Some 5.6 million people rely on the subway each day to get around New York City. But what do you really know about something you spend so much time riding? The I-Team’s Pei-Sze Cheng sat down with a group of MTA workers to ask them about the MTA’s dirtiest secrets.
What to Know
- NYCT announced Monday that a train was being taken from service at 14th Street because it was "soiled"
- Commuters took to Twitter to express their curiosity about the soiled train, with many wondering just how bad the situation was
- A number of commuters noted that they had been on very soiled trains before, but had never seen the MTA stop service because of it
The curiosity of New York commuters was piqued Monday by an unusual subway service update -- but the MTA is assuring people they don't want to know the details.
The New York City Transit Subway Twitter account tweeted about 9:30 a.m. that northbound F and M trains were running express from W 4 St to 34 St "while we remove a soiled train from service at 14 St."
The announcement had many New Yorkers wondering what had happened to the train, and just how bad the problem was. "A soiled train. The mind boggles," Robin Wigglesworth tweeted.
New York photographer Matthew Narvin summarized many commuters sentiments, tweeting that he had been on some "really soiled" trains in the last eight years, and was very curious as to how bad it had to get before the MTA pulled a train from service.
NYCT initially gave no other clues as to the nature of the soiled train. It tweeted that trains were running normally on the F and M lines again within 10 minutes. But commuters were still left wondering, and just before 1 p.m., MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein issued a statement on the matter.
Local
Richard Richards, operator: Honestly, as an operator, I have to tell them something. In an attempt to keep the customers calm you tell them we have traffic ahead, we have delays ahead, but in honesty we don't always know 'cause they are not telling us and radio communications can be choppy.
nJoe Costales, conductor: The system is antiquated, the relay for the radio systems are not kept up, they are not repaired, they are not constantly checked so there are black-out areas.
nCrystal Young, conductor: We may talk to them over the radio and they can hear us but we can't hear what they are saying. Sometimes when we are on a train it's not that we don't want to let the customers know what's going on, we don't have the communications to let them know what's going on.
Costales: All the time.
nRichards: They had hot-plates they had TVs, they literally lived back there.
nCostales: You see them coming out. A lot of times people who get hit by trains, are the ones living in the subway.
nBrandon Patterson, conductor: Sometimes when we go to set up tracks we go down there and they get mad because they think we are invading their home space.
Richards: I've seen people actually having sex on the train.
nCostales: Masturbating, having sex.
nRichards: And they've got a bed set up, they tap into the third rail and they are watching TV.
nYoung: One time someone brought a goat on the train. They bought it at a live mart.
Tramell Thompson, conductor: The E train has been dubbed 'The Homeless Express', it's one of those lines that doesn't go outside. So from terminal to terminal it's underground. It's pretty warm. You have new, nicer trains over there, it's clean over there. And you know the homeless, you go on there at midnight, you'll see five or six homeless people in each car. But the homeless isn't really the issue with us, it's mainly the drunks.
Richards: In the middle of the car. You don't want to sit in the corners [because that's where people throw up and urinate]. Also by the doors, you'll be on your phone and as soon as the doors get ready to close, they snatch it and they're off.
Conductors: A safe place to ride on a subway train would be in the middle of the train in the conductor's car or in the very first car where the train operator's going to be. That way at least you're closest to a crew member to help if they have to.
Conductors: Absolutely.
nYoung: At the end of the line they have a sign that shows on-time job performance, where they literally track to see how many people were injured while in performance of their duty so that's what they are concerned about. It's easier for a passenger to make a complaint versus us making a complaint because they just want to keep that train moving.
nPatterson: The MTA's logo is 'Every second counts,' so every second counts to them.
nYoung: Some superintendents, if someone has to take a comfort they want you to write a [note]. So you have to, as an adult, write down on a piece of paper that you had to use the bathroom. God forbid if you use the bathroom too often, then they will try to write you up.
Tramell Thompson, train conductor: Anything, EDPs (emotionally disturbed person), anything. Could be a disturbance on the train, fights.n
Eric Loegel, train operator: Unattended package, suspicious package..."customer injury" as they say. A customer injury is generally someone who has been struck by a train. And we internally refer to that as a 12-9.
Patterson: No, I try not to. I tell [my kids] not to touch anything, I carry hand sanitizer.
nRichards: I don't touch the poles or I sit in the middle...I'm a big guy, I brace myself.
nCostales: We transport millions of people, it's hard to keep it that clean.
Patterson: Standing behind the yellow line, the [public] leans over looking for the train, they could slip, and that's what causes 12-9s and delays
nRichards: I've seen people fall on the tracks 'cause they hear the announcement and they think the train is on their track and they start straight walking because they are online...we get conditioned, oh the train is here, they start walking and they fall.
“Suffice it to say when we say something like that, it's generally unpleasant. We are big believers in descriptive, transparent announcements, but some things are best left unsaid in our opinion," he said. NYCT spokeswoman Sarah Meyer added that the car needed a thorough cleaning, which it will get.
That may do nothing to stoke the curiosity of some Twitter users, however, who were graphic in their descriptions of previous train "soilings."
"I've been on subway cars with actual fecal matter on one of the seats. I've been on subway cars with pools of vomit across the floor. I cannot imagine how 'soiled' this train has to be to be taken out of commission," Alex Ullman tweeted. "Be afraid. Be very afraid."
“[he came back and] he said, “All right, take off...there's another cab who is asking me for cash...can you lose him?” I'm like, “Are you serious?”
“So I'm driving and trying to avoid this man...I pulled into a dark spot and turned off my light and got these kids to a really fancy home in Suffolk County.”
Athanasios Tsakalos, driving Uber for one-and-a-half years : “He wanted to smoke in myncar. It was a late evening, and he was pretty drunk. I told him that he cannot,nand just to get back at me he lit a cigarette and as he ran out of thenvehicle, he burned a couple holes in my seats. Which was very wrong of him andnunfair. But that’s what happens when you’re involved in this industry.”
Manny Ramirez*, driving Uber, Juno, Lyft for 3 years : “I had two young ladies and it was late, liken1 o'clock on a Saturday. They threw up in the car. I didn’t notice, they didn’tnsay anything, they got out the car. They had tried to throw up outside of thencar but it went both inside and out and it hit the door handle. I picknup the next passenger, and [the man] grabbed it, opening it for his girlfriendnand had a handful of somebody else’s vomit. I usuallynalways keep a bag also...you got to.”
Rana: “Sometimes I pull up to the customer and they are literally lying down on the sidewalk with their friends. If you need to throw up tell us so we can stop the car so you can throw up.”
*name changed
Tsalakos: “I was driving in Astoria, Queens,nand I picked up this lady that was in labor. [She was] with herntwo-year-old daughter and she was telling me how to drive her to the hospitalnas quickly as possible because she’s due...I was pretty much thinking tonmyself, “Why didn’t she call an ambulance?.” But of course she didn’t expect itnto come out as quickly so I’m going fast, driving, passing lights.
“I get on the BQE, and of course the BQE isncompletely horrendous when it comes to traffic. So she told me her water broke,nI pull over to the side, right away called 911. They’re going over on the phonenwith me -- you know in case the baby does come out -- what to do, thenprocedure, if I have any sharp objects in my car, any scissors or knife in casenI have to cut the umbilical cord. But as I told them, I’m just a driver, Indon’t carry any of these types of weapons in my car. I’m not trying to killnanyone.
“I put the two-year-old daughter in my frontnseat and everything just started happening so fast. Turns out the baby was alsonbreech, so it made the situation more dangerous…the baby was coming out I cannsee the legs, I can see the hands, the stomach, I was just holding it andnpraying somebody would come to my rescue…it was really crazy. A highway patrolnofficer luckily came by and he had some experience.”
Sohail Rana, driving Uber and Lyft for 4 years :n“People have sexual incidents in the car while you're driving. One time I feltnlike they just had a date in the car, like, there is no hotel, why would I paynfor that? Sometimes you just have to stop and look and ask, “You guys okay?”nIt's not allowed in the car.
Sometimes when [passengers] are drunk at nightntime they want to hug you and kiss you and you have to let them know they can'tndo that.”
Tsakalos : “The thing which pisses me off thenmost is that even though you please the customer as much as you can, you donwhat you can to make their ride as happy as it can be, the fact that there’s nontipping…”
“You would do so much to please the customer,nyou let them play their music, you give them a phone charger, you carry outntheir luggage -- and they don’t tip. That’s very wrong and I speak for prettynmuch all the drivers in NYC, this is a service… and 99% will not tip.
Rana : “I always check my car, and couple ridesnthere is white powder in the back, and once I found a little packet with whitenpowder. Please don't leave the stuff in my car because I can be stopped andnquestioned. I know it's not their intention to leave a packet, I don't know hownmuch it costs [laughs].
“Couple times I had people dealing drugs,nmaking deliveries in the city.”
Tsakalos : “Drivers work like dogs. [The rideshare companies] really found a way to take control of everything….you’re tired, you don’t eat right you don’t sleep right....I waste two to three hoursna day looking for parking.I [pee in the street], honestly, I’m not going to lie.
Ramirez:“If I sleep in the car I could make $250 anday….what I do is I go through the airport and I put my chair back and I take annap.”
Dottin : [The worst thing a passenger has done was they] left a dirty diaper. Not just in the back, but under my seat so I wouldn’t see it. I was like, “What’s that smell?” (sniff, sniff).
Johann Nijman, driving car service, Uber, Lyft, Juno since 1992: “I’m on the corner of Park Slope and SouthnStreet, and I stop at a light, [the passenger] said “Sir, you could make anright” I said “No ma’am you can’t,” ...she said, “No you could do it.” I saidn“Ma’am you can't, please Google it.”
“Next thing I know, I tried to go to work, butnUber is sending me a note saying, ”Hey, listen, somebody said something aboutnyou, we have to investigate it, so you won't be able to work, you’ll hear fromnus in 48 hours.
“Two days after, they say “Ok you can drive.” Insay, “Wait a minute, so if I am a partner, you gonna take my livelihoodnwhenever you feel like because a customer say something, without hearing fromnme?” And the next thing they send me $100, but I lost you know...if I sleep innthe car I could make $250 a day.”
This is the second time in two days the NYCT has announced changes due to a "soiled car" needing to be removed from service. On Sunday, NYCT Subway cited this as the reason for delays on the F line.
On October 29, NYCT reported that a "soiled train" had to be taken out of service at 125th Street. When probed by commuters, a representative spilled some of the details.
"Yes, there was a soiled car (someone couldn't hold it in) and we had to clear that train," they said.
