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Posted by
GojiMet86
on Fri Jan 6 10:19:28 2017, in response to Re: N to 96/2, posted by Michael549 on Fri Jan 6 08:04:30 2017.
edf40wrjww2msgDetail:detailStr There has always been more confusion for passengers when the (N) train that supposedly runs to Astoria actually only heads to 57th Street. It's a big pain in the ass for them. They don't know why their (N) ended at 57th Street, even if the announcements said otherwise. And especially in tourist-heavy Midtown. The same would have applied now for 96th Street, if they had decided to keep these trains signed up as (N).
There has always been less confusion when an (N) train starts at 57th Street and heads to Brooklyn. I've seen it myself. People waiting at 57th for their (N) just plop into that train, no hesitation. The (N) that runs FROM 96th to Brooklyn is signed up as an (N). But it's only three stops, and people who ride the (Q) know that the (N) makes the same stops in Manhattan.
Run a (Q) via Sea Beach, and people are not as confused, because they know the (Q) train makes the same stops in Manhattan. If they don't feel comfortable, then they just wait it out for their (N). They won't think much. Nor do they know that the (Q) they skipped out on is really a (N) train with an (N) crew.
It is a big inconvenience for passengers to be on a train that is associated with heading to Astoria when it is actually running to 96th Street.
I'll repeat my post from before:
I was on a 57th Street R68 (N) a month ago. It was signed up as Astoria, but it ended at 57th Street. The Conductor made (barely audible) announcements at 34th Street and 42nd Street that the train was a 57th Street-bound train. Many people still stayed on thinking it was an Astoria train. I know this because I had to help a group of 6 heading to LaGuardia, and many others getting off at 57th Street went across the platform to wait for the (N) train.
Now, this was with an R68, with its paper signs and not so loud intercom.
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The R160s that head to 57th Street say the (N) 57th Street program.
But when people on the platform look to see what train is coming, they see the FRONT end first, and they see (N). They don't stop to see the side signs, because they EXPECT their (N) to be NORMAL. And the people who see the SIDE signs want to see the LETTER, not the other information. They already know from their prior everyday knowledge and what the MTA has told them that (N) trains run express and run to Astoria. And when the train READS it is running to ANOTHER destination other than where is it supposed to go, the first thought is "It's WRONG". It is not "This is a short-turn (N) that ends at 57th Street because the Astoria can't handle that many Trains-Per-Hour".
It is only until the conductor makes the MANUAL announcement and the intercom makes that loud DING sound that people realize that the train is running to 57th Street. Then it is a hassle for them. They think "Great, I now have to transfer" or "Why is ending early? Is there something wrong?" or "What did he/she say?"
Whatever the signs say, it is the Conductor's own announcement that people look to as the ultimate announcement. That is why Conductors on any model of train repeat information when a train is diverted or when a train is running express when it is supposed to be running local. The NTT automated announcements say their piece once and they say the same information. People become accustomed to the messages, so they don't pay attention to them. People know the DING means the Conductor has to make a different announcement from the usual routine.
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Run a train that says (Q) via Sea Beach, and people will very likely take the train. Many people know that the (Q) makes the same EXPRESS stops as the (N) in Manhattan and think "I can take this train to Manhattan, because I know it stops at Midtown and I know it stops at my stop (Canal, 14th, 34th, 42nd)".
Those going to the Manhattan local stops will do the same thing that they do with their usual (N) routine: Transfer to the local train. Those going to Astoria think "I can transfer to a (W) train, because when I know the (W) goes to Astoria".
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I have observed that in general, it is a lot harder to get people off a train than it is to get them on. Which is why running a (Q) train via Sea Beach is better than running a (N) to 96th Street.
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