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60% of subway announcements wrong: Straphangers Campaign

By Philip Newman

The transit advocacy agency Straphangers Campaign says that in 60 percent of subway delays, transit personnel provide inaudible or incorrect announcements or none at all.

The Straphangers Campaign reported, however, that of what was called basic announcements on subways, 83 percent were clear and accurate.

The Nos. 5 and 6 and the now-shut down W trains were best when it comes to announcements. The B train was the worst, providing satisfactory announcements 55 percent of the time.

Official transit guidelines require conductors to make basic, in-car announcements, including the line, station name and any transfer points.

The Straphangers Campaign said many of the incorrect announcements were meaningless to riders, such as, “We have a red signal” or “We have a schedule adjustment.”

Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.