document_title: New York City Subway

question_text: when did the subway open in new york

question_tokens: when did the subway open in new york

text: New York City Subway

text: History[edit]

text: Alfred Ely Beach built the first demonstration for an underground transit system in New York City in 1869 and opened it in February 1870.[24][25] His Beach Pneumatic Transit only extended 312 feet (95 m) under Broadway in Lower Manhattan operating from Warren Street to Murray Street[24] and exhibited his idea for a subway propelled by pneumatic tube technology. The tunnel was never extended for political and financial reasons, although extensions had been planned to take the tunnel southward to the Battery and northwards towards the Harlem River.[26] (In 1912, workers excavating for the present-day BMT Broadway Line dug into the old Beach tunnel; today, no part of this line remains as the tunnel was completely within the limits of the present day City Hall Station under Broadway.[27][28][29][30])

text: The Great Blizzard of 1888 helped demonstrate the benefits of an underground transportation system.[31] A plan for the construction of the subway was approved in 1894, and construction began in 1900.[32] The first underground line of the subway opened on October 27, 1904, almost 36 years after the opening of the first elevated line in New York City, which became the IRT Ninth Avenue Line.[33][34][35] The fare was $0.05[36] and on the first day the trains carried over 150,000 passengers.[37] The oldest structure still in use opened in 1885 as part of the BMT Lexington Avenue Line in Brooklyn[38][39][40][41][42] and is now part of the BMT Jamaica Line.[43] The oldest right-of-way, which is part of the BMT West End Line near Coney Island Creek, was in use in 1864 as a steam railroad called the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Rail Road.[44][45][46]

text: By the time the first subway opened in 1904, the lines had been consolidated into two privately owned systems, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT, later Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation, BMT) and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). The city built most of the lines and leased them to the companies.[47] The first line of the city-owned and operated Independent Subway System (IND) opened in 1932;[48] this system was intended to compete with the private systems and allow some of the elevated railways to be torn down, but stayed within the core of the City due to its small startup capital.[13] This required it to be run 'at cost', necessitating fares up to double the five-cent fare popular at the time.[49]

text: In 1940, the city bought the two private systems. Some elevated lines ceased service immediately while others closed soon after.[50] Integration was slow, but several connections were built between the IND and BMT;[51][52][53] these now operate as one division called the B Division. Since the IRT tunnels, sharper curves, and stations are too small and therefore can not accommodate B Division cars, the IRT remains its own division, the A Division.[54] However, many passenger transfers between stations of all three former companies have been created, allowing the entire network to be treated as a single unit.[55]

text: During the late-1940s, the system recorded high ridership, and on December 23, 1946, the system-wide record of 8,872,249 fares was set.[56]:73

text: The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), a public authority presided by New York City, was created in 1953 to take over subway, bus, and streetcar operations from the city, and placed under control of the state-level Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968.[55][57]

text: Organized in 1934 by transit workers of the BRT, IRT, and IND,[58] the Transport Workers Union of America Local 100 remains the largest and most influential local of the labor unions.[59] Since the union's founding, there have been three union strikes over contract disputes with the MTA:[60] 12 days in 1966,[61][62] 11 days in 1980,[63] and three days in 2005.[64][65]

text: By the 1970s and 1980s, the New York City Subway was at an all-time low.[66][67] Ridership had dropped to 1910s levels, and graffiti and crime were rampant on the subway; in general, the subway was very poorly maintained during that time, and delays and track problems were common. Still, the NYCTA managed to open six new subway stations in the 1980s,[68][69] make the current fleet of subway cars graffiti-free, as well as order 1,775 new subway cars.[70] By the early 1990s, conditions had improved significantly, although maintenance backlogs accumulated during those 20 years are still being fixed today.[67]

text: Entering the 21st century, progress continued despite several disasters. The September 11 attacks resulted in service disruptions on lines running through Lower Manhattan, particularly the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, which ran directly underneath the World Trade Center.[71] Sections of the tunnel, as well as the Cortlandt Street station, which was directly underneath the Twin Towers, were severely damaged. Rebuilding required the suspension of service on that line south of Chambers Street. Ten other nearby stations were closed for cleanup. By March 2002, seven of those stations had reopened. The rest (except for Cortlandt Street on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line)[72] reopened on September 15, 2002, along with service south of Chambers Street.[73][72][74] In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc, flooding several underwater tunnels and other facilities near New York Harbor, as well as trackage over Jamaica Bay. The immediate damage was fixed within six months but long-term resiliency and rehabilitation projects continue.[75]

text: Construction methods[edit]

text: When the IRT subway debuted in 1904,[33][34] the typical tunnel construction method was cut-and-cover.[76][77] The street was torn up to dig the tunnel below before being rebuilt from above.[76][77] Traffic on the street above would be interrupted due to the digging up of the street.[78] Temporary steel and wooden bridges carried surface traffic above the construction.[79]

text: Contractors in this type of construction faced many obstacles, both natural and man-made. They had to deal with rock formations and ground water, which required pumps. Twelve miles of sewers, as well as water and gas mains, electric conduits, and steam pipes had to be rerouted. Street railways had to be torn up to allow the work. The foundations of tall buildings often ran near the subway construction, and in some cases needed underpinning to ensure stability.[80]

text: This method worked well for digging soft dirt and gravel near the street surface.[76] However, tunnelling shields were required for deeper sections, such as the Harlem and East River tunnels, which used cast-iron tubes. Rock or concrete-lined tunnels were used on segments from 33rd to 42nd streets under Park Avenue; 116th to 120th Streets under Broadway; 145th to Dyckman Streets (Fort George) under Broadway and St. Nicholas Avenue; and 96th Street and Broadway to Central Park North and Lenox Avenue.[76][77]

text: About 40% of the subway system runs on surface or elevated tracks, including steel or cast iron elevated structures, concrete viaducts, embankments, open cuts and surface routes.[81] All of these construction methods are completely grade-separated from road and pedestrian crossings, and most crossings of two subway tracks are grade-separated with flying junctions. The sole exceptions of at-grade junctions of two lines in regular service are the 142nd Street junction,[82] the Rogers junction and the Myrtle Avenue junction, whose tracks both intersect at the same level.[83][84]

text: The 7,700 workers who built the original subway lines were mostly immigrants living in Manhattan.[32][85]

text: More recent projects use tunnel boring machines, which increase the cost. They minimize disruption at street level and avoid already existing utilities.[86] Examples of such projects include the extension of the IRT Flushing Line[87][88][89][90] and the IND Second Avenue Line.[91][92][93][94]

text: Expansion[edit]

text: Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904,[33][34] various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. One of the more expansive proposals was the "IND Second System", part of a plan to construct new subway lines in addition to taking over existing subway lines and railroad rights-of-way. The most grandiose IND Second Subway plan, conceived in 1929, was to be part of the city-operated IND, and was to comprise almost 1⁄3 of the current subway system.[95][96] By 1939, with unification planned, all three systems were included within the plan, which was ultimately never carried out.[97][98] Many different plans were proposed over the years of the subway's existence, but expansion of the subway system mostly stopped during World War II.[99]

text: Though most of the routes proposed over the decades have never seen construction, discussion remains strong to develop some of these lines, to alleviate existing subway capacity constraints and overcrowding, the most notable being the proposals for the Second Avenue Subway. Plans for new lines date back to the early 1910s, and expansion plans have been proposed during many years of the system's existence.[95][53]

text: After the IND Sixth Avenue Line was completed in 1940,[100] the city went into great debt, and only 33 new stations have been added to the system since, nineteen of which were part of defunct railways that already existed. Five stations were on the abandoned New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, which was incorporated into the system in 1941 as the IRT Dyre Avenue Line.[101] Fourteen more stations were on the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Beach Branch (now the IND Rockaway Line), which opened in 1955.[102] Two stations (57th Street and Grand Street) were part of the Chrystie Street Connection, and opened in 1968;[103][104] the Harlem–148th Street terminal opened that same year in an unrelated project.[105] Six were built as part of a 1968 plan: three on the Archer Avenue Lines, opened in 1988,[106] and three on the 63rd Street Lines, opened in 1989.[107] The new South Ferry station was built and connected to the existing Whitehall Street–South Ferry station in 2009.[108] The one-stop 7 Subway Extension to the west side of Manhattan, comprising the 34th Street–Hudson Yards station, was opened in 2015,[109][110][note 8] and three stations on the Second Avenue Subway in the Upper East Side were opened in the beginning of 2017.[111]

text: Lines and routes[edit]

text:
[show]Annual passenger ridership

Year
Passengers
%±

1901
253,000,000
—

1905
448,000,000
+77.1%

1910
725,000,000
+61.8%

1915
830,000,000
+14.5%

1920
1,332,000,000
+60.5%

1925
1,681,000,000
+26.2%

1930
2,049,000,000
+21.9%

1935
1,817,000,000
−11.3%

1940
1,857,000,000
+2.2%

1945
1,941,000,000
+4.5%

1946
2,067,000,000
+6.5%

1950
1,681,000,000
−13.4%

1955
1,378,000,000
−18.0%

1960
1,345,000,000
−2.4%

1965
1,363,000,000
+1.3%

1970
1,258,000,000
−7.7%

1975
1,054,000,000
−16.2%

1980
1,009,000,000
−4.3%

1982
989,000,000
−2.0%

1985
1,010,000,000
+2.1%

1990
1,028,000,000
+1.8%

1995
1,093,000,000
+6.3%

2000
1,400,000,000
+28.1%

2005
1,450,000,000
+3.6%

2010
1,605,000,000
+10.7%

2011
1,640,000,000
+2.2%

2012
1,654,000,000
+0.1%

2013
1,708,000,000
+3.3%

2014
1,751,287,621
+2.6%

2015
1,762,565,419
+0.6%

2016
1,756,814,800
-0.3%

[112][113][114][115][116]

text: Many rapid transit systems run relatively static routings, so that a train "line" is more or less synonymous with a train "route". In New York City, however, routings change often because of changes in the availability of connections or the setup of service patterns. Within the nomenclature of the subway, the "line" describes the physical railroad track or series of tracks that a train "route" uses on its way from one terminal to another. "Routes" (also called "services") are distinguished by a letter or a number and "Lines" have names. They are also designations for trains, as exemplified in the Billy Strayhorn song "Take the "A" Train".[16]

text: There are 25 train services in the subway system, including three short shuttles. Each route has a color and a local or express designation representing the Manhattan trunk line of the particular service. The color light green is exclusively assigned to the Crosstown Line route, which operates entirely outside Manhattan, while the shuttles are all assigned dark gray.[117][118] The lines and services are not referred to by color (e.g., Blue Line or Green Line) by native New Yorkers or by most New York City residents, but out-of-towners and tourists often refer to the subway lines by color.[16][119][120]

text: The 1, C, G, L, M, R, and W trains are fully local and make all stops. The 2, 3, 4, 5, A, B, D, E, F, N and Q trains have portions of express and local service. The J train normally operates local, but during rush hours it is joined by the Z train in the peak direction; both the J and Z run local, express or skip-stop on different parts of their shared route. The 6 and 7 are also fully local, but during rush-hours, express variants of the routes, designated by diamond-shaped route markers, are operated alongside the locals. The letter S is used for three shuttle services: Franklin Avenue Shuttle, Rockaway Park Shuttle, and 42nd Street Shuttle.[118][121]

text: Though the subway system operates on a 24-hour basis,[16] during late night hours some of the designated routes do not run, run as a shorter route (often referred to as the 'shuttle train' version of its full-length counterpart) or run with a different stopping pattern. These are usually indicated by smaller, secondary route signage on station platforms.[118][122] Because there is no nightly system shutdown for maintenance, tracks and stations must be maintained while the system is operating. This work sometimes necessitates service changes during midday, overnight hours, and weekends.[123][124][note 9]

text: When parts of lines are temporarily shut down for construction purposes, the transit authority can substitute free shuttle buses (using MTA Regional Bus Operations bus fleet) to replace the routes that would normally run on these lines.[125] The Transit Authority announces planned service changes through its website,[126] via placards that are posted on station and interior subway-car walls,[127] and through its Twitter page.[128]

text: Nomenclature[edit]

text:
Primary Trunk line
Color[129][130]
Pantone[131]
Hexadecimal
Service bullets

IND Eighth Avenue Line
Vivid blue
PMS 286
#2850ad

IND Sixth Avenue Line
Bright orange
PMS 165
#ff6319

IND Crosstown Line
Lime green
PMS 376
#6cbe45

BMT Canarsie Line
Light slate gray
50% black
#a7a9ac

BMT Nassau Street Line
Terra cotta brown
PMS 154
#996633

BMT Broadway Line
Sunflower yellow
PMS 116
#fccc0a

IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line
Tomato red
PMS 185
#ee352e

IRT Lexington Avenue Line
Apple green
PMS 355
#00933c

IRT Flushing Line
Raspberry
PMS Purple
#b933ad

Shuttles
Dark slate gray
70% black
#808183

text: Subway map[edit]

text: Current official transit maps of the New York City Subway are based on a 1979 design by Michael Hertz Associates. The maps are not geographically accurate due to the complexity of the system (Manhattan being the smallest borough, but having the most services), but they do show major city streets as an aid to navigation. The newest edition took effect on June 27, 2010, and makes Manhattan bigger and Staten Island smaller.[121][132] Earlier diagrams of the subway (the first being produced in 1958) had the perception of being more geographically inaccurate than the diagrams today. The design of the subway map by Massimo Vignelli, published by the MTA between 1972 and 1979, has become a modern classic but the MTA deemed the map flawed due to its placement of geographical elements.[133][134]

text: A late night-only version of the map was introduced on January 30, 2012.[135] On September 16, 2011, the MTA introduced a Vignelli-style interactive subway map, "The Weekender",[136] to its website;[137] as the title suggests,[138] the online map provides information about any planned work, from late Friday night to early Monday morning.[139][140]

text: Several privately produced schematics are available online or in printed form, such as those by Hagstrom Map.[141] Additionally, the New York City subway map has served as the subject of artistic endeavors.

text:
Late night subway service map

The official map

Old official map designed by George Salomon

The NYC Subway map as a theme of art

text: Stations[edit]

text: Out of the 472 stations, 470 are served 24 hours a day.[note 10] Underground stations in the New York City Subway are typically accessed by staircases going down from street level. Many of these staircases are painted in a common shade of green, with slight or significant variations in design.[142] Other stations have unique entrances reflective of their location or date of construction. Several station entrance stairs, for example, are built into adjacent buildings.[142] Nearly all station entrances feature color-coded globe or square lamps signifying their status as an entrance.[143]

text: Out of all the stations on the New York City Subway,

text:
275 are fully underground (59%)
153 are elevated stations (32%)
29 are on an embankment (6%)
15 are open cut stations (3%)

text: This means that 61% of the stations are below the surface (59% being fully underground and about 2% with most of the station below the surface). 39% of stations are above the surface or overground.[144]

text: Concourse[edit]

text: Many stations in the subway system have mezzanines.[145] Mezzanines allow for passengers to enter from multiple locations at an intersection and proceed to the correct platform without having to cross the street before entering. Inside mezzanines are fare control areas, where passengers physically pay their fare to enter the subway system.[77][145][146] In many older stations, the fare control area is at platform level with no mezzanine crossovers.[77][147] Many elevated stations also have platform-level fare control with no common station house between directions of service.[43]

text: Upon entering a station, passengers may use station booths (formerly known as token booths)[148] or vending machines to buy their fare, which is currently stored in a MetroCard. Each station has at least one booth, typically located at the busiest entrance.[149] After swiping the card at a turnstile, customers enter the fare-controlled area of the station and continue to the platforms.[16] Inside fare control are "Off-Hours Waiting Areas", which consist of benches and are identified by a yellow sign.[16][150][151]

text: Platforms[edit]

text: A typical subway station has waiting platforms ranging from 480 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) long, though some IND platforms may be as long as 660 to 745 feet (201 to 227 m) long.[49][152] Platforms of former commuter rail stations, such as those on the IND Rockaway Line, are even longer. Due to the large number of transit lines, one platform or set of platforms often serve more than one service. Passengers need to look at the overhead signs at the platform entrance steps and over each track to see which trains stop there and when, and at the arriving train to see which one it is.[16]

text: There are a number of common platform configurations:

text:
On a double track line, a station may have one center island platform used for trains in both directions, or 2 side platforms, one for a train in each direction.[77]
For lines with three or four tracks with express service, local stops will have side platforms and the middle one or two tracks will not stop at the station. On these lines, express stations typically have two island platforms, one for the local and express in one direction, and another for the local and express in the other direction. Each island platform provides a cross-platform interchange between local and express services. Some lines with four-track express service have two tracks each on two levels and use both island and side platforms.[16][77]

text: Accessibility[edit]

text: Since the majority of the system was built before 1990, the year the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) went into effect, many New York City Subway stations were not designed to be handicapped-accessible.[153] Since then, elevators have been built in newly constructed stations to comply with the ADA. (Most grade-level stations required little modification to meet ADA standards.) In addition, the MTA identified "key stations", high-traffic and/or geographically important stations, which must conform to the ADA when they are extensively renovated. As of January 2017, there are 118 currently accessible stations; many of them have AutoGate access.[16][154] Under the current MTA plans, the number of ADA accessible stations will go up to 144 by 2020.[155]

text: In June 2016, the MTA was sued by a disability rights group for not including an elevator during the $21,000,000 renovation of the Middletown Road subway station in the Bronx. Only 19% of all of the subway system's stations were fully accessible to people with disabilities at the time,[156] a number that rose to 24% the next year.[157] In April 2017, two simultaneous lawsuits against the MTA, one in state court and one in federal court, claimed that the system was breaking one of the city's human-rights laws by violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result, the suits said, the MTA failed to "eliminate and prevent discrimination from playing any role in actions relating to employment, public accommodations and housing and other real estate."[157]

text: Rolling stock[edit]

text: As of November 2016[update], the New York City Subway has 6418 cars on the roster.[158][note 11] A typical New York City Subway train consists of 8 to 11 cars, although shuttles can have as few as two, and the train can range from 150 to 600 feet (46 to 183 m) in length.[159]

text: The system maintains two separate fleets of cars, one for the A Division routes and another for the B Division routes.[160] All B Division equipment is about 10 feet (3.05 m) wide and either 60 feet 6 inches (18.44 m) or 75 feet (22.86 m) long, whereas A Division equipment is approximately 8 feet 9 inches (2.67 m) wide and 51 feet 4 inches (15.65 m) long.[161] A portion of the 60-foot B Division fleet is used for operation in the BMT Eastern Division, where 75-foot (22.86 m) long cars are not permitted.[162][163]

text: Cars purchased by the City of New York since the inception of the IND and the other divisions beginning in 1948 are identified by the letter "R" followed by a number; e.g.: R32.[160] This number is the contract number under which the cars were purchased.[164] Cars with nearby contract numbers (e.g.: R1 through R9, or R26 through R29, or R143 through R160B) may be relatively identical, despite being purchased under different contracts and possibly built by different manufacturers.[165]

text: Since 1999, the R142, R142A, R143, R160, and R188 cars have been placed into service.[166][167] These cars are collectively known as New Technology Trains (NTTs) due to modern innovations such as LED and LCD route signs and information screens, as well as recorded train announcements and the ability to facilitate Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC).[168][169] Live conductor announcements can still be made on older rolling stock equipment.

text: On March 24, 2012, the MTA announced that it ordered 300 R179 subway cars from Bombardier.[170] The total price of the contract is US$599 million, and the first test train of five cars arrived in September 2016, due to ongoing delivery and production start-up problems.[171][172]

text: As part of the 2017–2020 MTA Financial Plan, 600 subway cars will have electronic display signs installed to improve customer experience.[173]

text: Fares[edit]

text: Riders pay a single fare to enter the subway system and may transfer between trains at no extra cost until they exit via station turnstiles; the fare is a flat rate regardless of how far or how long the rider travels. Thus, riders must swipe their MetroCard upon entering the subway system, but not a second time upon leaving.[174]

text: As of April 2016[update], nearly all fares are paid by MetroCard;[175] the base fare is $2.75 when purchased in the form of a reusable "pay per ride" MetroCard,[174] with the last fare increase occurring on March 22, 2015.[176] Single-use cards may be purchased for $3.00, and 7-day and 30-day unlimited ride cards can lower the effective per-ride fare significantly.[177] Reduced fares are available for the elderly and people with disabilities.[16][178]

text: Fares were stored in a money room at 370 Jay Street in Downtown Brooklyn starting in 1951, when the building opened as a headquarters for the New York City Board of Transportation.[179] The building is close to the lines of all three subway divisions (the IRT, BMT, and IND) and thus was a convenient location to collect fares, including tokens and cash, via money train. Passageways from the subway stations, including a visible door in the Jay Street IND station, lead to a money sorting room in the basement of the building.[180][181] Fare collection and transport was originally performed using armored trucks, and the money trains were replaced by armored trucks in 2006.[180][181][182]

text: MetroCard[edit]

text: In November 1993,[183] the subway system introduced a fare system called the MetroCard, which allows riders to use cards that store the value equal to the amount paid to a station booth clerk or vending machine.[184] The MetroCard was enhanced in 1997 to allow passengers to make free transfers between subways and buses within two hours; several MetroCard-only transfers between subway stations were added in 2001.[185][186] With the addition of unlimited-ride MetroCards in 1998 (for 7-day and 30-day periods,[187] later 1-day "Fun Pass" and 14-day periods, both of which have been discontinued),[188] the New York City Transit system was the last major transit system in the United States with the exception of BART in San Francisco to introduce passes for unlimited bus and rapid transit travel.[189]

text: In April 2016, MTA solicited proposals for a contactless "New Fare Payment System" to replace the MetroCard by 2022.[190] On October 23, 2017, it was announced that the MetroCard would be phased out and replaced by a contactless fare payment system also by Cubic, with fare payment being made using Apple Pay, Google Pay, debit/credit cards with near-field communication technology, or radio-frequency identification cards.[191][192] The October 23 announcement calls for the expansion of this system to a general-use electronic fare payment system at 500 subway turnstiles and 600 buses by late 2018, with all buses and subway stations using electronic fare collection by 2020. However, support of the MetroCard is slated to remain until 2023.[192]

text: Modernization[edit]

text: Since the late 20th century, the MTA has started several projects to maintain and improve the subway. In the 1990s, it started converting the BMT Canarsie Line to use communications-based train control, utilizing a moving block signal system that allowed more trains to use the tracks and thus increasing passenger capacity.[193] After the Canarsie Line tests were successful, the MTA expanded the automation program in the 2000s and 2010s to include other lines.[194][195] As part of another program called FASTRACK, the MTA started closing sections of lines during weekday nights in 2012, in order to allow workers to clean these lines without being hindered by train movements.[196] It expanded the program beyond Manhattan the next year after noticing how efficient the FASTRACK program was compared to previous service diversions.[197] In 2015, the MTA announced a wide-ranging improvement program as part of the 2015–2019 Capital Program. Thirty stations would be extensively rebuilt under the Enhanced Station Initiative, and new R211 subway cars would be able to fit more passengers.[198][199]

text: The MTA has also started some projects to improve passenger amenities. It added train arrival "countdown clocks" to most A Division stations and the BMT Canarsie Line (L train) by late 2011, allowing passengers on these routes to see train arrival times using real-time data.[200] A similar countdown-clock project for the B Division and the IRT Flushing Line was deferred[201] until 2016, when a new Bluetooth-based clock system was tested successfully.[202] Beginning in 2011, the MTA also started "Help Point" to aid with emergency calls or station agent assistance.[203] The Help Point project was deemed successful, and the MTA subsequently installed Help Points in all stations.[204] Interactive touchscreen "On The Go! Travel Station" kiosks, which give station advisories, itineraries, and timetables, were installed starting in 2011,[205] with the program also being expanded after a successful pilot.[206] Cellular phone and wireless data in stations, first installed in 2011 as part of yet another pilot program,[207] was also expanded systemwide due to positive passenger feedback.[204] Finally, credit-card trials at several subway stations in 2006 and 2010[208][209] led to proposals for contactless payment to replace the aging MetroCard.[190]

text: Safety and security[edit]

text: Signaling[edit]

text: Wayside Block Signaling[edit]

text: The system currently uses Automatic Block Signaling with fixed wayside signals and automatic train stops in order to provide safe train operation across the whole system.[210] The New York City Subway system has, for the most part, used block signalling since its 1904 opening,[33][34] and many portions of the signaling system were installed between the 1930s and 1960s.

text: These signals work by preventing trains from entering a "block" occupied by another train. Typically, the blocks are 1,000 feet (300 m) long.[211] If no train is in the block, the signal will light up as green. When a train enters the block, the signal turns red, marking the block as occupied. The train's maximum speed will depend on how many blocks are open in front of it. However, the signals do not register a train's speed, nor where in the block the train is located.[212][213]

text: Subway trains are stopped mechanically at all signals showing "stop" aspects by automatic train stops located alongside the tracks; all cars are equipped with tripcocks. Although this is a simple principle of train stops, that wayside trippers must not be moved to trip ("stop") position until it is guaranteed that the train has fully passed the signal with all its cars.[211][214]

text: Today, the majority of all subway delays are caused by signal problems. Whenever a track circuit stops working, all of the signals which are affected by it turn red, as it is uncertain whether there is a train in that section, and the system properly reverts to a safe state.[211]

text: CBTC overlay[edit]

text: In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the MTA began automating the subway by Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC). CBTC supplements, rather than replaces, the fixed-block signal system; it allows trains to operate closer together. The BMT Canarsie Line, on which the L train runs, was chosen for pilot testing because it is a self-contained line that does not operate in conjunction with other lines. CBTC became operational in February 2009.[215] Due to an unexpected ridership increase, the MTA ordered additional cars, and increased service from 15 trains to 26 trains per hour, an achievement beyond the capability of the block system.[216] The total cost of the project was $340 million.[211]

text: After the success of the BMT Canarsie Line automation, the IRT Flushing Line, carrying the 7 and <7> trains, was next chosen to be outfitted with CBTC.[217] The proposed plan is estimated to cost US $1.4 billion.[218] It is scheduled to be completed in September 2017.[173]

text: Eventually, the MTA has plans to automate a much larger portion, using One Person Train Operation (OPTO) in conjunction with CBTC. At the current pace of installation, it would take 175 years for CBTC to be installed at a cost of $20 billion.[211] The Flushing line operated at almost 30 trains an hour using the signal system installed when the line was built, but after CBTC is installed it is possible that an additional two trains per hour could be operated.[219]

text: The New York City Subway uses a system known as Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) for dispatching and train routing on the A Division[220] (the Flushing line and the trains used on the 7 and <7> services do not have ATS.)[220] ATS allows dispatchers in the Operations Control Center (OCC) to see where trains are in real time, and whether each individual train is running early or late.[220] Dispatchers can hold trains for connections, re-route trains, or short-turn trains to provide better service when a disruption causes delays.[220]

text: Train accidents[edit]

text: Despite the signal system, there have been at least 64 major train accidents since 1918, when a train bound for South Ferry smashed into two trains halted near Jackson Avenue on the IRT White Plains Road Line in the Bronx.[221] Several accidents resulted when the train operator ran through red signals and rear-ended the subway train in front of it; this resulted from the signaling practice of "keying by", which allowed train operators to bypass red signals. The deadliest accident, the Malbone Street Wreck, occurred on November 1, 1918 beneath the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Malbone Street (the latter of which is now Empire Boulevard) near the Prospect Park station of the then-BRT Brighton Line in Brooklyn, killing 93 people.[222] As a result of accidents, especially more recent ones such as the 1995 Williamsburg Bridge crash, timer signals were installed. These signals have resulted in reduced speeds across the system. Accidents such as derailments are also due to broken equipment, such as the rails and the train itself.[221]

text: Passenger safety[edit]

text: Track safety and suicides[edit]

text: A portion of subway-related deaths in New York consists of suicides committed by jumping in front of an oncoming train. Between 1990 and 2003, 343 subway-related suicides have been registered out of a citywide total of 7,394 (4.6%) and subway-related suicides increased by 30%, despite a decline in overall suicide numbers.[223]

text: Due to increase in people hit by trains in 2013,[224] in late 2013 and early 2014 the MTA started a test program at one undisclosed station, with four systems and strategies to eliminate the number of people hit by trains. Closed-circuit television cameras, a web of laser beams stretched across the tracks, radio frequencies transmitted across the tracks, and thermal imaging cameras focused on the station's tracks were set to be installed at that station.[225] At the unidentified station, tests have gone so well at the testing site that these track protection systems will be installed systemwide as part of the 2015–2019 capital program.[226]

text: The MTA also expressed interest in starting a pilot program to install platform edge doors.[227] Several planned stations in the New York City Subway may possibly feature platform screen doors, possibly including future stations such as those part of the Second Avenue Subway.[228] Currently, the MTA is planning a test program to install screen doors at a subway station on the BMT Canarsie Line. As part of the 2010–2014 capital program, the station was going to be Sixth Avenue, but it is uncertain whether or not that this will be the station chosen.[229] Following a series of incidents during one week in November 2016, in which 3 people were injured or killed after being pushed onto the tracks, the MTA started to consider installing platform edge doors for the 42nd Street Shuttle.[230]

text: Crime[edit]

text: Crime rates have shown variations over time, with a drop starting in the 1990s and continuing today.[231] In order to fight crime, various approaches have been used over the years, including an "If You See Something, Say Something" campaign[232] and, starting in 2016, banning people who commit a crime in the subway system from entering the system for a certain length of time.[233]

text: In the 1960s, for example, mayor Robert Wagner ordered an increase in the New York City Transit Police force from 1,219 to 3,100 officers. During the hours at which crimes most frequently occurred (between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.), the officers went on patrol in all stations and trains. In response, crime rates decreased, as extensively reported by the press.[234] In July 1985, however, the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City published a study showing riders abandoning the subway, fearing the frequent robberies and generally bad circumstances.[235]

text: To counter these developments, policy that was rooted in the late 1980s and early 1990s was implemented.[236][237] In line with this Fixing Broken Windows philosophy, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) began a five-year program to eradicate graffiti from subway trains in 1984.[238] In 1993, Mayor Rudy Giuliani took office and with Police Commissioner Howard Safir, the strategy was more widely deployed in New York under the rubrics of "zero tolerance" and "quality of life". Crime rates in the subway and city dropped.[239] Giuliani's campaign credited the success to the zero tolerance policy.[240] The extent to which his policies deserve the credit is disputed.[241]

text: New York City Police Department Commissioner William J. Bratton and author of Fixing Broken Windows, George L. Kelling, however, stated the police played an "important, even central, role" in the declining crime rates.[235] The trend continued and Giuliani's successor, Michael Bloomberg, stated in a November 2004 press release: "Today, the subway system is safer than it has been at any time since we started tabulating subway crime statistics nearly 40 years ago."[242]

text: Photography[edit]

text: After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the MTA exercised extreme caution regarding anyone taking photographs or recording video inside the system and proposed banning all photography and recording in a meeting around June 2004.[243] However, due to strong response from both the public and from civil rights groups, the rule of conduct was dropped. In November 2004, the MTA again put this rule up for approval, but was again denied,[244] though many police officers and transit workers still confront or harass people taking photographs or videos.[245] However, on April 3, 2009, the NYPD issued a directive to officers stating that it is legal to take pictures within the subway system so long as it is not accompanied with suspicious activity.[246]

text: Currently, the MTA Rules of Conduct, Restricted Areas and Activities section states that anyone may take pictures or record videos, provided that they do not use any of three tools: lights, reflectors, or tripods. These three tools are permitted only by members of the press who have identification issued by the NYPD.[247]

text: Terrorism prevention[edit]

text: On July 22, 2005, in response to bombings in London, the New York City Transit Police introduced a new policy of randomly searching passengers' bags as they approached turnstiles. The NYPD claimed that no form of racial profiling would be conducted when these searches actually took place. The NYPD has come under fire from some groups that claim purely random searches without any form of threat assessment would be ineffectual. Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU, stated, "This NYPD bag search policy is unprecedented, unlawful and ineffective. It is essential that police be aggressive in maintaining security in public transportation. But our very real concerns about terrorism do not justify the NYPD subjecting millions of innocent people to suspicionless searches in a way that does not identify any person seeking to engage in terrorist activity and is unlikely to have any meaningful deterrent effect on terrorist activity."[248] The searches were upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in MacWade v. Kelly.[249]

text: On April 11, 2008, MTA received a Ferrara Fire Apparatus Hazardous Materials Response Truck, which went into service three days later. It will be used in the case of a chemical or bioterrorist attack.[250]

text: Najibullah Zazi and others were arrested in September 2009 and pleaded guilty in 2010 to being part of an al-Qaeda plan to undertake suicide bombings on the New York City subway system.[251][252]

text: Challenges[edit]

text: 2009–2010 budget cuts[edit]

text: The MTA faced a budget deficit of US$1.2 billion in 2009.[253] This resulted in fare increases (three times from 2008 to 2010)[254] and service reductions (including the elimination of two part-time subway services, the V and W). Several other routes were modified as a result of the deficit. The N was made a full-time local in Manhattan (in contrast to being a weekend local/weekday express before 2010), while the Q was extended nine stations north to Astoria–Ditmars Boulevard on weekdays, both to cover the discontinued W. The M was combined with the V, routing it over the Chrystie Street Connection, IND Sixth Avenue Line and IND Queens Boulevard Line to Forest Hills–71st Avenue on weekdays instead of via the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and BMT West End Line to Bay Parkway. The G was truncated to Court Square full-time. Construction headways on eleven routes were lengthened, and off-peak service on seven routes were lengthened.[255]

text: 2017 state of emergency[edit]

text: In June 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for the New York City Subway[256] after a series of derailments,[257][258] track fires,[259][260] and overcrowding incidents.[259][261] On June 27, 2017, thirty-nine people were injured when an A train derailed at 125th Street,[262][263] damaging tracks and signals[257] then catching on fire.[264][257] On July 21, 2017, the second set of wheels on a southbound Q train jumped the track near Brighton Beach, with nine people suffering injuries[258] due to improper maintenance of the car in question.[265][266] To solve the system's problems, the MTA officially announced the Genius Transit Challenge on June 28, where contestants could submit ideas to improve signals, communications infrastructure, or rolling stock.[267][268]

text: On July 25, 2017, Chairman Joe Lhota announced a two-phase, $9 billion New York City Subway Action Plan to stabilize the subway system and to prevent the continuing decline of the system.[269][270][271][272] The first phase, costing $836 million, consisted of five categories of improvements in Signal and Track Maintenance, Car Reliability, System Safety and Cleanliness, Customer Communication, and Critical Management Group. The $8 billion second phase would implement the winning proposals from the Genius Transit Challenge and fix more widespread problems.[270][271][272] Six winning submissions for the Genius Transit Challenge were announced in March 2018.[273]

text: In October 2017, city comptroller Scott Stringer released an analysis of the effect of subway delays on the economy and on commuters. The study found that based on a normal wait time of 5 minutes and an average wage of $34 per hour in 2016, "worst-case" subway delays of more than 20 minutes could cost up to $389 million annually in lost productivity.[274] By comparison, "mid-case" delays of between 10 and 20 minutes could cost $243.1 million per year, and "best-case" delays of between 5 and 10 minutes could cost $170.2 million per year.[275]

text: In November 2017, The New York Times published its investigation into the crisis. It found that the crisis had arisen as a result of financially unsound decisions by local and state politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties. By this time, the subway's 65% average on-time performance was the lowest among all major cities' transit systems, and every non-shuttle subway route's on-time performance had declined in the previous ten years.[276]

text: Capacity constraints[edit]

text: Several subway lines have reached their operational limits in terms of train frequency and passengers, according to data released by the Transit Authority. As of June 2007[update], all of the A Division services except the 42nd Street Shuttle, as well as the E and L trains, were beyond capacity, as well as portions of the N train.[277][278] In April 2013, New York magazine reported that the system was more crowded than it had been in the previous 66 years.[279] The subway reached a daily ridership of 6 million for 29 days in 2014, and was expected to record a similar ridership level for 55 days in 2015; by comparison, in 2013, daily ridership never reached 6 million.[280] In particular, the express tracks of the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and IND Queens Boulevard Line are noted for operating at full capacity during peak hours.[277][281] The Long Island Rail Road East Side Access project is expected to bring many more commuters to the Lexington Avenue Line when it opens around the year 2022, further overwhelming its capacity.[282][283][284]

text: By early 2016, delays as a result of overcrowding were up to more than 20,000 every month, four times the amount in 2012. The overcrowded trains have resulted in an increase of assaults because of tense commuters. With less platform space, more passengers are forced to be on the edge of the platform resulting in the increased possibility of passengers falling on the track. One possible solution that the MTA is considering is platform screen doors, which exist on the AirTrain JFK to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks. In order to prevent hitting passengers who could fall onto the tracks, train operators are being instructed to go into stations at lower speeds. The increased proximity of riders could result in the spread of contagious diseases.[285]

text: Expanding service frequency via CBTC[edit]

text: The Second Avenue Subway, which has provisions for communications-based train control (CBTC), was built to relieve pressure on the Lexington Avenue Line (4, 5, 6, and <6> trains) by shifting an estimated 225,000 passengers.[286] In addition, CBTC installation on the Flushing Line is expected to increase the rate of trains per hour on the 7 and <7> trains, but little relief will come to other crowded lines until later. CBTC on the Flushing Line is expected to be completed in September 2017.[173] The L train, which is overcrowded during rush hours, already has CBTC operation.[287] The installation of CBTC has reduced the L's running time by 3%.[286] Even with CBTC, there are limits on the potential increased service. For L service to be increased further, a power upgrade as well as additional space for the L to turn around at its Manhattan terminus, Eighth Avenue, are needed.[124]

text: The MTA is also seeking to implement CBTC on the IND Queens Boulevard Line. CBTC is to be installed on this line in five phases, with phase one (50th Street/8th Avenue and 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center to Kew Gardens–Union Turnpike) being included in the 2010–2014 capital budget. The $205.8 million contract for the installment of phase one was awarded in 2015 to Siemens and Thales. Planning for phase one started in 2015, with major engineering work to follow in 2017.[281][288] The total cost for the entire Queens Boulevard Line is estimated at over $900 million.[289] The Queens Boulevard CBTC project is expected to be completed in 2021.[173] Funding for CBTC on the IND Eighth Avenue Line is also provided in the 2015–2019 capital project.[290] The MTA projects that 355 miles of track will receive CBTC signals by 2029, including most of the IND, as well as the IRT Lexington Avenue Line and the BMT Broadway Line.[291] The MTA also is planning to install CBTC equipment on the IND Crosstown Line, the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and the BMT Brighton Line before 2025.[292] As part of the installation of CBTC, the whole fleet of subway cars needs to be remodeled or replaced.[286]

text: Expanding peak service frequency and increasing car capacity[edit]

text: Due to an increase of ridership, the MTA has tried to increase capacity wherever possible by adding more frequent service, specifically during the evening hours. However, this increase will not likely keep up with the growth of subway ridership.[285][293][294] Some lines have capacity for additional trains during peak times, but there are too few subway cars for this additional service to be operated.[124]

text: As part of the R211 subway car order, the MTA is planning to test a train of 10 open-gangway experimental prototype cars, which could increase capacity by up to 10% by utilizing space that in previous models was the unused space between cars. The order could be expanded to include up to 750 open-gangway cars.[295][296][297]

text: Controlling crowds using signs and platform controllers[edit]

text: The MTA is also testing smaller ideas on some services. In late 2015, the F, 6, and 7 trains started having 100 "station platform controllers" deployed to manage the flow of passengers on and off crowded trains for maximum ridership during morning rush hours, for a total of 129 such employees; these workers also answer passengers' questions about subway directions, rather than having conductors answer them and thus delaying the trains.[298][299][300][301] In early 2017, the test was expanded to the afternoon peak period with an increase of 35 platform conductors.[173][302] In November of the same year, 140 platform controllers and 90 conductors gained iPhone 6S devices so they could receive notifications of, and tell riders about, subway disruptions.[303] Subway guards, the predecessors to the platform controllers, were first used during the Great Depression and World War II.[285]

text: Shortened "next stop" announcements on trains were being tested on the 2 and 5 trains. "Step aside" signs on the platforms, reminding boarding passengers to let departing passengers off the train first, are being tested at Grand Central–42nd Street, 51st Street, and 86th Street on the Lexington Avenue Line.[301][304] Cameras would also be installed so the MTA could observe passenger overcrowding.[286][305][306][307]

text: In systems like the London Underground, stations are simply closed off when they are overcrowded, such as the busy Oxford Circus tube station, which had to close more than 100 times in a year. That type of restriction is not necessary yet on the New York City Subway, according to MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.[285]

text: Subway flooding[edit]

text: Service on the subway system is occasionally disrupted by flooding from rainstorms, even minor ones.[308] Rainwater can disrupt signals underground and require the electrified third rail to be shut off. Every day, the MTA moves 13 million gallons of water when it is not raining.[309] Since 1992, $357 million has been used to improve 269 pump rooms. By August 2007, $115 million was earmarked to upgrade the remaining 18 pump rooms.[310]

text: Despite these improvements, the transit system continues to experience flooding problems. On August 8, 2007, after more than 3 inches (76 mm) of rain fell within an hour, the subway system flooded, causing almost every subway service to either be disabled or seriously disrupted, effectively halting the morning rush.[311][312] This was the third incident in 2007 in which rain disrupted service. The system was disrupted on this occasion because the pumps and drainage system can handle only a rainfall rate of 1.75 inches (44 mm) per hour; the incident's severity was aggravated by the scant warning as to the severity of the storm.[309][313]:10

text: In addition, as part of a $130 million and an estimated 18-month project, the MTA began installing new subway grates in September 2008 in an attempt to prevent rain from overflowing into the subway system. The metallic structures, designed with the help of architectural firms and meant as a piece of public art, are placed atop existing grates but with a 3-to-4-inch (76 to 102 mm) sleeve to prevent debris and rain from flooding the subway. The racks will at first be installed in the three most flood-prone areas as determined by hydrologists: Jamaica, Tribeca, and the Upper West Side. Each neighborhood has its own distinct design, some featuring a wave-like deck which increases in height and features seating (as in Jamaica), others with a flatter deck that includes seating and a bike rack.[314][315][316]

text: In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of damage to New York City, and many subway tunnels were inundated with floodwater. The subway opened with limited service two days after the storm and was running at 80 percent capacity within five days; however, some infrastructure needed years to repair. A year after the storm, MTA spokesperson Kevin Ortiz said, "This was unprecedented in terms of the amount of damage that we were seeing throughout the system."[317][318] The storm flooded nine of the system's 14 underwater tunnels, many subway lines, and several subway yards, as well as completely destroying a portion of the IND Rockaway Line and much of the South Ferry terminal station. Reconstruction required many weekend closures on several lines, as well as several long-term closures on the Greenpoint Tunnel, Montague Street Tunnel, Rockaway Line, and the South Ferry station, with a long-term closure planned for the 14th Street Tunnel; some reconstruction is expected to last until at least 2020.[319] As a preventative measure, 68 subway entrances in Lower Manhattan are also receiving fabric plugs that are intended to keep flood water out.[320] In October 2017, it was revealed that 3,000-pound (1,400 kg) waterproof doors and curtains were being installed in 24 Lower Manhattan locations at a cost of $30,000 each.[321][322]

text:
Flooding at 125th Street after a water main break

Preparations for Hurricane Sandy at Bowling Green

South Ferry after Hurricane Sandy

Pump train in the Cranberry Street Tube after Hurricane Sandy

text: Full and partial subway closures[edit]

text: On August 27, 2011, due to the approach of Hurricane Irene, the MTA suspended subway service at noon in anticipation of heavy flooding on tracks and in tunnels. It was the first weather-caused shutdown in the history of the system.[323] Service was restored by August 29.[324][325]

text: On October 29, 2012, another full closure was ordered before the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.[318] All services on the subway, the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North were gradually shut down that day at 7:00 P.M., to protect passengers, employees and equipment from the coming storm.[326] The storm caused serious damage to the system, especially the IND Rockaway Line, upon which many sections between Howard Beach–JFK Airport and Hammels Wye on the Rockaway Peninsula were heavily damaged, leaving it essentially isolated from the rest of the system.[327][328] This required the NYCTA to truck in 20 R32 subway cars to the line to provide some interim service (temporarily designated the H).[329][330][331] Also, several of the system's tunnels under the East River were flooded by the storm surge.[332] South Ferry suffered serious water damage and did not reopen until April 4, 2013 by restoring service to the older loop-configured station that had been replaced in 2009;[333][334] the stub-end terminal tracks remained out of service until June 2017.[335][336][337][338]

text: Since 2015, there have been three blizzard-related subway shutdowns. On January 26, 2015, another full closure was ordered by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo due to the January 2015 nor'easter, which was originally projected to leave New York City with 20 to 30 inches (51 to 76 cm) of snow.[339] The next day, the subway system was partially reopened.[340][341] A number of New York City residents criticized Cuomo's decision to shut down the subway system for the first time ever due to snow. The nor'easter dropped much less snow in the city than originally expected, totaling only 9.8 inches (25 cm) in Central Park.[342][343] On January 23, 2016, a partial subway closure was ordered due to the January 2016 United States blizzard, wherein all aboveground stations were closed; the underground lines remained open during the blizzard.[344][345] Most of the subway resumed service the next day, with some lingering delays due to an average of 26 inches (66 cm) of snow in the area.[346] On March 13, 2017, another partial subway closure of all aboveground stations was ordered for the next day due to the March 2017 nor'easter, which was forecast to bring up to 20 inches (51 cm) of snow to the area.[347]

text: Litter and rodents[edit]

text: Litter accumulation is a perennial problem in the subway system. In the 1970s and 1980s, dirty trains and platforms, as well as graffiti were a serious problem. The situation had improved since then, but the 2010 budget crisis, which caused over 100 of the cleaning staff to lose their jobs, threatened to curtail trash removal from the subway system.[348][349] Every day, the MTA removes 40 tons of trash from 3,500 trash receptacles.[350]

text: The New York City Subway system is infested with rats.[351] Rats are sometimes seen on platforms,[352] and are commonly seen foraging through garbage thrown onto the tracks. They are believed to pose a health hazard, and on rare instances have been known to bite humans.[353] Subway stations notorious for rat infestation include Chambers Street, Jay Street–MetroTech, West Fourth Street, Spring Street and 145th Street.[354]

text: Decades of efforts to eradicate or simply thin the rat population in the system have been unsuccessful. In March 2009, the Transit Authority announced a series of changes to its vermin control strategy, including new poison formulas and experimental trap designs.[355] In October 2011, the MTA announced a new initiative to clean 25 subway stations, along with their garbage rooms, of rat infestations.[356] Also in October 2011, the MTA announced a pilot program aimed at reducing levels of garbage in the subways by removing all garbage bins from the subway platforms. The initiative is being tested at the Eighth Street–New York University and Flushing–Main Street stations.[357] As of March 2016, stations along the BMT Jamaica Line, BMT Myrtle Avenue Line, and various other stations had their garbage cans removed due to the success of the program.[358]

text: There are also vacuum trains that are designed to remove trash off of the tracks, but are ineffective and often broken.[358] A 2016 study by Travel Math had the New York City Subway listed as the dirtiest subway system in the country based on the number of viable bacteria cells.[359] In August 2016, the MTA announced that it had initiated Operation Track Sweep, which is an aggressive plan that will dramatically reduce the amount of trash on the tracks and in the subway environment, and in turn should reduce track fires and train delays. The frequency of station track cleaning will be increased. In a two-week period, 94 stations will be cleaned, an increase from 34 stations.[350] Starting on September 12, 2016, the MTA launched an intensive two-week, system-wide cleaning from all of the tracks at all of the system's stations. New portable track vacuum systems are in the works as the MTA is working with two manufacturers. Three new powerful vacuum trains, two arriving in 2017, and the third in 2018, and 27 new refuse cars will be part of the operation.[360]

text: On March 28, 2017, the New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, announced the MTA's pilot program to remove trash cans had been scrapped. His office had criticized the agency for the program.[350]

text:
Typical subway car exterior in the late 1970s

Measures against rats

Program for removing garbage bins from stations

text: Noise[edit]

text: Rolling stock on the New York City Subway produces high levels of noise that exceed guidelines set by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[361] In 2006, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health found noise levels averaged 95 decibel (dB) inside subway cars and 94 dB on platforms.[361] Daily exposure to noise at such levels for as little as 30 minutes can lead to hearing loss.[361] Noise on one in 10 platforms exceeded 100 dB.[361] Under WHO and EPA guidelines, noise exposure at that level is limited to 1.5 minutes.[361] A subsequent study by Columbia and the University of Washington found higher average noise levels in the subway (80.4 dB) than on commuter trains including Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) (79.4 dB), Metro-North (75.1 dB) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) (74.9 dB).[362] Since the decibel scale is a logarithmic scale, sound at 95 dB is 10 times more intense than at 85 dB, 100 times more intense than at 75 dB, and so forth.[362] In the second study, peak subway noise registered at 102.1 dB.[362]

text: For the construction of the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA, with the engineering firm Arup, worked to reduce the noise levels in stations. In order to reduce noise for all future stations starting with the Second Avenue Subway, the MTA is investing in low-vibration track using ties encased in concrete-covered rubber and neoprene pads. Continuously welded rail, which is also being installed, reduces the noise being made by the wheels of trains. The biggest change that is going to be made is in the design of stations. Current stations were built with tile and stone, which bounce sound everywhere, while newer stations will have the ceilings lined with absorbent fiberglass or mineral wool that will direct sound toward the train and not the platform. With less noise from the trains, platform announcements could be heard more clearly. They will be clearer with speakers spaced periodically on the platform, angled so that announcements can be heard by the riders. The Second Avenue Subway has the first stations to test this technology.[363]

text: Public relations[edit]

text: The New York City Board of Transportation, and its successor, MTA New York City Transit, has had numerous events that promote increased ridership of their transit system.

text: Miss Subways[edit]

text: From 1941 to 1976, the Board of Transportation/New York City Transit Authority sponsored the "Miss Subways" publicity campaign.[364] In the musical On the Town, the character Miss Turnstiles is based on the Miss Subways campaign.[365][366] The campaign was resurrected in 2004, for one year, as "Ms. Subways". It was part of the 100th anniversary celebrations. The monthly campaign, which included the winners' photos and biographical blurbs on placards in subway cards, featured such winners as Mona Freeman and prominent New York City restaurateur Ellen Goodman. The winner of this contest was Caroline Sanchez-Bernat, an actress from Morningside Heights.[367]

text: Subway Series[edit]

text: Subway Series is a term applied to any series of baseball games between New York City teams, as opposing teams can travel to compete merely by using the subway system. Subway Series is a term long used in New York, going back to series between the Brooklyn Dodgers or New York Giants and the New York Yankees in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, the term is used to describe the rivalry between the Yankees and the New York Mets. During the 2000 World Series, cars on the 4 train (which stopped at Yankee Stadium) were painted with Yankee colors, while cars on the 7 train (which stopped at Shea Stadium) had Mets colors.[368] The term could also be applied to the rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association, or the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League ever since the Nets and the Islanders moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.[369][370]

text: Holiday Train[edit]

text: Since 2003, the MTA has operated a Holiday Train on Sundays in November and December, from the first Sunday after Thanksgiving to the Sunday before Christmas Day.[371] This train was made of cars from the R1 through R9 series. The route made all stops between Second Avenue in Manhattan and Queens Plaza in Queens via the IND Sixth Avenue Line and the IND Queens Boulevard Line. In 2011, the train operated on Saturdays instead of Sundays.[372] In 2017, the train ran between Second Avenue and 96th Street.[373]

text: The contract, car numbers (and year built) used were Arnines, specifically R1 100 (built 1930), R1 381 (1931), R4 401 (1932), R4 484 (1932) – Bulls Eye lighting and a test P.A. system added in 1946, R6-3 1000 (1935), R6-1 1300 (1937), R7A 1575 (1938) – rebuilt in 1947 as a prototype for the R10 subway car, and R9 1802 (1940).[374]


document_title: 2017 Central Mexico earthquake

question_text: what type of boundary was the mexico earthquake

root

text: 2017 Central Mexico earthquake

text: Background[edit]

text: Mexico is one of the world's most seismically active regions, sitting atop several intersecting tectonic plates. The border between the Cocos Plate and North American Plate, along the Pacific Coast of Mexico, creates a subduction zone that generates large seismic events.[2] Activity along the edges of the Rivera and Caribbean plates also generate seismic events. All together, these seismic forces cause an average of 40 earthquakes a day in Mexico.[11]

tag: p

text: Mexico City is built on a dry lakebed with soft soil made up of sand and clay, which amplifies the destruction that major earthquakes cause.[12] Loose sediments near the surface slow the shockwaves' speed from 1.5 miles (2,414m) per second (8690.4 km/h) to roughly 150 feet (45,72m) per second (164.592 km/h).[13] This increases the shockwaves' amplitude, which causes more violent shaking. Deeper and denser soil layers increase amplified shockwaves' destructive duration.[13]

text: Less than two weeks before the Puebla earthquake, Mexico had been struck by an earthquake in Chiapas on 7 September, which killed almost 100 people. Despite its close timing, the Puebla earthquake was not an aftershock of the Chiapas event, as the epicenters were 650 km (400 mi) apart.[14]

text: The possibility of a link between the earthquakes was being investigated in the days after the second one. Big earthquakes can increase the long-term risk of seismic activity by transferring "static stress" to adjacent faults, but only at a distance of up to four times the length of the original rupture. In 19 September earthquake, static stress transfer was considered unlikely due to the distance between the earthquakes, in excess of the expected 400 km maximum. "Dynamic triggering", with seismic waves propagating from one quake affecting other faults, may operate at much longer distances, but usually happens within hours or a few days of the triggering quake; a 12-day gap is hard to explain.[15]

text: 19 September is designated as a day of remembrance for the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, which killed approximately 10,000 civilians. Every year at 11 a.m., a national earthquake drill is conducted by the government through the use of public loudspeakers located throughout Mexico City.[16] The 2017 drill took place as scheduled, at 11 a.m., around two hours before the central Mexico earthquake.[9][17]

text: Earthquake[edit]

text: According to the National Seismological Service (SSN) of Mexico, the epicenter was located 12 km (7.5 mi) southeast of Axochiapan, Morelos, and 120 km (75 mi) from Mexico City.[11] The earthquake was measured at a magnitude of 7.1, occurring at 13:14:40 Central Daylight Time, at a depth of 51 km (32 mi).[11] The United States Geological Survey (USGS) placed the epicenter 5 km (3.1 mi) ENE of San Juan Raboso and reported a measurement of VIII (Severe) on the Mercalli intensity scale;[2] While there was a report of strong shaking for about one minute, which is a long time for an earthquake,[18] acceleration/velocity/displacement seismograms at UNAM showed about 20 seconds of strong shaking with a period of ≈1 second.[19] SSN reported a peak ground acceleration of 112 cm/s2 (0.114 g0) at the Popocatépetl reporting station in Tlamacas, Estado de México.[11] According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred on a moderately dipping normal fault.[2]

text: According to the bulletin of Mexico's SASMEX earthquake warning system, 20 seconds' advance warning was given in Mexico City;[20] however the general experience in the capital was that the alarm and cellphone alerts started only a few seconds before, or during the quake.[21][22][23][24] Some residents reportedly mistook the alert for a continuation of the earlier drill.[25] 25 of the early-warning seismic sensors detected the earthquake, and alerts were also provided to Oaxaca, Acapulco, Chilpancingo, and Puebla, with lead times stated to range from 12 to 48 seconds.

text: Casualties[edit]

text:
Deaths as of 2 October 2017[update]

State
Deaths
Ref

Guerrero
6
[26]

Morelos
75
[26]

Oaxaca
1
[26]

Puebla
46
[26]

State of Mexico
15
[26]

Mexico City
228
[26]

Totals:
370
[26]

tag: table

text: Nine days after the earthquake, at least 361 people had been reported killed.[27][26] At least 74 people were killed in the state of Morelos, 220 in Mexico City, 45 in Puebla, 13 in the State of Mexico, 6 in the state of Guerrero and one in the state of Oaxaca.[27][28][26] In Mexico City, the bodies of 26 students and four instructors were pulled from the rubble of the Enrique C. Rébsamen school; 30 students and 8 adults were still unaccounted for as of the evening of 19 September[update].[29][30] The Mexico City campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education suffered damage, with at least 5 people killed and 40 injured.[31]

text: More than 6,000 people had been reported injured by the day after the earthquake, with more than 300 confirmed dead[32] as Mexico earthquake rescue efforts continue.

text: On 1 October the number of people known to have been killed was stated to be 361,[26] with more than 4,500 injured. By place, 220 were killed in Mexico City, 74 in the state of Morelos, 45 in Puebla, 15 in Mexico State, six in Guerrero, and one in Oaxaca.[33]

text: An investigation published in October 2017 revealed that since 2012 there had been over 6,000 complaints about construction violations in Mexico City, with no public record of how many were followed up. Many of the buildings complained about collapsed in the 19 September earthquake. After the earthquake the Urban Development and Housing Secretariat (Seduvi) did not respond to requests for information on responses to complaints. Local activists called the construction system totally corrupt, and said that some developers circumvent building regulations, and city authorities frequently ignore complaints.[34]

text: Damage and aftermath[edit]

text: In Puebla, church steeples had toppled in the city of Cholula,[35] and a church on the slopes of Popocatépetl in Atzitzihuacan collapsed during mass, killing 15 people.[35] A second church, which was built in the 17th century, fell in Atzala during a baptism, killing 11 people including the baby.[36]

text: At least 44 buildings collapsed in Mexico City due to the earthquake, trapping people inside, creating large plumes of dust, and starting fires.[35] At least 50 to 60 people were rescued by emergency workers and citizens.[28][37][28] Several buildings caught fire.[38] Condesa, Roma and del Valle neighbourhoods were among those most affected in the zone: a building located on Álvaro Obregón Avenue collapsed, and several buildings on Ámsterdam Avenue suffered damage.[39][40][41]

text: Gas leaks were reported, along with "piles" of rubble from collapsed buildings.[37] Stock prices declined at the Mexico Stock Exchange but recovered before trading was suspended.[42] Comisión Federal de Electricidad, the national electric utility, reported that 4.78 million customers lost power in Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla, State of Mexico, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala, and parts of Mexico City—roughly 35% of the company's customers in those states. However, none of the generating stations in the region sustained structural damage.[43]

text: Mexico City International Airport suspended operations while damage assessments took place, but reopened at 4:00 p.m. CDT (2100 UTC). 180 flights were cancelled or diverted during the closure.[44][3][45] A plane carrying President Enrique Peña Nieto, returning from touring damage in Oaxaca from the earlier Chiapas earthquake, was diverted to Santa Lucía Air Force Base.[46] Mexico City Metro service was temporarily cancelled on several subway lines due to a power failure, but restored by 17:30, offering free service to stranded passengers.[47] Building evacuations also caused delays to Metrobús service in the city.[48]

text: The federal Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB) declared a state of emergency for all 33 municipalities of Morelos,[49] for all 16 boroughs of Mexico City,[50] and 112 of the 217 municipalities of Puebla.[51] The declarations allow funds from the National Natural Disaster Fund (FONDEN) to be used during the emergency response phase.[49][50][51] The Mexican Army and Mexican Navy deployed 3,000 active-duty troops to Mexico City through the DN-III-E and Plan Marina emergency response plans. The troops were tasked with debris cleanup, search and rescue, and security missions. Additionally, the Secretariat of National Defence moved eight helicopters to Mexico City, and activated 3 shelters in the affected areas.[52]

text: A damage survey by American structural engineers revealed that a number of collapsed buildings had been erected in the 1960s and 1970s with unreinforced masonry walls confined by non-ductile concrete frames.[53]

text: All Round of 16 matches of the Copa MX, an association football cup competition, were suspended until further notice.[54]

text: The hashtag #FuerzaMéxico (Be strong, Mexico) was used on social media outlets.[55]

text: International response[edit]

text: The Israel Defense Forces sent a group of 71 search and rescue soldiers[56] including engineers, to help in the aftermath of the earthquake. The contingent had special dispensation to travel during the Rosh Hashanah holiday, normally forbidden under religious law.[57]

text: The Japan International Cooperation Agency sent a disaster relief team of 72 search-and-rescue personnel, four search dogs and five tons of equipment with personnel from the Japan Disaster Relief Team, Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's SAR officers.[58] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country remarked that it was a show of thanks, as Mexico had sent a search team to help Japan during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[59]

text: Turkish state aid agency TİKA sent humanitarian aid – including packages containing hygienic and medical supplies prepared in coordination with the Mexican Red Cross – to Mexico City and Xochimilco.[60] TIKA also provided tools and equipment to be used in search-and-rescue efforts.[60]

text: US President Donald Trump called Peña Nieto to offer condolences, while the White House has offered search and rescue assistance.[61] The U.S. Agency for International Development deployed an urban search and rescue team from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and experts from the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to the affected regions.[62]

text: Aftershocks[edit]

text:
2017 Central Mexico earthquake and aftershocks

Graph of earthquakes by magnitude

Map of earthquakes as of 22 September
Red mark indicates the mainshock

Number of aftershocks

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Collapsed building in Mexico City

President Peña Nieto addresses the media

Volunteers and rescuers working at collapsed building at Colonia Roma, Mexico City.

Volunteers and rescuers working at a collapsed warehouse, colonia Obrera, Mexico City.

Volunteers moving debris at Colonia Obrera, Mexico City

Crumbled sidewalk outside a Hilton hotel, Mexico City.

tag: ul


document_title: The Jacksons: An American Dream

question_text: who played michael jackson in jackson 5 movie

text: The Jacksons: An American Dream

text: Plot[edit]

text: The miniseries stars Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as the Jacksons' patriarch Joseph Jackson, Angela Bassett as the family matriarch Katherine Jackson, Alex Burrall, Jason Weaver and Wylie Draper played Michael Jackson in different eras, while Bumper Robinson and Terrence Howard played Jackie Jackson in different eras, Shakiem Jamar Evans and Angel Vargas played Tito Jackson, Margaret Avery as Katherine's mother Martha Scruse, Holly Robinson Peete as Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams as Berry Gordy and Vanessa L. Williams as Suzanne de Passe. The opening titles of the film shows footage of the real Jacksons rehearsing, performing on stage, a few clips from the "Can You Feel It" music video, album covers, magazine covers and pictures of the family. The film is mostly based on the autobiography written by Katherine Jackson, who issued the 1990 autobiography, My Family. Part one of the film was based on how Joseph and Katherine managed to raise their children, first in Gary, Indiana, then later dealing with The Jackson 5's early fame and its consequences. Part two of the film is based on the struggles of young Michael Jackson as he deals with his brothers marrying early into The Jackson 5 success, his problems with acne as a teenager, his eventual solo superstardom based on the success of his albums Off the Wall and Thriller and his legendary Motown 25 performance of "Billie Jean" as well as his difficult relationship with his father.

text: Michael Jackson’s voice is heard on: "Beat It," "Human Nature," "Billie Jean," "I Want You Back," "I Wanna Be Where You Are," "I'll Be There," "Rockin' Robin," "ABC," and "Dancing Machine." On all other songs, the Michael Jackson vocal part is performed by Anthony Harrell, Jason Weaver or Kipp Lennon.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs - Joseph Jackson
Angela Bassett - Katherine Jackson
Holly Robinson Peete - Diana Ross
Margaret Avery - Martha Scruse
Billy Dee Williams - Berry Gordy
Vanessa Williams - Suzanne de Passe
Wylie Draper - Michael Jackson

Abolade David Olatunde - Michael Jackson (baby)
Alex Burrall - Michael Jackson (ages 6–8)
Jason Weaver - Michael Jackson (ages 9–14)

Colin Steele - Jermaine Jackson

Jermaine Jackson II - Jermaine Jackson (ages 10–17)

Terrence Howard - Jackie Jackson

Bumper Robinson - Jackie Jackson (ages 12–16)

Monica Calhoun - Rebbie Jackson
Ebonie Smith - La Toya Jackson

Kelli Martin - La Toya Jackson (ages 8–10)

Angel Vargas - Tito Jackson

Shakiem Jamar Evans - Tito Jackson (ages 11–15)

Maya Nicole Johnson - Janet Jackson
Monica Allison - Hazel Gordy
Robert Redcross - Randy Jackson

Nicolas Phillips - Randy Jackson (age 7-9)

Marcus Maurice - Marlon Jackson

Floyd Myers, Jr. - Marlon Jackson (age 7-9)
Jacen Wilkerson - Marlon Jackson (ages 10–15)

text: Historical inaccuracies[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2015)

text:
The group is shown making a record of Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City". "Kansas City" was never covered by the Jackson 5, although the band did multiple covers of early hits.
In the Motown audition scene, Berry Gordy was not actually in attendance. Instead, the audition was videotaped and shown to Gordy at a later time.[2]
The Jacksons are shown getting an audition for Motown due to winning a talent show at the Apollo Theatre, and Joseph is touting it as their first signing. In actuality, the group's first recording contract was offered by Steeltown Records, a smaller agency based in their native Gary, Indiana, in 1967. The group had done one audition for Motown and was rejected. Following their moderate success with a couple of single tracks in Steeltown, the Jackson 5 felt confident enough to audition a second time for Motown, after which they were signed. In the film, prior to the Motown debut, Michael is seen in a recording studio, which may have been reference to their early career with Steeltown Records.
In the scene where Michael is seen shooting for the Pepsi commercial which caused his scalp to catch fire, it shows his body rolling down the stairs. In fact he actually walked down the stairs with his hair on fire and later realized and did a one rotation spin (not the usual spin move he did) and shaking his head wildly from the pain.
The film's depiction of Michael performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25 television special, has Jackson wearing his trademark white glove on his right hand. In reality, Michael wore it on his left hand that night. The style of the film's glove is also notably different, compared to the factual one.
The film lists 1959 as Michael's birth. Michael was actually born in 1958.

text: Reception[edit]

text: The Jacksons: An American Dream became one of the most popular and successful music-biography miniseries of the 1990s. Part 1 of the miniseries was the third highest-rated program broadcast during the week of November 9–15 with a 21.1 rating.[3] Part 2 of the miniseries was watched by 38.4 million viewers[4] in 22.3 million households[5] becoming the highest-rated program broadcast during the week of November 16–22[5] posting a 23.9 rating, and 36 share.[4] Overall, the miniseries was watched in 38.3 million households and posted a 22.3 rating and 33 share.[6]

text: The series won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Choreography, and was also nominated for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special, Outstanding Miniseries, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special.

text: Bumper Robinson won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor in a Television Movie, and Alex Burrall and Jason Weaver both won a special award for Outstanding Young Performers Starring in a Mini-Series. The miniseries was later rebroadcast on VH1 and released to VHS and DVD. The DVD version of the miniseries was released as a two-disc set. The first disc was named "The Early Years" and the second disc was named "The Success Years". In 2004, VH1 would produce Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, which picked up Michael's life from the end of The Jacksons to the present, which at the time included him standing trial on charges of child molestation.

text: The miniseries aired frequently after the death of Michael Jackson. It has been shown on TV One, BET, Centric and VH1. It is followed by Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
The Jacksons: An American Dream

Soundtrack album by The Jackson 5

Released
September 29, 1992

Recorded
1992

Genre
Soul, Funk

Length
37:51

Label
Motown

The Jackson 5 chronology

2300 Jackson Street
(1989)2300 Jackson Street1989
"The Jacksons: An American Dream"
(1992)
Soulsation!
(1995)Soulsation!1995

Singles from The Jacksons: An American Dream

text: Track listing[edit]

text: All songs performed by the Jackson 5 except where noted

text:
"Who's Lovin' You" [Live] - 5:39

Recorded live in Gary, Indiana, May 29, 1971

"Kansas City" (Jason Weaver) - 2:19
"I'll Be There" (Originally on Third Album)- 3:56
"In the Still of the Night" (Boyz II Men) - 2:51
"Walk on/The Love You Save" [Live] - 6:05

Recorded live in Gary, Indiana, May 29, 1971

"I Wanna Be Where You Are" (Jason Weaver) - 4:21
"Dancing Machine" (Originally on G.I.T.: Get It Together) - 3:17
"The Dream Goes On" (Jermaine Jackson) - 3:50
"I Want You Back/ABC" [Live] - 3:23

Recorded live at the Forum, Los Angeles. August 26, 1972 (Later issued in its entirety on Live at the Forum in 2010)

"Stay With Love" (Jermaine Jackson and Syreeta) - 4:19
"Never Can Say Goodbye" (Originally on Maybe Tomorrow)- 2:59
"You Are the Ones (Interlude)" (3T) - 1:51
"Dancing Machine [Remix]" - 3:43

tag: ol

text: Other songs done in the film but not put on the track:

text:
"Climb Every Mountain"
"Money (That's What I Want)"
"Baby I Need Your Loving"
"Where Did Our Love Go"
"Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit"
"Beat It"


document_title: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

question_text: who stars in kevin probably save the world

text: Kevin (Probably) Saves the World

text: Premise[edit]

text: Kevin, a down-on-his-luck man who survived a suicide attempt, moves in with his twin sister Amy, an engineer and professor at the local college, and Amy's teenage daughter Reese. Shortly after, he discovers a celestial being named Yvette; Yvette claims that God has tasked Kevin with saving the world, and sent Yvette to guide and protect him. Only Kevin can see and hear Yvette, so his conversations appear to be hallucinations to those around him. The series also explores a mystery, as there are supposed to be 36 righteous souls in each generation, but for unknown reasons, Kevin is the only one left.[3]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn
JoAnna Garcia as Amy Cabrera (née Finn)
Kimberly Hebert Gregory as Yvette
India de Beaufort as Kristin Allen
J. August Richards as Sheriff Deputy Nathan Purcell
Chloe East as Reese Cabrera
Dustin Ybarra as Tyler Medina

text: Recurring/Guest[edit]

text:
Barbara Eve Harris as Colonel O'Donnell
Michael Harney as Karl Gilmore
Sam Huntington as Jake Gilmore
Lesley Boone as Lucille
Emma Bell as Deb
Christian Ochoa as Ben
Lauren Blumenfeld as Ava
Richard Masur as Dr. Sloane
Kate Flannery as Anne
Will Sasso as Dave
Brandon Quinn as Ignacio "Iggy" DePerro
Anjali Bhimani as Susan Allen

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

1
"Pilot"
Paul McGuigan
Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters
October 3, 2017 (2017-10-03)
4.17[4]

After getting fired from his Wall Street job and surviving a suicide attempt, Kevin Finn returns to his hometown to live with his sister Amy, a widowed mom, and her teenage daughter Reese. While Amy is away at a work assignment, a meteor crashes to earth near her home. Kevin and Reese investigate, and when Kevin touches the meteorite, he is hurtled backward. He begins having strange visions, including a mysterious woman named Yvette that only Kevin can see. Yvette calls herself one of God's messengers, tasked with locating the 36 righteous souls of this generation, of which Kevin is the only one known to be left.

2
"Listen Up"
Kevin Dowling
Craig DiGregorio & Jack Kenny
October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
3.61[5]

Yvette tells Kevin that not even she knows what happened to the other 35 righteous ones, and that they'll have to let the universe guide them. While helping the son of a brewery pub owner find his true path, Kevin reconnects with his ex-girlfriend Kristin and the two sleep together. They ponder getting back together, but both remember how badly Kevin treated Kristin in the past and decide it's not a good idea. Kevin has a vision of an island surrounded by ocean.

3
"Sweet Little Lies"
Peter Leto
Chris Dingess & Davah Avena
October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17)
3.26[6]

Kevin tries to intervene as a wedding planner for Deb, whose former childhood friend proposed to her when she got cancer. But now that Deb is healthy, she reveals to Kevin that she does not want to get married. Kevin has a vision of a mariachi band. Yvette meets with Ava, a celestial messenger like herself. Ava says she will gather all the other messengers to meet about finding the rest of the righteous, but come meeting time, they are the only two to show up. Ava then says that she too is giving up.

4
"How to be Good"
J. Miller Tobin
Teleplay by: Brant Englestein
Story by: Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters
October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24)
2.87[7]

Kevin helps Lucille, Tyler's rude boss at the diner, and gets dragged into a feud between Lucille and her estranged sister, Anne. Kevin later has a vision of being in an Asian marketplace. Reese confronts Kevin about the strange things she's observed, and asks if the meteorite gave him superpowers.

5
"Brutal Acts of Kindness"
Rob Hardy
Craig DiGregorio
October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31)
2.71[8]

After Yvette convinces him to withdraw his entire $30,000 severance pay and give it away, Kevin helps a woman who cannot afford her son's diabetes medication. He later has a vision of being chased by a tiger through a jungle. Amy finds Reese's journal and sees that Kevin caused Reese to be thrown in jail. She angrily tells Kevin to pack up and move out.

6
"Rocky Road"
Wendey Stanzler
Jack Kenny
November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
2.91[9]

Kevin begins looking for places to stay, hitting up Tyler, Kristin and Nathan. He also helps a man who lost his job 18 months ago look for work, learning that the man never told his wife and has now exhausted their life savings. Angry at her mom, Reese skips school and runs away to an abandoned factory. Kevin and Amy arrive to talk her down, but Reese slips from her perch and falls. Yvette suspends Reese in mid air for a couple of seconds, allowing Kevin to get underneath and catch her. A dumbfounded Amy observes, and starts seeing Kevin the way Reese has seen him. Kevin gets a printout of all his previous visions, plus a new one of mountaintops in the clouds.

7
"Dave"
Ron Underwood
Chris Dingess
November 14, 2017 (2017-11-14)
2.62[10]

Kevin and Yvette are joined by Dave (Will Sasso), another celestial messenger, who helps them on Kevin's next assignment. The assignment turns out to be helping Kristin's cancer-stricken mother Susan (Anjali Bhimani) find some joy while living out her last days. Kevin later sees a vision of a flaming gazebo. Meanwhile, Amy wants to use science to figure out what she witnessed when Reese fell, and soon meets Iggy (Brandon Quinn), a theology professor who tries to convince her that it's okay for some things to remain unexplained. Also, Nathan tells Reese he wants to ask Amy out on a date, but Reese will not give him permission.

8
"Chrysalis"
Metin Hüseyin
Kevin Deiboldt
December 5, 2017 (2017-12-05)
2.62[11]

Kevin sees a vision of blue butterflies, and follows one to an art class held by Ethan (Enoch King). Kevin offers to help Ethan get over his fear of rejection by taking him to an art show, later realizing this will conflict with Reese's school play. Dave appears and reveals himself to Ethan, offering to take him to the art showing so Kevin can be with his family. At the same time, Yvette meets with Ava, who tells her that Dave has turned all the celestial messengers against her. Kevin angrily confronts Yvette about being able to reveal herself to other people, and asks what else she's hidden from him. Yvette admits she does not know if the other 35 righteous really exist, and is operating on faith alone. Kevin chooses to work with Dave, which backfires when Ethan gets scared and backs out of the show. Kevin returns to Yvette while making things right with Ethan by setting up a surprise showing of Ethan's paintings. Ethan offers a painting of a blue butterfly to Kevin as a thank you, also telling Kevin about a trip he took that inspired it. Kevin now knows where the next righteous soul will be found. Elsewhere, Kristin helps Amy prepare for her first date with Iggy, but later notices that Amy will not tell Nathan about the date.

9
"Probably"
Tamra Davis
Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters
December 12, 2017 (2017-12-12)
2.49[12]

Kevin travels to Laos, taking Tyler along. The two are befriended by Vong (David Huynh), whom Kevin and Yvette briefly think is the next righteous but he's not. Kevin sees another of his visions and wants to press on, but Yvette now has doubts and thinks Dave may have been right. Yvette appears as human and is approached by Tyler, who finds her fascinating. The two dance to a mariachi band (another of Kevin's earlier visions), which renews Yvette's faith. Kevin and Tyler, with help from Lucille on video chat, then help Vong's wife deliver their first child, and it turns out the baby is the next righteous soul. Back at home, Reese tells Amy that Nathan wanted to ask her out. Amy meets Nathan the next day and tells him about Iggy, but says she now knows she wasn't yet ready to date and is glad she realized this with someone she doesn't truly care about. Nathan later does something special for Amy.

10
"The Ugly Sleep"
J. Miller Tobin
Davah Avena
January 2, 2018 (2018-01-02)
2.62[13]

Kevin helps Charlie (Trent Garrett), who is despondent over a recent breakup, meet someone new, but when the someone new turns out to be Kristin, it leads to awkwardness. The situation causes Charlie to realize the girl he left is his one true love, and he returns to her. Inspired by Kevin's good deeds, Reese befriends a new girl at school who is struggling to fit in. Meanwhile, Yvette sees that Tyler is still smitten over her and tries to figure out a way to help him move on. Kevin has a vision of a snow-covered area in the woods. As the episode closes, Kristin tells Kevin that she submitted his name for an open substitute teacher position.

11
"Solo"[14]
Lee Rose
Kevin Deiboldt
January 9, 2018 (2018-01-09)
TBD

12
"Caught White-Handed"[15]
Jennifer Lynch
Brant Englestein
January 16, 2018 (2018-01-16)
TBD

text: Production[edit]

text: The series was originally called The Gospel of Kevin, but the name was changed since the show was not "overtly religious".[16]

text: The series was picked up for a 16-episode full season on November 10, 2017.[17]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Cristela Alonzo, who played a lead role as the heaven-sent entity in the original pilot, was replaced by Kimberly Hebert Gregory after the series was picked up.[18]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)

1
"Pilot"
October 3, 2017
1.0/4
4.17[4]
N/A
2.17
N/A
6.33[19]

2
"Listen Up"
October 10, 2017
0.8/3
3.61[5]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

3
"Sweet Little Lies"
October 17, 2017
0.8/3
3.26[6]
TBD
1.75
TBD
5.01[20]

4
"How to be Good"
October 24, 2017
0.7/3
2.87[7]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

5
"Brutal Acts of Kindness"
October 31, 2017
0.6/2
2.71[8]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

6
"Rocky Road"
November 7, 2017
0.7/3
2.91[9]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

7
"Dave"
November 14, 2017
0.7/3
2.62[10]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

8
"Chrysalis"
December 5, 2017
0.6/2
2.62[11]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

9
"Probably"
December 12, 2017
0.6/2
2.49[12]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

10
"The Ugly Sleep"
January 2, 2018
0.7/3
2.62[13]
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

11
"Solo"
January 9, 2018
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

12
"Caught White-Handed"
January 16, 2018
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 68% approval rating with an average rating of 6.73/10 based on 22 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Breezily entertaining, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World relies on its likable lead to carry its still-sketchy premise, hinting at deeper potential that's yet to develop."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 59 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[22]