As temperatures soared on Monday, the MTA was hard at work trying to keep straphangers cool and the trains running on time.
During a demonstration at the South Ferry 1 train station in Lower Manhattan, agency maintenance workers showed members of the media how they monitor rail car temperatures to keep commuters cool as the mercury rises amid the ongoing heat wave. Monday’s highs soared into the 90s, and Tuesday’s expected high may top 100.
Using a nifty temperature gun, MTA workers recorded how hot or cold the air was inside the train car. If the temperature was 80 degrees or higher, the car is taken out of service so the air conditioning can be fixed.
During the June 23 media visit, the air conditioner was cranked on, and train cars were perfectly chilled within a range between low 70s and low 80s, depending upon how long the train sat with the car doors open, as hot air was blowing in from the platform.
Workers aim for a comfortable 73 degrees inside subway cars, but it can vary a bit before a rail car or train is taken out of service.
“I would say at 80 degrees, we’ll flag that car for being above the average temperature,” Donovan Corke, a level 1 maintenance supervisor at the MTA, explained. “At the end of the day, we’ll send that train to a maintenance facility so they can make the proper repair.”
Corke explained that a rail car should read about 72.5 degrees. If it is too hot and still in service, the train will be taken off the rails once it reaches a terminal.
Reporters asked if taking a train out of service would result in delays in getting New Yorkers and visitors to where they are going.
“We try to avoid that,” Corke said. “The train has 10 cars. If one car is hot, customers can move to another car.”
Workers check train temperatures once extreme weather hits, such as during this week’s heat wave.
Passengers heading uptown on the 1 train said they were cool and comfortable.
“The air is cool in here, it’s nice,” said Carl, who was visiting NYC from Brazil.
But outside the train, the weather gave Brazil a run for its money.
“It is more hot here than in Brazil,” he said. “We live in a city next to the Amazon jungle, and it is not as hot as it is here.”
Meanwhile, in more effort to keep the transit system cool and running, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement that subway cars and buses will be inspected before being placed into service.
City and state officials have been sending out advisories urging New Yorkers to take precautions during the heatwave. New Yorkers can also use the city’s Cool Options Map to find places to stay cool.
More information is available at nyc.gov.
