New York Subway?

Question

My friend recently visited New York, and I have a few questions about the subway.

1) is it like dangerous to use the subway in terms of crime etc? my friend says it isn't but there are misconceptions sometimes.
2) do all teh different types of train run on all lines, or is it a specific line for each train, like London (e.g. the northern line will only have one type of train on it, and not like trains used on other lines)?
3)is there any control of trains on the subway? My friend said how there have been many accidents on the subway over the years, and he proved it to me by googling it. he found http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/currentfleet.html which shows all the different types of trains on the subway, and when you click on each type of train you will see a few accidents. look at it and you will get what I mean. Is there like no prevention thing, like signalling things that would stop the train, i have no idea what they would be called, because there seem to be a lot of collisions

Answer 1

1) Crime used to be common on the subways, but it's pretty safe these days.

2) Trains are specific for specific subway lines. This is because there are subtle differences among the various lines as to tunnel height, side clearances, etc. But unless you are a subway groupie, it's all much of a muchness. Mostly silver cars and plastic seats. The three lines..IRT, BMT and IND, have little geographic meaning, anyway. They were built as competing lines by private companies a century ago.

3) Every form of transportation has risk: planes crash, cars crash, and subways crash. There was a time where deteriorating conditions meant the trains ran a a fraction of their design speed, and derailments became a problem. But subway maintenance has consistently improved since it's nadir in the early 80's. Today, the track is in good shape, the cars are maintained, and the platforms are clean, if not sanitary . Accidents are very, very rare. I woudn't give it a second thought.

Answer 2

The subway has been the safest probably in its entire history now. In fact, its probably safer to take the subway late at night than walk the streets. I dont know the safety record of the Tube but feel the safety is just the same. The only difference between the Tube and the NYC subway is that our subway runs 24-hours a day.
Yes, each line (which are labelled by a letter or number) have different ends. I.e. The "7" train goes to Flushing. If you arent leaving the island of manhattan you just have to know the difference between an express train and a local train. Express trains skip a few stops and local trains go to every stop. (For example, the Q and N trains are express during the day, while the R and W are local).
It has been at least 4 or 5 years that I can remember when there was a major subway accident. That occurred on the Manhattan Bridge. The only bad experience you most likely will have on the NYC subway system is confusion and pan handlers. But NYers are always happy to help you with directions (NYers take pride in knowing their way around). So dont be afraid to ask.

Answer 3

Let's break it down:

1) It is generally NOT dangerous to use the subway. However, crime DOES happen so you just have to be alert and aware when you ride the train.

2) Different makes of trains run on differing lines. The IRT trains (numbered ones) have two sets of trains...one that dates back to 1984, the other are brand new and still being added. The new trains replace the "redbirds" that were on the lines from the late 1950's. On the IND and BMT lines (lettered) there are some trains that date back to the early 1960's (you can see some on the "A" or "B" line) as well as newer trains (on the "L").

3) Motormen do control the trains and follow the red/green/yellow signals along the track. Most accidents are based on track fires but you do have a couple of collisions based on motormen driving the train too fast on certain danger curves (one such accident happened near the 14th Street Station (4,5,6) a couple of years back killing some people) or faulty signals (the signal system is pretty antiquated). There are red tugs (near the conductor booth) on each train that you can pull on the emergency break as well.

Answer 4

Thanks for posting it. It just shows what the correct human nature should be. One cannot just sit and watch another person suffering an aggression. In fact, there are sayings of Prophet Muhammad about these situation, meaning: A person cannot turn a blind eye to injustice otherwise he/she would be a partner in the crime. I came across the same story in a US newspaper that didn't even mention the Muslim student. Only that 4 Jewish people were attacked. I would call that biased covering as well. It's worth noting that across the centuries, Jews had found refuge in Muslim countries in the face of aggression. For example, during the Spanish Inquisition, many Jews fled to Muslim countries. Even recently, during the World War II, Muslim Albanians covered the Jews who were fleeing from the Nazi oppression. Peace/salaam.

Answer 5

at night beware,
day no problems.