July 12, 2017 Christian Murray
The MTA will be installing countdown clocks across many of its subway lines in the next six months–including on the 7, N, W, F and E lines
The latest batch of countdown clocks are to appear across 40 stations along the C line this month, with additional countdown clocks being gradually rolled out into coming months. The last line to get them will be the 7 line in December, when all 22 stations will get them.
Melissa Orlando, founder of a local tranportation advocacy group called Access Queens, believes the addition is a good start but that the agency has a very long way to go.
“This is great news and long overdue in terms of the MTA improving its ability to communicate with passengers as to how long they need to wait for their next train, but it does nothing to remedy the fact that delays have gone up 152% over the past 5 years according to City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s most recent report.”
Other members of the group, such as Joseph Anastasio, the group’s research analyst, expressed skepticism as to the effectiveness of the clocks.
“If these countdown clocks are placed at the platforms rather than the turnstiles, by the time passengers see how long their trains will be delayed, they will have already paid their fare and swiped their card,” he said.
The rollout schedule as listed today is as follows:
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25 Comments
Forget about timers. Why don’t JVB, Peralta and other politicians take a ride on the #7 and observe the eyesore on top of the buildings from QB Plaza to Main St. Its a disgrace that landlords allow access to their roof tops for graffiti and garbage and nothing is done about it. Could not imagine what out-of-towners who travel through this area to the games in Flushing think about residents here. Its a disgrace that people actually live like this.
The timers are there so that you can tell your boss or clients how late you’ll be.
These tell you the next “scheduled train” – not the next actual train.
Useless!!!!
That’s not true
Certain lines use the new signal system (which is currently being wrapped up on the 7 train and already exists on the L train) to locate where on the track the train is and can generate arrival times based on that.
Trains with the old signals rely on bluetooth to give approx arrival times. What happens is that arrival and departure times are recorded at stations so they can give an expected arrival time on the display further down the line.
let me guess, if the 7 doesn’t come for a while, the screen will just say train traffic ahead. whats the point if the service sucks!
Countdown clocks for brutal reminders like this… http://www.imagebam.com/image/0706ca562537343
I have no confidence in this initiative. There is no way that the times on these displays will be even remotely accurate. The stupid announcements that tell you how long until the next train only seem to work when everything is running smoothly. Once there are delays, they announcements stop or become infrequent. On the trains that already have clocks (123, 456) the clock will say 5 minutes and then suddenly a train will come into the station. It’s a joke. BUT, better than nothing.
The clocks are accurate due to the new switches installed over the last few years on the 7.
The 456 clocks at Grand Central are accurate.
Why do you even need this?
Time clocks are great on lines where you have a choice of trains, but on the 7 (local) you have no choice.
Just like on the L – they tell you the train is coming in, say, 2 minutes, and the next L coming in 5 minutes. What, somebody’s going to wait for the later train?
Why is the 7 the last to get the time clocks? I don’t understand why 3 lines S,D and E that have 27 lines in total would get time clocks before us. We have 22 overcrowded lines. But then again LIRR riders r getting a reduced fare for their “6” months of “inconvenience”and being told to take the 7 at Hunters Point to make THEIR ride easier.
Because the 7 is about to finish switching to the new signal system and I’m guessing they didn’t want to spend money to implement a system that uses bluetooth when they can just use the new signal system.
Do the clocks go to infinity. That’s how long they will need will 7 train delays. December of what year? 2030?
Zing!!!!
Unacceptable comment
Will it be in Spanish?
How is the reverse commute to flushing or kew gardens at 8am??? you have 25 more years of this till a new tunnel and train line is built.
What the heck are you even going on about???
Tunnel to where?
Someone take this guy’s library card away. He shouldnt be on the internet
well they built a trunnel for the LIRR to grand central why not a new tunnel for the 7 express train? or a tunnel from GC to greenpoint ave and have alternate G service to manhattan?
Or a sunnyside shuttle on the LIRR tracks to GC say at 43rd st there are alternatives
What about a tunnel from Wendy’s to Arby’s?
#CuomosMTA
You said it brother. Perfect hashtag placement.
Good. Now get Cuomo to give the MTA it’s share of money, and fix it. Today on the 7 was a mess!
Fake El loco.