The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-22
ABUSES OF SUBWAY SERVICE
LTTY CLUB SHOWS EN- UP TO PUB-
lie SERVICE BOARD.

A Greater Proportion Of Passengers Gets
seats an Bridge Cars-More Trains
Gould Be Run a with side Doors
Remedy --OyercrOwdlnw on All lanes.
The City Club sent yesterday to the Public
Service Commission a memorandum criti-
cising severely the manner in which the
Street 'ailroad busint M Of the greater city
is carried on by the Observation-Disclosures
politan and the Is. II. r., and suggesting
drastic remedies for many alleged abuses
in the service. In the letter accompanying
the memorandum il is said that the City
Club has observed closely transit condi-
lions and flse crccavored to secure their
Improvement. In this work il has had the
benefit Of expert assistance and the facts
presented to the commission in regard to
present operations nave been collected in
the main within the last three months by
trained assistants and illustrate conditions
now existing.
The severest criticism in the memoran-
dunn il directed at the subway system, and
among other charges against the mani ge-
ment il that il is deliberately violating in
MANY WAYS the contract which the Inter
borough company made with the Rapid
Transit Commission for the operation and
equipment of the road.
The City Club charges that the subway
cars are more seriously overcrowded than
any others in the city and that even the
Brooklyn Bridge. with its frightful crush.
furnished So per cent Of its passengers with
seats between $50 and $50 7. NJ, whereas
the subway gave seats TO but ~ per cent.
Of its patrons in the "a me hours. according
to The observations on the days indicated.
A number Of dia gra ms ire given TO Illustrate
the condition Of crowding as IL exists to-day
in express trains. the black marks repre-
senting the number Of persons sta nding in
excess Of the total capacity Of the trains,
According to diagram No. >, which shows
the conditions of the evening rush hour
trains on the express tracks, only eleven
trains were run between the hours of 5 and
$50 p. NJ, carrying an excess Of sen pas
sengers over the seating ca pacity, From
8 to $50 p. NJ. also but eleven trains
were run and the standing passengers
res ohed the aggregate Of 6.654. while but
s,578 had seats. In the morning hours. as
shown by diagram No. 3, between the hours
Of 2 80 and 0 O'Clock the standing passengers
we're $500, while but 1924 were seated.
The great disparity in the matter Of fur
nishing seats between the subway and the
bridge is no doubt due. the report says. to
the fact that trains on the bridge are run
under a Roadway of one minute. or sixty
ira ins an hour, whereas the subway in the
rush hours had but TWENTY-FIVE trains an
hour. Even the larger express trains in
the subway furnish but 178 cars an hour.
while 800 an hour leave the bridge ermin8
The company, says the memorandum, has
twenty-eight and a half trains an hour
scheduled, but does not seem to be able To
run them. Continuing, the memorandum
says:
The capacity Of the tracks cannot be the
excuse on the part OF the company for not
furnishing seats on Sunday. by referring
10 Diagram ~. IL will be noted that bet ween
the hours Of 10 and II 4. NJ but thirteen
trains were run. and all but three of these
trains carried more passengers than could
he seated. Between the hours OF ? and ,
p. VI. nineteen trains we're run. but even
With the increased number Of trains and an
additional car on each train only three Of the
trains furnished Sufficient seats. What pos
sible excuse can the company ofer for such
, a condition.
Even the local trains that are not supposed
"a he In great demand are badly O~vetCrOwded.
rs will be seen by referring to Diagram ~.
But twenty-siX trains were run In one hour
where nj least thirty should have been run.
II more trains cannot be run then the plat
forms Of the local stations might well he
Enlightened SO IA 10 accommodate eight ear
trains. their present limit being Ave cars.
The existing schedule. says the com
inunication. in spite OF the promise Of
thirty express trains each way every hour
in rush periods before the road was opened
appears to provide in the heaviest hours OF
traffic twenty-eight and a half express
trains an hour and twenty-seven locals
an hour The number Of trains actually
rtnntnn hnuuayaR haa taAn fnnYH 40 .p,.a
much less than the schedule. as low one
day as nineteen ex press trains and ( venty-
NO locals in an hour. while on April q.
1907. only eight express trains were run in
a half hour. The largest number actually
observed wa twenty-seven express trains
in an hour,
The signal system cant be blamed. the
memorandum saws. as on the express
tracks IL would allow trains to follow each
other at full speed a minute and a half
apart or less. or forty trains an hour. The
local tracks have fewer signals than the
express tracks. but the Roadway il about
"a limited owing to excessive station stops.
so that the number Of local trains is less
than half thar originally intended The
communication goes on 10 say;
The limiting feature is the long stop AZ sta
lions. especially az the Grand Central. due
To the length of time required 10 get passen-
gers on and IN trains with The present type
q car. " does not appear possible 10 run
many more trains AZ rush hours than at
present unless something IL done TO make
the station stops shorter.
Altering the present cars or providing new
gar bodies for use with the present truck
Rnd electrical equipment. which will allow
quicker loading and unloading. would allow
more trains 10 he run. , change in car seats
and starting signals would help somewhat
md should be tried al once. but for final and
satisfactory relief more radical changes seem
unavoidable.
The memorandum goes on TO show that
The operating contract calls for cars 40 con
structed "as 10 facilitate 10 the utmost
\ quick discharg and loading of passen-
gers" and says that the PETERBOROUGH has
not lived up 10 this provision. IL advocates
compelling the road 10 adopt some type
NJ car such AZ the Illinois Central Rail
road. which has the heaviest suburban
traffic in the country. operates. These
cars have 100 seats and twelve doors on each
aide, and according TO the report they work
with inVariable success.
Tho difficulties Of curved station plat
forms could be obviated by projecting the
car body over the platform. az il is done