NEW YORK—Almost 3,000 preventable delays occurred on subway lines in 2011, a report by Straphangers Campaign showed.
The commuter advocacy group reviewed 1,000 MTA email alerts. Alerts are sent out to subscribers when “significant incidents” involving delays of 8 minutes or longer occur, and multiple delays are included in each email.
In total there were more than 4,500 incidents in 2011. The campaign identified close to 3,000 as controllable incidents, meaning the delays were not caused by a sick passenger or police activity, and hence could have been prevented. The main cause of the delays were signal problems.
“We agree with the Straphangers’ assessment that signal issues contribute to delays. That is why signal upgrades remain a top priority and are a crucial part of our capital program,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
The analysis revealed that the G line had the least delays, while the 2 and 5 lines had the highest number of incidents. Manhattan is the most affected borough.
“Some riders will see this as a poor level of performance. Others may grudgingly view this amount of incidents as tolerable. Either way, 2011 will serve as a baseline for future years, showing whether significant incidents have gotten worse, better, or stayed the same,” remarked Cate Contino, coordinator for the Straphangers Campaign, in a press release.
MTA riders can sign up for free email or text alerts for subways, busses, and rail lines.
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