I'm a little early this morning so instead of catching the A-train and riding like a sardine down to 59th Street, I decided to hop on the C train going downtown -- ok. I could get some reading done, enjoy the ride, and be to school on time.
With not so much a problem -- although it wasn't the speediest ride ever -- we reach 59th Street and when I glance at the, I'm ok. The ride continues.
Cut to West 4th. I look at the cell and see that I've got 10 minutes. It's 9:49. I'm ok for the 10 am class, right? I put away the paper and search for my ID to save time once I'm off and breathe a sigh of relief.
Too soon. The C train stops at Spring Street and I expect that the doors will close just as quickly as they have up to this point Nothing happens. We wait. Nothing. Several more people get on the train. We wait. An A express roars past as we sit -- no announcement, no indication of problems. Suddenly we hear a 'toot toot toot' the sound of our train's horn. Still we don't move and we wait.
About 5 minutes later we then hear the gears in the undergirth of the train grinding to a slow start and the doors close. Ok. We're still going to make it. We slow down....more horn honking. There must be something/someone on the tracks. Not one announcement.
We approach Canale at a snail's pace. Finally the doors creak open and into the station another A express screeches to a halt. The C train is sitting there. No announcements, no sound of the motors whirring to a start, no one knows what to do -- do we jump on the A? do we stay on the C? Everyone knows that both local and express trains run on the same track at Chambers the next stop so that whichever train goes first, the other has to wait. Local or express? No announcement? The A train looks like it's going to take off immediately After all it is the express train...even though the C got to Canale first.
Some of us opt to change and rush to the A hoping to get to Chambers in time to get to work on time. no announcement over the PA. The PA on the C comes on as we leave the car...there is a muffled announcement but we can't make out what they are saying. As we are standing on the A looking at people standing on the C, suddenly I see a grin on one of the passengers on the C across from us; the doors on the C close and we are left on the A standing immobile at Canale. The announcement "We're being held in the station" comes on the PA as the C rumbles out of the station. We stand defeated.
It is now 9:59. I have one minute to get to class.
Who the "f**k" makes these routing decisions? who the hell makes the rules? Are there any rules like express trains are express and should be the first to leave? Or there will be 3 express trains for every local. Or announcements about work on the tracks and possible delays between one station and the next should be made BEFORE we leave the first station in the event that passengers might be able to jump on another train on the other track to avoid a delay? Why are there some principles and guidelines in place that represent a systematic approach to train schedules that are so transparent that the daily commuter could easily perceive and navigate?
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