Nick of Time
While we appear to be hurtling toward a future of less reliable transit service, at least those of us with cell phones will be able to plan accordingly:
By
Ben Fried
12:02 PM EST on November 25, 2008
NYC subway weekday on-time performance, measured as the “percentage of trains that arrive at the terminal within 5 minutes ofthe scheduled arrival time.” Source: mta.info.
While we appear to be hurtling toward a future of less reliable transit service, at least those of us with cell phones will be able to plan accordingly:
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today launched an email and text messaging system that will notify registered customers of planned and unplanned service changes at any of the MTA’s family of transportation agencies… The system will be fully operational tomorrow morning.
Using the MTA’s website at www.mta.info, customers can register to receive alerts about any combination of subway lines, bus routes, rail lines, bridges or tunnels. They can choose to receive them 24/7, or only during a particular time of day or week.
Eat your heart out, Twitter.
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
More from Streetsblog New York City
Monday’s Headlines: We Fixed Congress Edition
DOT installed "don't walk" signs next to pedestrians ramps in Brooklyn, then removed them after Streetsblog started asking questions. Plus more news.
March 23, 2026
The City Is Doing to Prospect Park What It Needs to Do to All Parks
A long-awaited bike lane in Brooklyn will create almost full protected cycling coverage around Prospect Park — setting a new standard for the rest of the city.
March 23, 2026
NYC Pols To DOT: We Want More — And Better — Summer Streets!
A group of 29 current and former elected officials asked DOT to expand the car-free streets program so that it's not just a few random Saturdays along unconnected stretches.
March 23, 2026
Why Some Members of Congress Want to Go Big on Greenways
A new bill would multiply federal funding for walking and biking paths — even as some powerful congresspeople threaten to take away what we've already got.
March 23, 2026
Drunk Driver Arrested In High-Speed Harlem Crash That Killed Cyclist, Injured Four Others
The reckless speeding driver who killed one cyclist and injured four more people on Thursday night on the busy main street of Harlem has been arrested and charged with drunk driving and manslaughter, cops said on Saturday.
March 21, 2026
Comments Are Temporarily Disabled
Streetsblog is in the process of migrating our commenting system. During this transition, commenting is temporarily unavailable.
Once the migration is complete, you will be able to log back in and will have full access to your comment history. We appreciate your patience and look forward to having you back in the conversation soon.