By: David Maybaum
New York’s infamous MTA system is giving riders of the Q subway train a real ride. The company is upgrading its fleet of trains for newer trains, ditching the decades-old ones at last, “…in preparation for the launch of a modern signal system on the E,F, M and R lines”, according to the New York Post.
The passengers of the Q train adjusted to ‘modern trains’ that were introduced in 2006, which was introduced with bright lights and shiny, new blue seats; a stark contrast from the 30+ year old trains that were equipped with fake wood paneling and the grunge orange and yellow seats, as if they were a shrine of the 70s era.
“I think it stinks,” said lawyer Pam Caruso, 55, as she waited on the platform.
“The visuals on the old cars don’t bother me as much as the space and the seating,” she added, noting back-to-back, transverse seating of the older cars. “You’re sitting with the back of your head covered in someone’s hair.”
The MTA stated that this long-needed switch is essential to introduce modern computerized signals, referred to by the system’s name, Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), to the E, F, M and R lines. The company will buy multiple new train cars in anticipation of the projected CBTC’s success throughout the entire subway system, which is expected to last all the way into the next decade.
“Modern computerized signaling doesn’t just bring the latest technology to our tracks – it’s also driving the upgrade of our train fleet including thousands of new cars for use throughout the system,” said Shams Tarek, an MTA spokesman, in a statement. “The ultimate result will be a very reliable subway system with modern, advanced trains throughout the five boroughs.”
According to abc14news.com, “The MTA is investing $663 million to provide CBTC to Queens Boulevard tracks from Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike station all the way to 50th Avenue stop for the E prepare in Manhattan.”
Reportedly, the Q train is not the only system under construction. The Eighth Avenue and Lexington Avenue subways in Manhattan, as well as the Jap Parkway and Fulton Road subways in Brooklyn are also slated for CBTC upgrades, which officers say will convey significant improvements for rides of the 4/5/6 and A/C trains.
In an interesting turn of events, some passengers have expressed that they actually prefer the old trains instead of the newer ones, despite both having the same quantity of passenger seats. One passenger named Brandon, a 36-year old Shakespeare professor, commented, “Yeah, the newer cars search nicer… but the older cars have far more seating.”
