NYC Subway Series: Train delays.

NYC has one the most complete and robust methods of public transportation known to the world. You can ride the train from one point of the city all the way to the other point. It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year including weekend and holidays.

But no matter where you happen to be, or what method of transportation you happen to be using, delays due to mechanical problems, accidents, sick folks and a plethora of other reasons are ultimately inevitable. The deliciously clean NYC subway system is no exception.

Usually when one arrives at a train station and there is a backlog of people it means that there are train delays. These could be for any number of reasons ranging from signal problems to a sick passenger. They can be short quick delays, or end up costing you hours on the overall commute.

Fret not however, depending on where you happen to be you have the option to simply get out and walk to another train station, take a bus, or a cab. Of course this is dependent on where you happen to be. In some cases your only choice is the train you are on, but in others you can easily connect.

For instance, in the Bronx the D train and the 4 train are only a short walk from one another. For the most part they run parallel to one another and if necessary you can easily walk from one to the other.

After nearly an entire lifetime of living in NYC I claim great knowledge of the subway system. Yet that which I do not know can be easily looked up on a subway map on any smartphone or the train itself.

Last night I waited for 15 minutes for a 7 train, it did not show up. Eventually the train platform was PACKED. Then it became more packed. The announcer warned us that there were massive delays and you may want to explore other options. At this point, if the massive crowd wasn’t enough, you now have an announcer warning you that you are
stuck.

7 train, times square. No problem, I walked over to the connected E train a brief underground walk over and I was shortly on my way back to Queens. It’s nice to have options.

Do you know how to get around the NYC subway system? What methods of transportation do you use to get around?

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