If Bostonians can handle the seatless subway, it should be no big deal for battle-tested straphangers of New York City.
Beantown straphangers got their first taste of riding the rails with nowhere to park their tails, and gave it pretty high marks yesterday, which is a good thing because it's coming to the Big Apple next, according to the Daily News.
"I haven't gotten a seat in the last three months, so it makes no difference to me," Richard Sullivan, commuting on Boston's Red Line told the News. "Besides, people who need seats can always get on a different car...There's much more space now."
Boston stripped out most of the seats on two cars of a train to see if they fit more riders on board and ease overcrowding. New Yorkers will get the experience themselves soon enough as the MTA prepares to roll out a pilot program next year that would feature four seatless cars on a 10-car train during rush hour, the News reported.
"It's the fastest way to increase capacity on lines that right now are extremely crowded," NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton told the News.
The MTA will test not only riders' reaction but the seatless cars impact on platform crowding, scheduling and loading times, according to the News. Boston authorities estimated they can fit ten percent more riders on the seatless train, which they've dubbed "Big Red." New York officials hope a similar retrofit will allow them to cram an additional 18 percent more riders on the train.
One concern, as some Boston straphangers told the News, is how the seatless experience will be for the elderly and disabled.
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"It's all right for me, but there are a lot of people who have to sit," said Christy Vette-Santana.
