Say Linking Managers to Train Lines Got Results

Even though its results were mostly dismal, the Straphangers' Campaign survey of the subway lines released July 29 pointed to a glimmer of hope in a New York City Transit pilot program that reorganizes line management.

L and 7 Squared Away

The Chief-Leader/Eric Weiss G, AS IN 'GEE, THIS TRAIN IS LATE': Straphangers Campaign attorney Gene Russianoff notes the disparity in the frequency of breakdowns between trains, showing that the G line was the worst, at a rate five times that of the Q line, the category's top performer.

During a press conference in Union Square in Manhattan, campaign attorney Gene Russianoff announced that the top lines in categories such as timeliness and cleanliness, based on NYC Transit data, were the 7 and L lines, which both have individual line managers who are accountable for the lines' performance.

"We think it's a good sign that the 7 and L came in on top," Mr. Russianoff said. "Our finding is more of a hope."

After the two lines received poor grades in rider surveys NYC Transit conducted last year, in December transit officials instituted a series of service changes by running trains every 3.5 minutes during the morning rush hour on the L line — up from four minutes. Service on the 7 line during rush-hour increased by 25 percent, and 13.3 percent on the L line since December.

NYC Transit officials have said that the new line-management system will eventually make the administration of the subways more efficient.

"Their plans are to extend it on the numbered lines, which are currently experiencing a downturn in service," Mr. Russianoff said. "There are at least two aspects of the line manager program we like. One is that having an actual human being in charge, whose name you know and who's accountable and has more authority for improving the quality of service makes a lot of sense. The other thing is that transit officials tell us they'll be able to cut out some of the management below the line managers [so] that in the end it'll be a savings as opposed to more bureaucracy."

G Not Short for Great

He added that for other subway lines, improvement was needed, citing that breakdowns were five times more likely on the G line than the Q line.

"There are huge disparities in the system," he said. "Overall, it's not a pretty picture."

Also during the event, Mr. Russianoff stopped short of returning a political favor to Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Roger Toussaint, who stood with the Straphangers' Campaign in opposing Metropolitan Transportation Authority Executive Director and CEO Elliot Sander's 2009 budget proposal. He held off on opposing Mr. Sander's suggestion that unions make "modest" givebacks to address the deficit, which Mr. Toussaint spoke out against at the last MTA board meeting.

"There's a desperate need for aid from Albany and City Hall," Mr. Russianoff said. "So in plain English I expect just about everybody who benefits from the transit system, all the way from riders and drivers to the owners of these buildings around us to consumers, are probably going to be asked to pay more to keep the system going, and we'll find out in December [when] a panel reports on the MTA finances and we'll see what they suggest."