Kingsbridge Capital

Kingsbridge Capital

Kingsbridge Capital

A previous article discussed the ongoing attempts of the MTA to remove all station agents from the entrances of NYC subway stations. Simultaneously and mostly out of the public eye, the agency is also trying to remove all subway conductors from the trains. This would result in almost a complete dehumanization of the subway system.

Brief History

In the late 1980's, the MTA decided to pursue a program called One-Person Train Operation (OPTO). By installing closed circuit TV, mirrors and compulsively purchasing new subway trains exclusively with full-width cabs, the agency felt that the motorman could drive the train and open/close the doors. Unlike the closing of token booths, the MTA was not required to hold public hearings so that with the exception of riders on the lines affected, most of the NYC public is unaware of the program. It was up to the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and its contracts with the MTA, to keep the agency at bay.

In the middle of 1996, the MTA won the approval from the contract arbitrator to do a pilot program on 5 shuttle trains (NY Daily News 9/1/96). The shuttles were not full-length (8 or 10 cars)–only 4 cars long or less–and since they operated on weekends and at night, they didn’t carry too many riders. Shortly after the pilot started, the MTA announced that it planned to reduce the A, D, R, and N lines to 4 cars during nights and weekends and to remove the conductors on the G train at all times, once the pilot was complete (NY Daily News 9/6/96).