Earlier this week I discussed Wednesday’s problems with Metro-North Train Time, part of MTA’s impressive new launch of web, mobile, and social media customer services.

After re-contacting the passengers in Greenwich and Cos Cob who reported the issue, I found out that in addition to the cancelled train not being reported in Train Time – there also was no late announcement over the PA at the platforms.

Now, I give Train Time a lot of slack, because its MTA taking some information that they do have and making it available to customers. It has its limitations, but most of these are well disclosed in the FAQ. (My advice would be to put the important limitations on the front of the app and label it a beta for a while so users will adjust their expectations).

But there is no excuse for the PA system not announcing a cancelled train to passengers waiting over a half hour on a cold platform at rush hour in January. The systematic procedure for ensuring that announcement gets made as soon as possible when the cancellation is confirmed is one which should have been in place since the beginning of time. It should also be iron-clad and redundant.

Sometimes I feel like MTA’s approach to a cancelled train is just ‘well, they’ll just take the next one’ but this is not the case at all. Each individual commuter needs to know as soon as possible about a cancelled train so they can decide whether they will wait for the next (overcrowded) train and be late for work (and call in now to avoid problems with the boss), jump in their car and drive to the city so they won’t be late or miss their appointment, work from home or take the day off.

Without a timely PA announcement, riders do not have the information they need to make these important decisions.

Update: I received a note from a reader – Sandra – this morning that there was a similar failure to notify riders of a cancelled train (7:20 AM Express) out of New Hamburg this morning!

Hi Chris,

Yes, this was today, one of the windiest and rainiest…Here is a timeline:

7:20 – no train

7:25 – an announcement is made by a male about the 7:36 train having a track change (to the opposite side of the platform from us)

7:27 – an announcement is made again at the 7:36, and then he adds that the 7:20 is having a 10 minute delay due to some mechanical problems.

7:30 – a female announces the 7:36 track change and that the 7:20 train is north of New Hamburg

7:32 – same announcement from the female

A lot of people run over to other platform to take the 7:36, that they call an express but it is really a local and many of us opt to wait for the 7:20 since a late 7:20 is still better than a crowded 7:36 that makes a lot of stops.

We never hear another announcement about the 7:20 and we take the 8:10 local that comes by, meanwhile branches are breaking above the platform and my umbrella breaks — but not sure I can blame the MTA for that!

Thanks,
Sandra