N to Nowhere???

In a few short months I've had some interesting subway rides, like any New Yorker. However, Sunday night is one that still leaves me puzzled and just a bit annoyed...


First, an overview of the MTA/NYCT (for those of you from New York, or familiar with our subway system, you can skip this paragraph). Unlike other cities with less complex system, New York's system is divided into different trains that at times share lines. There is a total of 24 different trains (with different color codes to simplify the reading of the map): 1,2,3 (Red); 4,5,6 (Green); 7 (Purple); A,C,E (Blue); B,D,F,V (Orange); G (Lime); J,M,Z (Brown); L (Grey); N,Q,R,W (Yellow); and some S Shuttles (Black). Construction is on going on the T Train (which is slated to be Teal).
[As an aside, the reason some are numbers and some are letters have to do with the width of the rail track. NYCT is a combination of three previous train companies. The numbered trains, from one company, use a narrower train for for a more narrow track vs. the other two companies, who's descendants are the letter trains.]
Different trains run different schedules during weekdays (peaks and non peak), weekends, and late nights (between midnight and 5AM, roughly). Some trains run local (meaning they hit every stop along their line), others run express (only hitting the main stops). Some express trains run express all the time, others run local at late ngiht, etc. Basically, the system is complex.
Due to all these issues, sometimes strange things happen. I've been on "express" trains that start their late night local as early as 9:30-10PM (which gets a bit annoying). Weekends and late nights are also prone to many unusual circumstances, due to track work. However, these are posted, so at elast, as a passenger, you know what is goign on. Sunday night however, lacked any of these indications. Ok, on to the story:

Following a Sunday of generous beer at Gym Bar, I stopped by my office to pick something up, and catch the train home to Brooklyn. On the platform at Union Square, I went through the turnstile at about 7:10PM. First train to come was a Q train, which would run express, but only get me to Atlantic Ave./Pacific St. before having to take the local R train. I passed on the Q (maybe should have taken it). Next train was a local R. [Again, an aside, but the R-local runs a track all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan (known as the Whitehall track), while the Express N/Q trains go over the Manhattan Bridge (eliminating about 6 additional stops).]

Finally after about 10 minutes an N train comes, I hop on, and begin the trek home. After the Canal Street stop, when we didn't pop right out up onto the bridge, I got suspicious. For some reason, at 7:20ish on a Sunday evening, we were going the Whitehall path instead of over the bridge, not stopping at the stations, but still routing through the longer path.

As we're coming close to the Atlantic Ave./Pacific St. stop, the train stops (happens more than it should), but stays stopped. We're informed by the conductor, that the emergency brake had been activated, and that the operator was going to check it out, we would hopefully be moving shortly, and please be patient. [This is one of the most enjoyable things the MTA has to say in any situation: "Please be patient," as if any of us has a choice in the matter.]

We're stopped for 15-20 minutes, with two other similar announcements from the conductor, informing us of the operator examining the emergency brake. At this point, two NYPD officers enter from the car forward ours, explaining us that this train is being canceled, and to exit the train at the front two cars. We gather up our stuff and trudge through the cars, only to find that the front two cars of this train actually had platformed at Pacific St., with plenty of people waiting around for trains. Now why, with all this time the break was being examined, they didn't let us off the train up until now, I have no idea. But ok, fine, that N train was canceled, I'll wait for another N or an R (whichever comes first).

About 5-7 minutes later, the N train, now empty of passengers, begins to move again. You would think it would proceed throguh the station to wherever it was ultiamtely going to rejoin service. Well it did - it came to the end of the Pacific St. platform, stopped, opened its doors, and was continuing on to Coney island, it's final stop. I got on, took it one more stop, before switching to the R train (which is required to get to my final destination).

So to recap, at approximately 7:15-7:20 on a Sunday evening, the N train, which is supposed to cross over the Manhattan Bridge to run express through Brooklyn, instead follows the longer Whitehall Path, not stopping at the stations, only to stop right before the Pacific St. station for 15-20 minutes due to "an activiation of the emergency brake.", when we actually were partially on the platform. The police cancel the train, empty it out, and a few minutes later, it comes to a stop completely on the platform, opens its doors, and reloads with passengers. The total time of this adventure, from Union Square back to Bay Ridge was 85 minutes (including the 7-10 mintues waiting for the first train). This trip usually takes about 45 minutes. Certainly on this day the MTA may have been goign someday's way...but it wasn't mine.

~SS