NY MTA Upping Service On L Train To Reduce “Sardine Crush” Of Riders

(New York, NY – WNYC) Several New York City subway lines are at or above capacity. Relief is coming for some riders because of technology.

The chronically overcrowded L train, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn’s fastest growing neighborhoods, is now running 98 more times a week. The NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority just finished installing a new radio-based signal system that allows trains on the line to travel closer together and, as a result, more frequently.

Brooklyn Democratic District Leader Lincoln Restler, who joined elected officials at a press conference outside the Bedford Avenue stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, said it’s about time. “The complaint I receive most frequently about quality of life for Williamsburg residents is L train service,” he said. “It is terrible. We’ve been unable to fit onto trains for too long.”

Ridership on the L train has grown 141 percent since 1998 because of a population boom in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, the chosen enclaves of NYC’s hipster set and more recently, a hub of new condo construction. It’s not unusual for riders during the morning rush to let a packed train pass because there’s no room to board it. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://transportationnation.org/2012/06/11/ny-mta-upping-service-on-l-train-to-reduce-sardine-crush-of-riders/