When it comes to excellent public transport, New York stands out, particularly with its metro subway, and underground railway. The NYC subway does run above ground sometimes but it is firmly referred to as the subway.
Citizens of New York believe that the subway rail service is one of the most used and valued in the world, offering an affordable transport service and making sure that the subway system keeps New York a top-rated city.
Public transport is so important in the lives of locals and visitors, simply because it makes life easier for everyone. People rely on q train status reports to make sure the subway rail services are running as they should.
Check out subway rail services with an app
In fact, there is a cool app that puts information about the subway – delays and other issues – right at the tips of your fingers. There are many other apps that have been launched that promise to assist commuters to make their lives easier.
When the subway isn’t working, it literally paralyzes the city. The subway system operates 24/7, 365 days of the year. If you have a disability or you are a senior citizen, you can apply for a Reduced-Fare MetroCard.
Commuters will find that the subway rail services in NY are convenient. You’ll find subway station entrances in different forms with their own staircases and which are easy to recognize. Some entrances are even found inside buildings, and a good idea is to always look carefully for those plain green- or green-and-white lamps at subway entrances. Locals always make use of maps on their cell phones to find the closest subway station.
Some facts on subway rail services –
- Subway stations have different layouts, differing in size and amenities.
- The subway is huge with some 472 stations throughout the various boroughs.
- The turnstiles are where you swipe either your MetroCard or OMNY-compatible credit card. The turnstile is then unlocked.
- If you’re a visitor to the city, to buy a subway ticket you will need to either pay with cash or a credit card. Take note though that the machines aren’t going to dispense more than about $6 or $7 in change so you more or less need to have the right amount of cash on you. It just won’t work if you want to buy a $10 card and you put in a $20 note.
- Once you pass through the turnstile, you can ride the system as long as you like. You don’t pay more. If you exit a turnstile, you will have to pay again to enter. However, if you do swipe your card within 2 hours of the first time you swiped it, there won’t be another fare to pay.
- Know the train you want to take and its direction.
- Trains run on set schedules every 5 minutes or so in rush hour and every 10 to 20 minutes at night. Most of the stations come with displays that tell you when the next train is due.
- Once the train car’s doors open, the conductor announces where the train is headed.
- Once on the train, there are route maps that indicate the stations along the way and the train service you’re on.
- When you leave the train subway car, you can follow the signs to transfer to another service. You can also follow the red exit signs to leave the subway system. You will once again go through the turnstiles to exit, but this time you don’t swipe any cards.
- In the evenings, trains run less frequently. Check out the travel advisory on the MTA website for how the services change over weekends and at night. However, as you enter stations and on subway platforms, there are electronic displays of service changes.
- The MTA or Metropolitan Transportation Authority oversees the mass-transit systems within the entire state.
- You can take your luggage on the train. Pets in fully enclosed carriers can also travel on the train.
The subway system is an integral part of New York City, whisking people quickly and safely beyond Manhattan and Brooklyn. It eliminates the congestion, frustrations, and lateness they’d experience using their own private vehicles.
