Disgruntled travellers were quick to point out that half the time you "can't even hear what the conductor says" between busted speakers and crackling audio transmissions, while some expressed concern that "condition[ing] riders to ignore audio messages" could pose a safety risk when it comes to emergency announcements.
The Redbirds trace their origins to 1959, with the debut of the R26, the first of nine closely related subway car types that became synonymous with New York's transit system.
Two decades ago, the state created a fund with tens of millions of dollars that was supposed to be in a lockbox to crack down on insurance fraud - but instead was funneled simply to law enforcement agencies' general operating funds. As a result only a tiny portion was spent actually fighting fraud.
According to the transit advocacy organization, the Transit Costs Project, a $40-billion, 40-year effort would add 41 miles of new subway lines and 64 new stations, resulting in 40,000 units of affordable housing and tens of thousands of more units of market-rate housing without even a single change to the current zoning regulations around the stations.
