August 17, 2006
N Line Gets a Little Bit Cleaner
Ooh - the MTA has sent out the new R160 trains on the N line start for a one month trial. The R160 has the FIND system - a lighted, dynamic display of upcoming stops, versus the printed maps with lights that the R142 (the newer cars on the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 lines) and R143 (the L's train) - so, for example, the display would be different on weekends with limited sevice. Reader MrMet388 spied the R160 without passengers at Union Square, but by the time it was at West 57th, it seems like passengers could board as reader Josh, who took the photo below, was able to hop on.
The Post points out that if anything goes wrong during the 30 day trial, the trial starts again; once the trial is complete and all goes well, the MTA will ask Kawasaki and Alstom to manufacture 660 cars. Well, if the N line gets R160'd up, we'd imagine it will no longer be the worst line in the system!
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Oh my God, this is so exciting. Now i've completely forgotten about the fact that the N train takes forever in the morning and the W never shows up and weekend service is laughable. Awesome. And Gothamist is right, it wont be the worst, but i'm sure it will still manage to be kinda terrible.
will the G or the F ever be next?
Instead of spending money on high tech maps the MTA should spend money on high tech ass shaped seating design. Looks like these new cars have the same uncomfortable warm up benches as the old cars. The orange, ass-shaped seats were even better than the blue benches. london has cushioned seats. Don't know what other cities have done, but can't imagine that any other subway in the world has such un-comfy seats.
I got to ride the new N this morning around 9:30- got on at 57th St, after the conductor in the old N encouraged us to go across the platform and ride the new train. It might have been the first ride, because there were lots of suits and newsmedia in the cars. The cars were so clean- who knew there was a new subway car smell! Every window was etch free (let's see how long that lasts). The cars seem a little wider, and the lighting/color scheme is blue, which seems less depressing than the old yellow/orange theme. Overall, very nice!
And yup- warm-up bench seating.
We can’t have cushioned cloth seats on the NYC subway, and I don't think anyone here would disagree with that. As for the shaped seats, Those were ok in adding more people to the same length seating area as a bench, it becomes cramped especially when fatties take up two of the same seat, one ass cheek per shaped seat.
But it is a lot more comfortable.
I like the blue benches, except I'm always sliding back and forth on them.
Those cars will be covered in scratchfitti and smell like urine before sundown.
Thanks for helping the terrorists with these photos of our sensitive infrastructure, liberal pansies.
Here's a plethora of photos from the big first R-160 revenue run. And no, the NYPD didn't bother me today. Thankfully.
74 Photos from First R-160 Revenue Run!
Enjoy!
kojak - I'm not suggesting cushioned seats - just something that's ass shaped. All the seats on the car don't have to be the same. How about arm rests on half the seats. How about ass-shaped seats with some custom designed for big asses. The blue benches show that they put no thought at all into ergonomics.
yeah padded seats.... that will smell great after the first piss or 2
Awesome, does this also mean they'll have computerized annoucements? No one can understand a word in the old N, W trains, especially when there's a problem and we're all stuck at Queensboro Plaza. And yeah, it's said that scratchfitti and urine are unavoidable in NYC... our subway will never be as good as Japan's.
gross. padded seats/carpet are on the air train and they are filthy after just a few years. seriously. i don't know what they were thinking with that one.
There are worst lines than the N like the L,G,J,M,Z.
All's I wants to know is are there motherf*cking snakes on this train?
"How about ass-shaped seats with some custom designed for big asses."
Seats designed for American asses... If someone spilled coffee in one, it could double as a swimming pool.
Kojak:
lol
Yup, all announcements were computerized.
Maybe with enough new trains, the MTA can extend the V to Church Avenue and run the F as an express between Church and Jay.
These new maps could be neat, but they only show the next stop and last stop. Am I the only one who's going to be disconcerted by not knowing which stops are behind me?
It's not 100% functional, though.
Got on this train at 34th Street this afternoon, heading uptown. The signage let everyone know that the next stop was 86th Street.
Everyone looked at each other, because given the way trains operate in NYC, this would not be outside the borders of reality.
I wonder if they can somehow coat the windows to make them etch-proof....
Also, with the new signaling equipment, shouldn't it be possible for them to display an ETA for each station on the strip maps? This would be a *really* cool use of the technology, IMO.
And finally, when will they learn that stainless steel isn't such a great look for the exterior of the cars? I kind of miss the redbirds.
I don't know why everyone hates on the N,I've been living in Astoria for 2 years and have no complaints about it. During rush hours it arrives every few minutes and well into the evening(10,11pm) I"ve never had to wait more than 10-15 minutes for one.Weekends don't seem too bad either.
oh yeah, tokyo's subway is great, except for the fact that if you ever drop something you might as well say good bye to it forever because there's no space to bend down and get it and when everyone rushes out of the train you'd be trampled to death if you were to wait to pick up aforementioned dropped item.
LM:
You're lucky...I moved to Astoria 3 years ago and the N/W were great, but since then it's been going downhill constantly. I feel like I'm always waiting for the train, stuck on the train, and/or over crowded on the train. Plus the N hasn't been able to get me home in many rain downpours and heatwaves...a time I usually want to be able to get home the most.
Think twice: I second extending the V somewhere past 2nd Ave. If you ever look at the F/V crowd balance during rush hour, it's always *packed* F / *nearly empty* V. You'd think someone in the MTA would notice that they're not maximizing their people-moving there . . . oh, yeah.
bill brasky - you are a NUT! The N train is the best. I think you're standards are too high. Have you ever been on the F train? or the L? I never have to wait more than a couple minutes for the N to roll along - I love it and you should too.
I'm a fan of the orange and brown color scheme. To me, the grays and faded blues are devoid of warmth and character. It all seems to sterile and has no soul, like a hospital waiting room.
In the future, the gray-blue scheme that we perceive to be modern will look really old-fashioned. I predict that in a decade or so, orange, yellow and brown will be modern again.
Of course there will be some glitches when you try to wed state of the art equipment to early 20th century technology.
It really is a good idea to do in service tests, since it will help work some of the bugs out before the entire fleet begins service.
Ditto to everyone on the ass-shaped seats. The Blue Line in Boston actually has deep-well seats that are comfortable and don't allow you to span two seats or spread your legs wide. I don't see why we can't have those here. And as pugsley said, of course they'd have to add a couple of jumbo-sized seats in each car: "Please make this seat available to fatty boom-booms."
The N line is particulary awful in Brooklyn. I imagine thats where most of the bad news comes from. I was standing on the Manhattan bound N platform tonight and suddenly a new Coney Island bound train pulled in. I hadn't heard they were running, so it was quite a shock. Very shiny, a huge contast to the stinking rotting hole that I was standing in.
Do none of you ride the C? It's. The. Worst.
mm.. this is so exciting news :)
SWEET I live in Atoria and the N/W are my trains!!!
As for the person who said put seats in the like orange and yellow bucket seats, WTF are you thinking? Those yellow and Orange bucket seats SUCK as well those trains. Not only are those seats uncomfortable and people take up more than one seat, but those trains are cramped. I HATE THEM WITH A PASSION.
LONG LIVE BENCH SEAT TRAINS, which are more comfortable, can seat more people *comfortably* and are more comfortable for standees. Seating that is perpendicular to the length of the train is just IDIOCY.
DEATH TO THE YELLOW AND ORANGE BUCKET SEAT TRAINS.
jon-
my two main trains are the C and the N. while the C is slow as nuts on weekends, I'll take it over the N/R any day.
Instead of announcers who speak English, MTA buys talking computers. Instead of a few more 5c printed maps, MTA buys fancy electronic displays that will break down.
I'm so glad our fair-hike dollars are being well spent. Who hires these dickheads?
Oh yeah, and we need seats with arm rests (like the have in London and other places) so the fat-asses can't take up all the space. Standing can be exercise too, you know.
I guess in 10 years MTA will buy $10,000 robotic seats with arms that go up and down or something.
orange seats - 1up
bench seats - 0
orange seats can hold different assorted beverages in its little well and it will not run over to the next seat..
a bench seat cannot. the entire bench would be wet.
I can't believe I'm actually seeing people stick up for the yellow & orange bucket seats. Good riddance--I can't believe we had to put up with them for so long. And why do you need a seat to be a beverage holder? Bench seats rule! People of varying ass sizes can sit comfortably next to each other without having to conform to a single seat size.
MY VOTE'S FOR BENCH SEATS! Preferably stainless steel with some sort of finish that makes spotting liquids (water, mucus, urine, semen) easy. If you want comfort, get your precious ass into a black car.
Wait, what times are these new trains running from?