Take a ride on the NYC subway today and you see a (relatively) clean system – no graffiti on the cars (except the new advertising wrapped cars), good quality announcements, air conditioning that works, and overall good service.

Go back 30 years to the 1980s and the NYC subway was completely different. I was a young kid during the 80s but I remember riding how different the subway was back then. The dirt, the endless amounts of graffiti, the crime, the lack of maintenance on the cars, I could go on… But it’s also important to remember the city itself was different back then.

24Flinching has put together a collection of photos from a variety of artists that take you back to the NYC subways of the ’80s.

Here’s one sample – check out the post for the rest of the artwork.

Tags: map, MTA, New York, New York City Blog, NYC, photos, transit

There’s Miss USA, Mrs. USA, Miss World and about 80,000 other beauty pageants each year across the world. But none are as cool as this one. German newspaper The Local is reporting that there will be a beauty pageant held in the Berlin U-Bahn.

The event will feature the same competitions as a normal pageant: swimwear, evening gown, talent and Q&A. From what we hear, there will also be a competition to see which contestant can stop the U7 bahn closest to an egg placed at the end of the station.

It looks like each contestant will be paired with a German fashion designer and the idea is to show off the designer’s clothing and also the bahn. Nothing better than an attractive woman coming together with an attractive subway car.

The winner wins a lifetime free pass on any German rail system (just kidding).

Tags: bahn, bart, germany, transit, Transit News

For as long as there have been subway maps, there have  been people who want to redesign the map. It seems to take decades for transit authorities around the world to implement new map styles.

Julie Steele from O’Reilly sat down with designer Eddie Jabbour to discuss his new implementation of the NYC Subway Map.

I’m not a huge fan of the current NYC Subway Map (July 2010 issue) for several reasons including:

• there’s no need to have the commuter rail (LIRR & Metro-North) on one side of the subway map – so few people based in NYC will ride both systems on a regular basis and for those that do, they can grab two maps
• on the back of the map replacing the commuter rail, I would rather see strip maps like they had in the 80s PLUS ads – the MTA is always complaining about cash-flow and budget issues, why not run ads on the back of the map? They ads could pay for the printing costs and also allow for more rotation of maps (monthly perhaps with new ads)
• The new map removed the “guide” box which told you in words where a train ran at different times of the day. They have removed the box and now you are left wondering where a train runs during the day since they show multiple terminals on the map with no info regarding time of service.

I don’t want to post any of Eddie’s map images here because you really need to read his story to understand the changes he is suggesting. I like a lot of Eddie’s suggestions including how he notes which stations you can’t switch directions at if you missed your stop. I can’t tell you how many times people exited the train at my station only to learn that if they wanted to switch back they would have to fork over another $2.25 and if they just stayed on the train one more stop they could easily switch back. Eddie’s map also just looks more modern and current.

Tags: map, MTA, New York City Blog, NYC

I can only imagine what 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Farenheit) trapped in a train must feel like. The German ICE train was headed from Berlin to Cologne on one of the hottest weekends of the year. My friends in Germany have told me about the massive heatwave Germany was under last week. ICE is Germany’s high speed train and if I remember from my trips on ICE several years ago, you couldn’t open the windows.

From The Local, “Nine students and elderly passengers were taken to the hospital, where some received IV drips. The student group from Remscheid and Willich in North Rhine-Westphalia had been on its way back from a class trip to Berlin.

Witnesses described dramatic scenes on board the ICE train as dehydrated students reportedly lay down in the aisles, and one woman smashed a window during the trip in hopes of getting fresh air.”

Tags: bahn, germany, Subway, Transit News

A train crash between Hannover and Braunschweig in Germany has injured 16 people. The Local has the full details on the crash.

From The Local, “An oncoming regional passenger train at around 11:20 pm rammed into three cars of a freight train, which had derailed just ahead of a bridge in the city of Peine. A passenger alarmed police from the train, which was carrying 65 people. The regional train conductor was severely injured, while 15 passengers sustained minor injuries, police said. The driver of the freight train, which was laden with gravel, walked away unscathed, according to initial reports.”

Tags: crash, germany, Transit News

The NYC MTA has posted all of the new maps for the five boroughs that include the massive cuts that will take place on June 27, 2010. You can download the maps here. The changes are the biggest set of cuts ever in the history of the MTA. Many of the buses I take on a daily/weekly basis will see major cuts that will impact my ride in a very negative way.

The W and V subway lines will be discontinued and the M becomes orange and will go into midtown instead of lower manhattan.

The week of June 27th should be a very interesting week in NYC. My guess is that by mid-July the complaining and yelling will have subsided and commuters will just learn to deal with the situation. It’s certainly soothing to know the new MTA boss gets $6k for housing each month in addition to his salary.

Tags: bus, map, MTA, New York, New York City Blog, NYC, Subway, transit

From June 1 – November 30, the transit authorities of the NYC metro area will run a “contactless payment” trial. The new contactless payment system allows you to enter the NYC subway, city bus, commuter bus or PATH by just tapping your credit card or mobile device to the entry point rather than having to enter your Metrocard or ticket.

The system should speed up the ability for passengers to enter the system – something that is desperately needed on city buses (especially the crosstown buses).

You can learn more about the contactless payment trial on the Mastercard site.

Sadly the test will be run by Mastercard and it appears the card or mobile device you use must be PayPass enabled. I would have preferred to see a system like the Oyster Card in London.

Tags: MTA, New York, New York City Blog, NYC, Transit News

This video is pretty neat – it is a railfan window video from the Long Island Rail Road in New York. You can watch a trip from Penn Station in NYC to Long Beach station in Long Island in just under 2 minutes. I guess this is an express because it skips a bunch of stations. You can also watch the reverse ride into NYC – the normal trip takes 49 minutes.

Make sure to watch this video in 1080 HD for the best quality.

Tags: New York, New York City Blog, NYC, Subway, Transit Videos

Now here is something you will probably never seen on any transit system in the U.S. This one comes straight from the London Underground. A bunch of people went on the tube naked (yes, I mean completely naked) to promote an upcoming TV series where experts will help small businesses turn around and become profitable.

The Daily Mail has the full story (NOTE: LINK HAS NSFW NUDE PHOTOS) and they note, “Steven Suphi, behaviour change specialist and leadership guru, believes stripping off in the office will help boost employees’ confidence and develop trust. I believe this extreme process will help them push their boundaries and become a close team that trust each other enough to get naked together.”

I wonder what will happen if this TV show makes it across the river.

Tags: images, London, London UNderground, transit, Transit News

This railfan seriously misses death by about one inch — check out the video below. The man with the camera can’t even seem to get out any words like “MOVE NOW IDIOT” or “YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET HIT AND DIE” — instead he lets out some sort of bird mating call.

Please, I beg of you – if you are planning to railfan and take photos of very fast moving trains, be careful and look both ways.

Tags: London, transit, Transit Videos