Train delay rates climbing

Sewell Chan and Jo Craven McGinty of The New York Times studied delays on New York’s subway system, finding that “a typical weekday rider on the subway today is likely to experience a train delay roughly once every three weeks, compared with about once every five weeks in September 2003, when the number of stalled trains reached a record low.” The delays – defined as being at least five minutes late at the end of a run – occur for a wide variety of reasons, including worker error or signal malfunction. Passengers who hold doors open also contribute to the lateness.