Transit Workers Say MTA Too Slow to Protect Subway Cabs

By Jose Martinez | THE CITY

Following alarming break-ins and attacks on conductors and operators, agency heads promised action at the beginning of the year — but there’s little to show for it.

Nearly a year after the MTA pledged to make quick fixes to prevent vandals from breaking into train crew cabs, subway cars on only three lines have upgraded locks on worker compartments, according to the agency.

Agency numbers reveal that among the entire subway fleet of more than 6,400 train cars, only those that run on the 1, 3 and 6 lines have upgraded locks for train operator and conductor cabs.

Meanwhile, lock upgrades for worker cabs on the troubled No. 7 are undergoing a “continued review” in the wake of recent incidents along the line, said Kayla Shults, an MTA spokesperson.

There are 506 cars along the No. 7 line that extends between Flushing, Queens and 34th Street-Hudson Yards in Manhattan.

“If you’re a criminal or a nuisance passenger and you see that you’re getting away with pretty much lawlessness on a certain line, why would you go anywhere else?” Canella Gomez, a vice president with Transport Workers Union Local 100, told THE CITY. “The 7 line is the wild wild west.”

The union is pressing the MTA to immediately install additional deadbolt locks on all subway train crew cabs in the wake of a November video that showed a transit troublemaker on a No. 7 line platform swiping a conductor’s keys through an open window as the worker tried to stop another vandal from forcing his way into her cab.

“They’re stealing the keys, they’re using the keys, they’re assaulting train crews,” said Gomez, who represents conductors and train operators. “At this point, it’s become painfully obvious that the MTA is dragging their feet and not moving as quickly as they should be.”

In January, the then-president of New York City Transit, Richard Davey, committed to a “simple and fast solution that we can implement in weeks, not months or years” in order to stop vandals from making off with keys, workers’ belongings and in some instances, even taking out-of-service trains on joyrides.

It’s unclear how much work has actually been completed, with union leaders saying little has been done. But the alarming incidents continue, with some ending up on social media.