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| Inside the Newly Spotless Subway: ‘I’ve Never Seen It Like This’ | Inside the Newly Spotless Subway: ‘I’ve Never Seen It Like This’ |
| (7 days later) | |
| In Grand Central Terminal, the nexus of commuter rails and subway lines linking Midtown Manhattan to the far reaches of New York City and its suburbs, the usual blur of fast-paced commuters vanished. | In Grand Central Terminal, the nexus of commuter rails and subway lines linking Midtown Manhattan to the far reaches of New York City and its suburbs, the usual blur of fast-paced commuters vanished. |
| Subway cars lurched through a system eerily devoid of stray plastic bags, unidentifiable liquids and, notably, people. In stations, the loop of prerecorded announcements that seep into New York’s collective subconscious (“Stand clear of the closing doors, please”) offered a new message to riders: “Please, do your part to reduce crowding.” | Subway cars lurched through a system eerily devoid of stray plastic bags, unidentifiable liquids and, notably, people. In stations, the loop of prerecorded announcements that seep into New York’s collective subconscious (“Stand clear of the closing doors, please”) offered a new message to riders: “Please, do your part to reduce crowding.” |
| As the coronavirus pandemic ground New York to a halt, it crippled the subway, the city’s life blood, draining it of over 90 percent of its usual ridership. Now, as the city slowly starts to reopen, the subway’s ability to regain the confidence of riders will play a crucial role in New York’s recovery. | As the coronavirus pandemic ground New York to a halt, it crippled the subway, the city’s life blood, draining it of over 90 percent of its usual ridership. Now, as the city slowly starts to reopen, the subway’s ability to regain the confidence of riders will play a crucial role in New York’s recovery. |
| For now, transit officials are uncertain what the coming months and years will look like for mass transportation and whether all 5.5 million weekday riders will ever return. But in the interim, the whiplash has transformed the subway from an emblem of the city’s overcrowding to a vivid reminder of the lasting aftershock of the pandemic. | For now, transit officials are uncertain what the coming months and years will look like for mass transportation and whether all 5.5 million weekday riders will ever return. But in the interim, the whiplash has transformed the subway from an emblem of the city’s overcrowding to a vivid reminder of the lasting aftershock of the pandemic. |
| “All my life, I’ve never seen it like this,” Melody Johnson, a nurse who lives in Brooklyn, said while riding an uptown No. 2 train one recent morning. “Look around — we’re empty.” | “All my life, I’ve never seen it like this,” Melody Johnson, a nurse who lives in Brooklyn, said while riding an uptown No. 2 train one recent morning. “Look around — we’re empty.” |
| In the seemingly long-ago days before the pandemic, phalanxes of riders lined the platforms during rush hour, waiting to push and squeeze into every arriving train. Elbows pressed into strangers’ torsos, heads squeezed under armpits, and train cars — with the apparent magic of Mary Poppins’ bag — absorbed infinitely more passengers at every station. | In the seemingly long-ago days before the pandemic, phalanxes of riders lined the platforms during rush hour, waiting to push and squeeze into every arriving train. Elbows pressed into strangers’ torsos, heads squeezed under armpits, and train cars — with the apparent magic of Mary Poppins’ bag — absorbed infinitely more passengers at every station. |
| But today, only a smattering of riders are scattered across station platforms. Even during peak hours, people sometimes sit in train cars with less than a dozen other riders. In the weeks before the city reopened, only one or two riders on entire 10-car trains exited onto the platform at some stations at peak hours. | But today, only a smattering of riders are scattered across station platforms. Even during peak hours, people sometimes sit in train cars with less than a dozen other riders. In the weeks before the city reopened, only one or two riders on entire 10-car trains exited onto the platform at some stations at peak hours. |
| One recent morning at the Winthrop Street Station in Brooklyn, a nurse who lives in Volga, S.D. — population less than 2,000 — but who had come to New York to help with the coronavirus pandemic uttered words once inconceivable to native New Yorkers: “Taking the subway is the easiest part of my day,” the nurse, Judy Bergeland, said. | One recent morning at the Winthrop Street Station in Brooklyn, a nurse who lives in Volga, S.D. — population less than 2,000 — but who had come to New York to help with the coronavirus pandemic uttered words once inconceivable to native New Yorkers: “Taking the subway is the easiest part of my day,” the nurse, Judy Bergeland, said. |
| That same morning, the Times Square station in the heart of Manhattan was nearly empty at 9:30 a.m. It is the busiest station in the system, which typically bustles with commuters crisscrossing among 11 lines on any given weekday. The scenes depicted in colorful mosaics on the walls — a crowd watching a camera crew filming on the subway, construction workers digging outside the entrance of a station — appeared in their entirety, oddly unobstructed by passers-by. | That same morning, the Times Square station in the heart of Manhattan was nearly empty at 9:30 a.m. It is the busiest station in the system, which typically bustles with commuters crisscrossing among 11 lines on any given weekday. The scenes depicted in colorful mosaics on the walls — a crowd watching a camera crew filming on the subway, construction workers digging outside the entrance of a station — appeared in their entirety, oddly unobstructed by passers-by. |
| Even as the system felt spookily empty, across train cars and stations the age-old rituals of riding New York’s subway were still very much alive. | Even as the system felt spookily empty, across train cars and stations the age-old rituals of riding New York’s subway were still very much alive. |
| During rush hour at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station in Brooklyn, people passing through the turnstiles still sprinted to the tracks when they heard the familiar words: “There is a Manhattan-bound 2 train approaching the station.” | During rush hour at the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station in Brooklyn, people passing through the turnstiles still sprinted to the tracks when they heard the familiar words: “There is a Manhattan-bound 2 train approaching the station.” |
| Another rider shouted into her dangling earphones — “I’m getting on the train. I’ll call you later!” — as she leapt onto a train, its metal doors starting to close. | Another rider shouted into her dangling earphones — “I’m getting on the train. I’ll call you later!” — as she leapt onto a train, its metal doors starting to close. |
| The static-filled sound of a conductor’s voice announcing a delay (“Ladies and gentlemen, we have train traffic ahead of us. We should be moving shortly.”) earned a collective — if quieter than usual — sigh. | The static-filled sound of a conductor’s voice announcing a delay (“Ladies and gentlemen, we have train traffic ahead of us. We should be moving shortly.”) earned a collective — if quieter than usual — sigh. |
| But inside the subway cars, the system’s new, daily disinfectant regimen combined with the dearth of riders has made the cars almost unrecognizable to New Yorkers all too familiar with trains that once felt like petri dishes for the city’s grime. | But inside the subway cars, the system’s new, daily disinfectant regimen combined with the dearth of riders has made the cars almost unrecognizable to New Yorkers all too familiar with trains that once felt like petri dishes for the city’s grime. |
| No trash or spilled drinks carpeted the floors. The metal walls were perfectly shined. Some train cars even smelled like lemons. | No trash or spilled drinks carpeted the floors. The metal walls were perfectly shined. Some train cars even smelled like lemons. |
| “It’s so, so, so much cleaner,” said Jacqueline Mckoy, a home health aide, as she waited at the Winthrop Station in Brooklyn for a train to take her to work in the Bronx. “I wish they were doing this years ago,” she added. | “It’s so, so, so much cleaner,” said Jacqueline Mckoy, a home health aide, as she waited at the Winthrop Station in Brooklyn for a train to take her to work in the Bronx. “I wish they were doing this years ago,” she added. |
| Nearby, Albert Maury, 49, stood at the edge of the platform waiting to travel to Manhattan where he works in a post office. Over the last two months, he has been amazed, and relieved, by how empty the subway has been. | Nearby, Albert Maury, 49, stood at the edge of the platform waiting to travel to Manhattan where he works in a post office. Over the last two months, he has been amazed, and relieved, by how empty the subway has been. |
| But now, as businesses begin to reopen, he worries that the brief respite from sardine-like subway cars and shoulder-to-shoulder platforms will come to an end, triggering increased anxiety about public health concerns. | But now, as businesses begin to reopen, he worries that the brief respite from sardine-like subway cars and shoulder-to-shoulder platforms will come to an end, triggering increased anxiety about public health concerns. |
| “I think it’s going to be more crowded. It’s going to get much, much worse,” Mr. Maury said. “I guess everyone’s just going to have to try their best to protect themselves when they’re on the train.” | “I think it’s going to be more crowded. It’s going to get much, much worse,” Mr. Maury said. “I guess everyone’s just going to have to try their best to protect themselves when they’re on the train.” |
| Across the system, ridership has slowly begun to pick up in recent weeks. After hitting a low of 7 percent of the usual passenger load in April, ridership levels have crept up to around 15 percent in recent weeks. On Monday, as the city reopened for Phase 1, around 113,000 more riders rode the subway compared to the same day the previous week, according to transit officials. | Across the system, ridership has slowly begun to pick up in recent weeks. After hitting a low of 7 percent of the usual passenger load in April, ridership levels have crept up to around 15 percent in recent weeks. On Monday, as the city reopened for Phase 1, around 113,000 more riders rode the subway compared to the same day the previous week, according to transit officials. |
| At the 149 Street-Grand Concourse station in the Bronx, a transit worker said in the week before the city officially reopened that she had already noticed more people filling platforms and trains. | At the 149 Street-Grand Concourse station in the Bronx, a transit worker said in the week before the city officially reopened that she had already noticed more people filling platforms and trains. |
| Updated August 4, 2020 | |
| “I see some people not wearing masks. They take off the mask when they talk on the phone or ask me questions,” said the worker, who declined to give her name because she was not authorized to speak to the news media. “How are we going to enforce these new safety rules when people come back? There’s no way.” | “I see some people not wearing masks. They take off the mask when they talk on the phone or ask me questions,” said the worker, who declined to give her name because she was not authorized to speak to the news media. “How are we going to enforce these new safety rules when people come back? There’s no way.” |
| As the city reopens, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway, has outlined a number of safeguards to protect public health while ensuring commuters can still rely on the system: Subway service is being increased to reduce congestion, transit workers are patrolling stations to report overcrowding, additional police are deployed to enforce mask usage and floor markings have been added to encourage social distancing. | As the city reopens, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the subway, has outlined a number of safeguards to protect public health while ensuring commuters can still rely on the system: Subway service is being increased to reduce congestion, transit workers are patrolling stations to report overcrowding, additional police are deployed to enforce mask usage and floor markings have been added to encourage social distancing. |
| The subway will remain closed between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to allow for deep cleanings. | The subway will remain closed between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to allow for deep cleanings. |
| Still, many riders remain concerned about subway cars and platforms returning to their normally packed conditions while the coronavirus remains a threat. | Still, many riders remain concerned about subway cars and platforms returning to their normally packed conditions while the coronavirus remains a threat. |
| At the 125 Street Station in East Harlem, Rosa Diaz, 35, waited to board a No. 4 train to Lower Manhattan where she works as a paralegal. In April, she often shared subway cars with half a dozen or so people, she said. But in recent days some of her trains were crowded enough that nearly every seat was taken and one or two other riders were standing up. | At the 125 Street Station in East Harlem, Rosa Diaz, 35, waited to board a No. 4 train to Lower Manhattan where she works as a paralegal. In April, she often shared subway cars with half a dozen or so people, she said. But in recent days some of her trains were crowded enough that nearly every seat was taken and one or two other riders were standing up. |
| “People on the train are careless,’’ Ms. Diaz said. “People don’t actually care if they get too close to each other.’’ | “People on the train are careless,’’ Ms. Diaz said. “People don’t actually care if they get too close to each other.’’ |
| “Some aren’t even wearing P.P.E. at all,” she added, referring to personal protective equipment like masks. “I’ve seen dance crews on these trains still — with no masks!” | “Some aren’t even wearing P.P.E. at all,” she added, referring to personal protective equipment like masks. “I’ve seen dance crews on these trains still — with no masks!” |
| But for others, the thought of New York returning to a semblance of the way it used to be — even if that includes bustling train stations — is a welcome relief after months of unsettling uncertainty. | But for others, the thought of New York returning to a semblance of the way it used to be — even if that includes bustling train stations — is a welcome relief after months of unsettling uncertainty. |
| At Grand Central Terminal, David Herring, an M.T.A. customer service representative who has worked in the terminal for 20 years, has been encouraged by the slight uptick of people going in and out of commuter trains over the last two weeks. | At Grand Central Terminal, David Herring, an M.T.A. customer service representative who has worked in the terminal for 20 years, has been encouraged by the slight uptick of people going in and out of commuter trains over the last two weeks. |
| Sitting beneath the station’s iconic clock in the grand concourse, Mr. Herring looked out longingly as a few dozen people took photos of the majestic space with their phones while they waited to board trains. | Sitting beneath the station’s iconic clock in the grand concourse, Mr. Herring looked out longingly as a few dozen people took photos of the majestic space with their phones while they waited to board trains. |
| “Other than the days after 9/11, I’ve never seen it like this before,” Mr. Herring said. “But I like my job. I like answering people’s questions. I’m ready to get back to work.” | “Other than the days after 9/11, I’ve never seen it like this before,” Mr. Herring said. “But I like my job. I like answering people’s questions. I’m ready to get back to work.” |