We all know the feeling— rushing through your morning to get to wherever you need to be with only one thing standing in your way: the New York subway system. You are not making it anywhere in a timely manner. Just face it; time to accept your fate of lateness. So what has been happening as of recent with our subway system?

Jan 23, 2020: Andy Byford, New York City’s subway chief of two years, resigns. Mr. Byford was of high regard and respected by many and has been credited with bringing about many improvements to the subway system throughout his two years of work. But, the issue arose with the clashing of heads between him and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has the final say over the NYC subway. Byford was concerned with addressing current issues in the subway system, while Cuomo was more concerned with long term large-scale projects, and this was ultimately the reason Byford resigned from the position. 

Jan 31, 2020: Protests broke out in many subway stations across New York, one of the most notable being a mass gathering in Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal. As a Wall Street Journal article stated, there were protests for many reasons due to the endless amount of problems our subway system has. But, one particular issue as of recent has been the over-policing of subway systems. For over thirty minutes protestors held signs like, “Fix our subways” and “abolish the NYPD”. Then protests moved to the streets of Manhattan. Several of the demonstrators were arrested, as police officers were equipped with zip ties around stations in New York to monitor the protests. The MTA had no response but to say that they needed to delegate more workers to the issue of improving the effectiveness of the subway. 

Feb 2, 2020: The MTA’s new form of metro card OMNY is being integrated into subway stations all over New York. This system is a “tap and pay” system, which means that riders can use their smartphone or card that is equipped with a chip to pay their fares. 

Feb 4, 2020: The MTA announces a late shift program that will help “over night” commuters get to work, per ABC news. Because of this, more workers will be needed to work late night shifts, which means more money for wages of those workers. 

As you can see, throughout the last few weeks, there has been no shortage of major news involving the MTA, and as per usual the madness will continue.