This is officially the hottest subway line in all of New York City, per the MTA
From 2020 through mid-July 2024, the 1 train received 2,934 complaints about broken air conditioning—nearly triple the number of complaints for the next hottest line, the 6 train, which totaled 1,152. In third? The 3 train, with 906 sweaty submissions.
What do these lines have in common? A fleet of aging R62 subway cars from the 1980s—the era of shoulder pads, cassette tapes and apparently, underperforming AC systems. In fact, 108 out of the 285 subway cars removed from service for busted air conditioners during that time were these exact models.
The heat isn't just anecdotal. During a recent heat wave, Gothamist documented 1 train cars pushing 95 degrees. That's hotter than some saunas—and definitely not what you want in a city where 'sitting still' counts as cardio in July.
If you're unlucky enough to stumble into car number 2449, consider yourself warned: It holds the dubious honor of being the single most complained-about subway car in the entire system. Sixty-two riders went out of their way to report this inferno on wheels.
While the MTA insists complaints have dropped 21-percent over the last year and that 'fewer than one in every half-million riders' encounter a hot car, riders aren't exactly buying it. 'You can't get out the hot and come in the hot,' as one fed-up passenger told Gothamist.
There's some relief in sight: The MTA's latest capital plan includes replacing the 1 train's creaky old fleet and overhauling its Bronx maintenance yard. But in the meantime? You might want to pack a fan, a frozen bottle of water—or, better yet, reroute your summer commute.
And if you're headed downtown via Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station on a triple-digit day? Good luck. It's been dubbed the hottest station in the system, clocking 100 degrees underground. Yes, really.
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Time Out
08-07-2025
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This is officially the hottest subway line in all of New York City, per the MTA
When New Yorkers say the subway is a hot mess in the summer, they're not being dramatic. But now, thanks to new data obtained by Gothamist, we know exactly which line turns your daily commute into a mobile sauna: It's the 1 train, and the competition isn't even close. From 2020 through mid-July 2024, the 1 train received 2,934 complaints about broken air conditioning—nearly triple the number of complaints for the next hottest line, the 6 train, which totaled 1,152. In third? The 3 train, with 906 sweaty submissions. What do these lines have in common? A fleet of aging R62 subway cars from the 1980s—the era of shoulder pads, cassette tapes and apparently, underperforming AC systems. In fact, 108 out of the 285 subway cars removed from service for busted air conditioners during that time were these exact models. The heat isn't just anecdotal. During a recent heat wave, Gothamist documented 1 train cars pushing 95 degrees. That's hotter than some saunas—and definitely not what you want in a city where 'sitting still' counts as cardio in July. If you're unlucky enough to stumble into car number 2449, consider yourself warned: It holds the dubious honor of being the single most complained-about subway car in the entire system. Sixty-two riders went out of their way to report this inferno on wheels. While the MTA insists complaints have dropped 21-percent over the last year and that 'fewer than one in every half-million riders' encounter a hot car, riders aren't exactly buying it. 'You can't get out the hot and come in the hot,' as one fed-up passenger told Gothamist. There's some relief in sight: The MTA's latest capital plan includes replacing the 1 train's creaky old fleet and overhauling its Bronx maintenance yard. But in the meantime? You might want to pack a fan, a frozen bottle of water—or, better yet, reroute your summer commute. And if you're headed downtown via Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station on a triple-digit day? Good luck. It's been dubbed the hottest station in the system, clocking 100 degrees underground. Yes, really.
Time Out
30-06-2025
- Time Out
Great news, commuters: the city just spent $2.3 billion on shiny new train cars
If you've ever looked around your LIRR train car and thought, 'This belongs in a museum'—good news. The MTA is finally trading up. Last week, the agency approved a $2.3 billion purchase of 316 brand-new commuter railcars: 160 destined for the Long Island Rail Road, 156 headed to Metro-North. And while the timeline for delivery stretches to 2032, the order marks a major step toward modernizing a fleet that, in some cases, dates back to the Reagan era. That's right: Some of the clunky, steel beasts still trundling through Queens and Nassau County were brought out of retirement just to cover service gaps when Grand Central Madison finally opened in 2023. But relief is on the horizon—albeit a distant one. Dubbed M-9As, the new cars will feature upgrades both practical and posh: USB charging ports, glass windows, accessibility improvements like automatic bathroom doors and a design based on current reliable models. They'll be built by Alstom in upstate New York, bringing hundreds of jobs with them and hopefully shaving off the kinds of delays that have plagued MTA capital projects for decades. 'New Yorkers deserve a fast, reliable and comfortable transit system,' said Governor Kathy Hochul, who announced the approval alongside MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. 'This is how we continue to achieve record on-time performance.' That system has been a long time coming. The Grand Central Madison project, which began back in 1969 as part of a broader dream to unify the city's disparate transit systems, opened almost 50 years behind schedule and ran up a tab of $12.7 billion. Among its many hiccups? Not having enough modern trains to actually use the tunnel once it opened. Now, the MTA is aiming to avoid history repeating itself. Lieber says this new order kicks off a $10.9 billion plan to purchase nearly 2,000 new railcars in total. If all goes to plan, pilot M-9As will roll onto the LIRR tracks in 2030, meaning they'll debut a mere 61 years after the original vision for East Side Access.
Time Out
27-06-2025
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The Verrazano Bridge is getting a $250 million makeover—will it affect your commute?
The MTA just approved a $249 million plan to give the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge its biggest upgrade in decades—and if you're one of the 220,000 drivers who cross it daily, you're probably wondering: How bad is this going to mess with my commute? The good news is probably not much. The multi-year project, greenlit this week, will install a cutting-edge dehumidification system on the bridge's four main suspension cables. It's designed to prevent corrosion, extend the bridge's lifespan by decades and keep traffic moving safely for years to come. 'This is a new system for us,' said Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction and Development. 'It's a widely accepted method of preventing steel cable corrosion around the world.' In short, moisture is the enemy, and this system keeps humidity levels inside the cables below 40-percent, which is the sweet spot for structural health. Similar systems are already in place on the George Washington Bridge and are underway on the RFK, with plans to expand across the MTA's entire suspension bridge portfolio. As for traffic, the MTA says the impact will be minimal. Most work will be done overnight and any weekday lane closures will be limited to off-peak hours—after the morning rush for Brooklyn-bound lanes and before the evening rush heading back to Staten Island. Off-peak lane closures are expected to begin in spring 2026, giving commuters a heads-up well in advance. No full bridge closures are planned. The project has been in the works for over a year, but nearly stalled last summer when Governor Kathy Hochul put New York City's congestion pricing plan on hold. Once the tolling plan got revived last fall, so did the Verrazzano repairs. Originally opened in 1964, the Verrazzano is a vital artery for cars, trucks and more than 30,000 daily bus riders. This upgrade aims to keep it that way, with a little less rust and a lot more resilience.
