100 More Planned
'Transit' Adds 250 To Cleaning Staff

By ARI PAUL

In the wake of subway riders' responses on New York City Transit questionnaires, the authority has hired 250 more Cleaners and will increase train service on the L and 7 lines without hiring more workers as of yet.

STEVE DOWNS: Train crews will feel strain.

The new Cleaners are full-time workers, said Andreeva Pinder, Transport Workers Union Local 100 Stations Division vice president. NYC Transit will reportedly hire 100 more Cleaners as well.

A C for Cleanliness

NYC Transit conducted passenger surveys on several subway lines over the past several months. Riders gave the J/Z line an overall grade of C-, specifically giving the "cleanliness of stations" category a D+. Riders gave the L-line a C in the same category and a D+ "adequate room on board during rush hour." Commuters on the 7 line said overcrowding in subway cars was their top concern.

Beginning in mid-December, trains will run every 3.5 minutes during the morning rush hour on the L line, rather than every four minutes as they are now. On the 7 line, NYC Transit will expand the morning rush hour, when express trains run, to begin at 7:10 a.m. and end at 9:05 a.m., instead of lasting from 7:20 a.m. until 8:50 a.m. Service on the 7 line during rush-hour will increase by 25 percent and 13.3 percent on the L line.

Local 100 Train Operators Chairman Steve Downs lamented that NYC Transit planned to give L line Train Operators and Conductors fuller schedules rather than hire more workers. He believed many Train Operators and Conductors were already overworked.

Predicts More Delays

"Usually management's first response among the subway crews is to make them work more," he said. "We think the passengers are going to find there are going to be more delays at terminals because of the need of crews to use the toilet and catch their breath."

NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts noted that ridership on the L line has increased since 1998.

An NYC Transit spokesman said it might hire more Train Operators and Conductors in the future.

"The historic growth on these lines illustrates their vital importance to the communities they serve, especially because they serve areas with little or no other mass transit options," MTA Executive Director and CEO Elliot G. Sander said in a statement. "We have responded to this demand and listened to our riders by investing in significant service improvements on both lines, especially during peak periods when trains are the most crowded."