most of the time! Love that I can get pretty much anywhere without a car. The MTA really needs to be under city country. Lawmakers in Albany don't understand the needs of riders and the system! Restore city run transit!
True and the subway is poorly run and infrequent
Main issue is that upstate/LI tends to lean away from investing in the City. Bit of a love/hate relationship there, given that they wouldn't have jobs or tax revenue without the beating economic heart that is the City.
Awesome video! This subway system is immense and one of the reasons for its high cost of maintenance.
Its more-so the massive corruption. The MTAs budget is spent almost entirely in paying off transit workers and building up the bureaucracy. The only reason why privatization of the system didn't work was because the government forced the private companies to keep their fares artificially low, but the private companies themselves were consistently reliable, and the cost of maintenance when they were in power was significantly lower.
On my first visit to New York back in the late 1970's, I made the unfortunate decision to use the Subway. It was an unforgettable experience - and not in any positive way. I will never forget the graffiti, the dirt, the surly staff, the confusing signage, the smell, the heat.
1- Late 70s was the height of the Fiscal Crisis, nearly every city in the country suffered.
2- It's alright, you're a tourist - it's not *for* you LOL
@@mandisaw even now the subway is terrible its so dirty and horrid it doesn't compare to the London subway or the Tokyo metro
@@abhaymanoj3784 its not that dirty
I’m proud to have been born in Queens NY. I love the city. It’s not for everyone and some people certainly like to criticize it. But, everyone wants to go there, even if just for a little while.
To sum this up. America just doesn't seem to like public transport or mass transit systems in general. Just add more, wider roads and more cars. That'll fix things! ...
Ask Maryland... Literally turned down $123 million in federal funds for transit infrastructure improvements, and said no.
Widening the existing highway, bringing more cars and vans from consumers by buying it, congesting the same highway that brings road rage and the cycles all over again when solving traffic
@@MarloSoBalJr Well, they turned down the $123 million because they would've had to spend billions. Add in all the bribery and labor union corruption and you'd have a disaster. I genuinely do hate to get political, but the problem is that most of America's large cities are poor, dysfunctional, crime-filled, corrupt and dominated by one political party. The rest of the country hates throwing money at these cities, which is always wasted. The vast majority of Americans have absolutely no need for urban transit systems, and those who do have a need can't afford to pay for them.
@@VisibilityFoggy Honestly, "the rest of the country" should STFU. As a person born and raised in NYC, I know for a fact that New York City's five boroughs contribute more to the federal budget (via tax revenue) than most STATES. I also know that New York City has a higher GDP than the vast majority of UN entities (11th highest in the world if it were a country, ahead of Russia). A majority of Americans don't hold a passport. Does that mean we should ignore international travel infrastructure? "The rest of the country" should worry about why they can't get and/or keep a pro sports franchise or why Wyoming was entitled to federal funds earmarked to rebuild after 9/11. New York has subsidized lots of things we're not the least bit interested in or have no need of and we've done it for decades. What's the big deal?
And if NYC is poor, what are Sioux City or Montgomery or Baton Rouge? I could rent an Antebellum mansion in Baton Rouge for the price of a broom closet in Manhattan or Brooklyn.....and I'd have a lot more time to make up my mind since that broom closet is not going to be available for very long. You're using that same old tired 'city=bad, exurb/sticks=gud' trope that's been done to death for literally decades. Remember Atlanta? Probably not. When I was a kid, Atlanta was a sleepy small to mid-size town that exploded due to urban flight from places like NYC, Philly, Chicago, Dallas, and Houston. You're right about one thing though: inefficiencies caused by union contracts and government bureaucracy is a serious problem in EVERY heavily populated US city. While heavily populated cities tend to be bastions of liberalism and progressivism, even the "red" cities have this issue (hi Charlotte! Hi Dallas/Fort Worth/Houston/San Antonio/any Texas city not named Austin!). So it's not a case of 'blue=bad, blue=poor, blue=corrupt' as you tried to suggest.
@@Remianen very much agreed!
Thank you for covering the NYC Subway!
Those subways were very very cheap, compared to the highways.
When I moved to NoVa in 2003 the metro system (WMATA) was reliable and relatively inexpensive. By the time I left the area in 2015 I could get to the station at the same time two days in a row and it might take 20 minutes to get to my office one day and 35 the next. I could leave my office at the same time and have the same inconsistent return commute. After multiple fare increases it was no longer cheaper than driving into the District if you had employer subsidized parking and since they slowed the trains down to share tunnels it also took longer than driving. To add insult to injury Arlington kept raising property tax to subsidize a system that was so broken few people in my community used despite a station being within walking distance. Another note, when I started parking wasn’t subsidized, but after WMATA hit critical suck in 2008 many companies started to provide it because they didn’t like employees coming in late or leaving early to compensate for unpredictable commutes and delays.
At least the D.C. Metro is clean and the stations are well maintained. I've actually turned down a couple job offers in the D.C. area because I have no desire to live in the district, and everything takes forever from the suburbs.
Do BART next. That one is interesting if only because it's not only in an earthquake zone (but is an insanely safe design because of that) but is missing at least half of it's proposed layout. It was also featured in THX-1138 including the climax at the end. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/THX_1138#/media/File:Toward_the_Transbay_Tube.jpg
Corruption & Software Corruption & App Mobsters. I DO NOT SUPPORT NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
I WAS USED WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE & MY RIGHTS WERE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME FOR NO REASON. NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL & OTHER INSURANCE COMPANIES FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS. STOLEN PROPERTY & INSURANCE THEFT TOO. CORRUPT ENTERPRISE. VERY DANGEROUS!
Do the NY water system next. Those aqueducts are nutty.
I'm a little surprised you didn't mention the Guardian Angels when talking about the high-crime days. They might make a good video.
In the late 80s when the Big Apple turned bad as in The Equaliser when few rode the subway after 5pm...
Good job! Even as a native New Yorker I found this to be informative.
this was a good episode! now, how about doing the Chicago Transit (Subway) system? you'll find it just as interesting- with corruption, money-laundering, segregation, catastrophes, cooperate trickery and much, much more!
And please include video of the great car chase on the L from "Running Scared"!
So like any other US city
I saw a dude get hit by an Amtrack on the "L" at Sheridan Road in Great Lakes, IL. 😳😳😳🤮🤮🤮
@@SkunkApe407 ooof! ...and we can't forget the (in)famous Metra station in Lagrange! the station you might not survive getting to or leaving from!
@@WarpRadio dude, Lagrange is almost as bad as the Greyhound station in Fayetteville, NC. I wish I could forget that mf.
I have been to NYC several times for business and for pleasure. I loved the subway there. It was not as nice as say the TTC in Toronto, Canada, bit it is still decent.
I would say mismanaged not underfunded.
That's the best way to put it cause they spend the money on dumb shit like the contractors and the work is not worth the money
WE British invented the tunnel borring machine to dig the chanel tunel.
I am from Queens NY. I am 70 years old and been riding the subway all my life. The things that killed the subway was and still are, the Unions and the Political appointees at the top, who know nothing about running a subway system.
5 men to change one light bulb.
2 men working and 5 mem standing around supervising
Workers who should be working are either on their cell phones or sleeping on the platform.
MTA Board Members who get free easy passes to drive around the city and avoid using the system
I can go on and on. I have gotten up on spoke at the Fare hearing pointing out the corruption from Top to bottom.
No one care. You can not force the workers to do their jobs because they are votes needed for an election win.
The only solution is to privatize the system again. Get rid of the corruption and make the system profitable so it will be updated when needed
Forget that. I lived in Queens back when there were 5 private bus lines, before the MTA bought them out. Still remember freezing my little-kid ass off in the snow because the private bus owners didn't want to risk equipment damage or driver overtime and pulled all their buses off the line.
Public transit is essential to a truly democratic economy. Queens & Brooklyn barely have real public transit service, so you see all the poorer folks crammed onto too-infrequent buses, or using dollar vans & rideshares to reach distant trains, while others pay a second rent's worth of money to keep a car without the convenience of a suburban garage. We need to properly fund & maintain the subway like the essential public infrastructure that it is.
Yup. Even now if you look at the operational budget for the system, it's all going to labor. The system is already 50% funded by riders and more than 50% of the cost is going towards labor. If the system was automated like most modern systems, it would be profitable, and that's just one piece of the puzzle. A ton of money that the system generates goes to subsidize the LIRR, Metro North, and the buses. If the subway was split from those system too, the thing would probably be a cash cow.
Born and raised in Astoria queens new York. Lived under the NQ like (now the NW) amazing to see the history of it!
Shame you didn't mention how the first subway system in the 1880s was a lie to make a mail tube tunnel so they could get the rights to make the subway.
Boston's T system needs a magnifying glass by this channel.
Yeah dude that lil toy train set is a side project at best.
@@Jasruler Simon's new channel: Fail Projects (very close to Business Blaze but without humor)
Should mention that elevated rail and streetcars were quite extensive even in 1904, when the subway opened. NYC has had rapid transit since 1868, but it was largely elevated or at-grade, and the first major underground rapid transit was built in 1904.
This subway system now looks like a part of a museum piece, esp when compared to Chinese or even Japanese systems
Or the Paris or London systems...or Singapore or Hong Kong.
The Asian nations have newer systems...makes a big difference
All the European systems were overhauled after the War, and the Asian systems are only a few decades old. None are as extensive, serve as many people (Tokyo might), or operate 24/7. Also none of those places have quite the same animosity between the State and the place being served. Upstate NY hates the City, and would happily privatise or decimate the subway if they could.
Korea's systems are clean and cheap, and pretty good too. They don't always allow you to take a bike on board though.
I hope we keep our iconic "tin cans and bathroom tiles" look
One of the keys for NYC is to use Metro north and LIRR lines within the city more effectively as subways. Add additional stations and increased service on those lines and charge subway fare and you're halfway there. Essentially, treat them as the RER in Paris. Then, take over some of the existing freight lines and transform them into transit lines. A lot of good can be done with less money.
I'm afraid you don't know how trains physically work. All those lines have different gauges (width between the rails) and different height/width clearances. Metro-North and LIRR already have stations within the Bronx & Queens/Brooklyn, respectively, but there's no way to interoperate them with subways. Closest you can have is a transfer hub, and that already exists at Jamaica hub, Flushing-Main St, & Atlantic terminal (LIRR), and Fordham and 125th Street (MNR).
As for freight lines, Amtrak owns those routes - where Metro-North uses them, the State is paying for the privilege. They're even going to double-down with the Gateway project coming into GCT & Penn - nice bit of cash for Amtrak, and convenience for NYC riders of Metro-North.
@@mandisaw I didn’t say “put subway trains on those tracks”. I’m aware that they have different gauges. I was advocating for treating the portion of the LIRR and MNRR within city limits as a subway-like service akin to the RER in Paris. Additional stations could be added along those lines, additional trains could be run to increase service frequency, and the fare could be the same as the subway. While the Paris Metro and the RER operate very different sized trains, for all intents and purposes it operates much like a subway within city limits and becomes a bit more like a commuter train on the outer portions and branch lines.
@@douglasjgallup Can't speak to how Paris does it, but that doesn't make much economic sense here, given that we already have both a subway and a commuter rail. All the rail lines that stop within City limits already have frequent, local service, are generally cheap to use based on their City zone, and are reduced even further on the weekends (CityPass). You can't just add more trains without a ridership need and most city residents either can't afford anything above subway base fare, or are unfamiliar with the way commuter rail operates (fixed schedule, pay before you board, etc).
The Bronx is slated to get a handful of new MNR stations, so we'll see how that goes, but as to the existing service, there's already max ridership on those rush hour local trains that serve the City & border stations. Outside of the AM/PM rush, there's just no money in it.
@@douglasjgallup the Parisian RER is a fantastic model for New York’s Metro North and LIRR service. However, I’m wary about converting tracks used by freight trains into transit lines. Freight trains are important.
Megaprojects suggestion: Operation Highjump
@No Comment Until This Instant No, the 1946 US Navy invasion of Antarctica (for science). There's a good US Navy documentary film about it on youtube.
Now do the water system. The original brick pipes were used so heavily they couldn't be shut for maintenance, and many believe the pressure is keeping them from collapsing.
Appreciate for your feedback
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Assist
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There is no such agency as the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Its proper name is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Nelson Rockefeller created an agency initially called the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority which eventually became the MTA known today.
My last ride on the NYC Sub was in 1972…
“Oh my, what a waste land. Fortunately my fellow USN Sailors and I were big and buff, people didn’t mess with us. And the nefarious minded gave is a wide berth.
As young Sailors in town for the weekend, we discovered the glories of the Puerto Rican neighborhood. Incredible hospitality, incredible food!
I❤️NY!!
Please visit again, hospitable neighborhoods you'd love would be:
Little Dominican Republic (which isn't so little) - take the A to Dyckman Street and simply enjoy the food markets, outdoor drink carts, people, food and nearby one of the loveliest parks in NYC, Inwood Hill Park.
West Village around Hudson and Washington street - less crowded with tree-lined street and nice brownstones with a few pleasant small parks, check out the wonderful revitalization of the West Village Piers. Serviced best by the 1 line Christopher Street and then walk toward Hudson Street then go a little north to Abdington Square and explore the small side streets before walking west to the piers.
Jackson Heights Queens - Basically you are traveling several parts of the world within a dozen square blocks. Walk up 74th for the delightful South Asian gold shops, Indian, Pakistani food along with some Nepalese. 37th Ave and Roosevelt heading East will be a great way to see the commercial heart of the area while walking under the 7 (but if you don't want the direct noise of the overhead train, walk 37th Ave that runs parallel to Roosevelt) . Roosevelt Ave , while noisy, will give you a new feel- - Mexican, Columbian stores and some great taco and tamales carts. Walk back north to 35th Avenue for the historic area of Jackson Heights with its London like Garden area and beautiful, large early 20th century apartments, tree-lined avenues and simply a great relaxing walk - it runs approximately from 70th Street all the way to the low 90's along 35th Ave. Go to Google Maps to get a preview.
Astoria/LIC area is more spread out but offers many great avenues to explore, eat and check out some good museums and lovely waterfront parks - for hustle and bustle, Broadway, 30th Ave, Ditmars Blvd. A little quieter commercial aves, 36th Ave,31st Ave and 23rd Ave. At the end of Ditmars is a lovely respite with stunning views of northern Manhattan and other parts of the city - Astoria Park. Museums - Museum of Moving Image has three floors of exhibitions about film and animation plus a few theaters to check out old and new classics. Noguchi features the beautiful stone sculptures of Isamoru Noguchi and Socrates Sculpture Park offers a few outdoor installations and pleasant views of Manhattan and the East River.
West Side and East Side Ave on opposites sides of Manhattan above 59th Streets provide great walks through affluent residential sections that aren't too busy. You can head to Columbus Ave from West End Ave easily to grab some good food, theaters and more active street life, for East End Ave it is especially lovely in the upper 80's low 90's Streets not far from Gracie Mansion, Lexington 3rd and 2nd Ave all offer commercial corridors to try some good food and check some interesting shops that are spread out. Carl Shurz Park is a good green space, for West End Ave, you have the magnificent park running along the Hudson River that is worth a walk.
Caroll Gardens/Boerum Hill, Brooklyn is one of my favorite neighborhoods in NYC. Walk down Smith Street for old school Italian pizzerias and shops. A good place to visit after a visit to one of the best parks in NYC in the neighborhood a little north of this one, Prospect Heights, Prospect Park In Brooklyn which has a Botanical Garden and excellent museum and library close by. I find Caroll Gardens a little warmer area than Prospect Heights (it is a gorgeous area but not as welcoming as Carrol Gardens.
Morris Heights /Bronx Community College - Bronx NY. This area is not always mentioned but if you want to see cool architecture and one of the most interesting and pretty walks in NYC, check out the Hall of Fame Walk in Bronx Community College as well as their new library done in a late 19th century French neo-classical style. The Hall of Fame features busts of artists, scientists, politicians and military from the 19th century to early 20th. There is nothing like it inNYC and I rarely see this in other American cities, Europe probably has more of this but the Hall of Fame walk is really worth the trip. GO to Burnside Ave 6 train stop in Bronx, enjoy the riot of West African and Puerto Rican/Domincan restaurants before entering the quieter working class neighborhoods with its mix of 2 family homes and large apartment buildings.
West Brighton, Staten Island and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. It is a bit of a hike but Snug Harbor is worth the trip featuring historic 19th century homes that housed retired sailors, ample green spaces, a great Japanese Garden and later in the Summer early Fall some astounding art displays. For eats best to find places closer to the ferry in the St George neighborhood with is hills and overlook of New York Bay giving it feel of parts of San Francisco. Staten Island is best visited with a car --- plus a car would allow you to easily visit Bay Ridge, another great neighborhood, in Brooklyn and drive over the Verrazano Narrows bridge which is a treat. This would afford you a chance to visit military sites such as the 19th century fort, Fort Wadsworth and check out restaurants in other sections of Staten Island.
@@chrissahar2014 WoW! That’s a lot of info! Thanks!
11:24 Splinter grabbing lunch for his kids.
Lolololololol!
All 2,000 of them!
cowabunga? something like that anyway
Probably not the first poster but the first New York poster!!!
Check out the formerly secret tunnels UNDER Grand Central Station in NYC. ruclips.net/video/qLPOmtI4W9I/видео.html
Now do the New York City water supply system.
Honestly, best tap water I've ever had
It's still using switch technology from the 1900s that no one knows how to build anymore but costs too much to replace lol
There's so much potential for the NYC subway to be amazing. Sadly, its history goes to show that money (or rather, the love of money) is the root of all evil.
IIRC one of the issues is that it's in non-stop service & the city is used to that. In comparison most other metro systems (and many high speed railways) close down for the night, allowing a 5-7 hour daily maintenance window. You don't have that for the New York subway, so every time you want to fix something (or do preventive maintenance) you need to re-route traffic or limit the service. And given the city being used to the non-stop service (eq. people getting to their work shifts) it's unlikely they could switch the system to a more sane schedule where it shuts down for the night.
Just think if the federal government didn't spend money on defense spending for 5 years other than personnel costs. What could the states do to better their cities with all that money?
I remember riding the subways as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 60's. The fare was a 15¢ token. One token could take you pretty much all over the city.
Appreciate for your feedback
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@@PinnëdbyMegaprojects wtf
@@knobjockey693 Its a bot scammer, just report it.
That was a precious era no doubt, remember the form of the tokens? Very cool. You can still get around pretty much all over the city on one hit of today’s “token” aka the metro card. It’s quite different from London’s Tube and the convoluted pay structure of the Oyster Card. I invite folks to try both.
Thanks for making this video Simon. I was wondering what the subway was like compared to the London Underground.
Actually it's the world's most expensive storm drain system with included railway. 🤣
All those taxes but they don’t take care of their stuff.
@@BMWE90HQ the railways are almost impossible to upgrade due to ridership levels. Like highways that decay because the traffic is too high on them to divert it for roadwork.
Railroad, get it right. Railway is a euro term
@@RidinDirtyRollinBurnouts bullshit bustitution is an option boost frequency on nearby lines
Sounds like your mother. 😂
I fell like i need to point out that the subway is only one of 6 railroads for nyc, 5 of them are owned and operated by the mta. You have the subway, long island railroad, PATH train, statan island railroad, metro north, and new jersey transit railroad
PATH is owned by the NY/NJ Port Authority, not MTA. 😉
@@VisibilityFoggy my mistake, i think i assumed based on that the last time i was on the path train i used a metro card. Thanks for the clarification.
"The city started to regret its decision to hand over so much power, funding, and profit to these private companies. Their desire to contend with one another just didn't serve the public interest in the way the city's mayors had hoped."
Well shit, the practical limits of capitalism ahoy~
Have you ever ridden JR trains in Japan? Amazing privately run trains! Capitalism always benefits society over government mis-planning
@@swift71 That is purely because JR (and most corporations in Japan) is run to a different standard and ethic than western companies.
@@shinkicker404 meaningless comment, Melon Lord
Their desire to "contend" with one another is also known as competition, which certainly does serve the public interest.
I would definitely show this video if I was teaching an urban studies class.
I must admit I miss the heavily distorted voice of the conductor hollering through the PA system in the 70s. “WASHACLAWZENDAWZ!”
The 70's? Hop an AC line. "FRANKAVENOWTHISHBRAWAYJUKSHUNTRANSFERTOSERVICELRZJRLINES"
Pretty universal - the British BBC 'Goon Show' even parodied it .......'Minnador, Minnador'
That must have been good ol' working class joe biden during the day.
@@Jasruler or the 6!
"Stand clear of the closing doors, please!" *ding dong*
I've never got all the hate for the NY subway. It's by far the most convenient subway/metro in the states. The design is well layed out, you can easily walk from anywhere in Manhattan to a station. It's dirt cheap to ride. Is it clean and new? No, but neither is New York.
But muricans love cars
Same with guns
Has to do something with freedom or u guess little egos
@@KingJohnMichael You prove yourself to be a true idiot! You talk about “right wing”ers and guns and little egos! Seems a “little ego” is something you actually have yourself! Pontificating & looking down on people, thinking you’re so worldly and sophisticated! Let me clue you in on something, no one thinks you’re worldly and sophisticated! No one cares what you think! Save us all and keep your opinions to yourself?
The "not clean and new" is fine for a few days on vacation, but becomes misery quickly. The other issue is that once you leave the tourist areas of Manhattan, you start seeing some very scary people on the subways as it goes through very dangerous neighborhoods. People are assaulted, robbed, etc. on a regular basis, and it has gotten FAR worse over the last year as the city has stopped police from arresting people and letting criminals out of jail with no bond. It's not so much the system itself or the rolling stock - it's the other riders that cause many people to avoid the subway.
@@VisibilityFoggy Pandemic aside, what most outsiders call "scary people" often equates to "Black commuters on their way home". I've come home on the train at 2am - Bklyn to Bronx! - and felt safer than driving out West at 8pm.
@@VisibilityFoggy I ride the subway every single day and I rarely see anything like what you're describing. It's not so much that the subway goes through "dangerous neighborhoods" as the subway is itself is full of "sketchy people". A lot of drug addicts and mentally ill people, people trying to sell things, preachers, annoying performance artists.
Should do the Moscow metro system next.
Even at the worst crime rates around 1990 it was safer to take the subway than to drive your car.
Now that is nonsense.
Driving in NYC is NOT a safe thing to do. Trains are very safe. And more free of crime than the neighborhoods they pass through. look up the stats.
@@johnsmith1474 40,000 or so deaths per year from car accidents. That’s much more likely to happen than you are to get indiscriminately stabbed by a homeless person on a train
Beach Pneumatic Transit - the hyperloop of its day
Sometimes, it's good to come to a relaxed video like this. Especially after binging BB. Where Simon fights with his other personalities. AM I RIGHT, PETER?
Daddy, chill!
I'm still waiting on a return from ETA's MLM. I sent him $150 and all I got was a sticker. The anti-5g cream hasn't even arrived yet!
What?
Beat Street..The Warriors..thats my take on this place
As a New Yorker the Governor seems to forget that he is the head of MTA, but he seems to blame everyone but himself.
NY City has a de facto one party system, he will ALWAYS get their votes, so he doesn't have to do anything to earn them.
@@johnathin0061892 MTA controls the subway which is controlled by the STATE government not the city government. City council and Mayor can't do shit about that. Blame Cuomo and Albany.
@@johnathin0061892
Make no mistake, I hate DeBoso. But MTA is run by the state government and the city has nothing to do with the trains.
And on the voting front, not everyone votes democratic here.
The Chairman of the MTA Board is the head of the MTA
@@uncleelias the chairman of the MTA is nominated by the Governor of the state of New York.
I don't think the NY subway should go past the city limits, the commuter rails are covering that just fine. I mean, there are parts within the city that STILL are not serviced the subway, especially in Queens.
I'm curious how the London subway system compares.
It doesn't.
it has more coverage and trains come more often, but being built in 1860 there is no ventilation so is slowly being made unfit for human life by climate change
@superdug have to agree about the NYC subway compared to the London tube. It’s night and day. The nyc stations seem grubby and it’s like stepping back in time on the carriages. Though they are starting to trial 24hr services on some of the major lines and sorting out things like wifi and AC in the trains themselves
It should be highly informative to see how the new Elizabeth line does when it opens
I have less hope for the nyc subway keeping up with other modern metros
@@METALFACEDOOMXXXX oh it does the london tube is much better and cleaner unlike new york
@@abhaymanoj3784 NYC subway is real and gritty unlike London's vaginal tube!
Looking at the Futurama models, how did they expect anyone to get around? I have a hard enough time with the stroads where I live, and have been hit a couple times while crossing, but that has 16 lanes of highways.
+1 for "stroads" :) Are you a fellow fan of NotJustBikes or Strong Towns?
@@mandisaw It's important to me, and I find Not Just Bikes are good at presenting some of the problems and solutions. I'd like to see them team up with disability activists and ask about some of the accessibility problems and solutions.
@@marjae2767 I think he did do one on the curb-cut effect, but it might have pre-dated the StrongTowns series. Might be worth a revisit, though