New-York tribune., 1919-04-16
clark Street Tunnel of the
West Side Subway Cuts
Down the Congestion of
Traffic From Brooklyn
"a Trains to Run Hourly
Rush Hour Headway of Two
and One-Half Minutes
Will Eliminate Overloads

More than $4,000 passengers were
..rried through the Clark street tun-
rsl Yesterday on the first days opera
,;nn of the new line directly connect
inc Brooklyn with the west side of
The rush hour congestion on the
lexington Avenue and Brooklyn sub
rsy was relieved appreciably. Traffic
m the Forty second Street shuttle was
tighter throughout the day. The num-
bsr of over-street transfers issued at
Wall and Rector streets showed fall
;ng off OF almost SO per cent.
From midnight until noon ten-car
trains were operated on a tenminute
hsadway. This headway was reduced
during the evening rush hours and will
tv.four trains an hour are operated.
officials of the Public Service Com
mission and the Interborough Rapid
transit Company asserted last night
that with the exception of a few minor
htches, the new line is working
smoothly and efficiently.
Overloads Are Eliminated
The Public Service Commission an
nounced last night that the overloads
IN subway traffic from Brooklyn to
New York have been virtually elm
mated by the opening of the new tun-
mel Figures gathered during the
morning rush hour by Public Service
Commission investigators were cited
IN support of this statement.
They showed that the West Side
trains out of Brooklyn from 7 to $3.50
a. NJ. carried 22.140 passengers, as
against % 500 seats, or $50 more seats
nl1
sl0 were carried in cars totalling 90
S5O seats. Formerly, it was stated,
the total number of passengers, 64,45o,
were crowded into cars with 26,45O
seats on the East Side line. Assur-
snces were given that the number of
trains on the old line will not be re
duced because of the reduction OF the
number OF passengers.
4 large corps of P. S. c. inspectors
and I. f. 7. platform men were sta
toned at Times Square, Fourteenth
Street and in Brooklyn directing con-
fused passengers. A spacious ele-
vator at the Clark Street, Brooklyn
Heights station, carried passengers to
and from trains, eighty feet below the
surface.
Whitney Talks of System
Acting Chairman Whitney, of the
Public Service Commission, said:
Many persons boarded the first tralr
they reached at Atlantic Avenue. be
cause they have been doing this fol
several years" Mr.. Whitney said. "be
cause OF this they boarded trains or
the east platform at Atlantic Avenue
getting West Side trains instead of the
old East Side trains. These operate
only from the center platform OF th'
old station.
MANY persons used Borough Hal
station to change from the elevated t.
the subway. The most convenient
point of transfer, however, is at Flat
bush Avenue and Nevins Street. Their
was some congestion at the Nevln
Street entrance nearest Flatbush Ave
nue. and Fulton Street, while the south
erly entrance was little used.
"The new subway will be operate
on two and one-half minute headwa
In rush hours, providing twenty-fou
trains an hour. The old subway, a
best. could provide but thirty train
ar hour. There now are fiftyfou
trains, instead of thirty, to and fror
Brooklyn during the rush hours