October is nearly here, and the hottest part of the year is now behind us, thank God. Unfortunately, I ride the dilapidated New Haven line with its 20+ year old cars that have been in the process of being replaced since I was in high school. The current rumor is that the new cars will be coming in somewhere around 2009.  Rest assured, I will NOT be holding my breath waiting for that to happen.  My 2-year-old son will probably be retired by the time the new trains arrive.  The past couple of days have been in the 80’s and I’ve been unlucky enough to sit in cars without air conditioning two days in a row on my way home. For those of you who ride on a semi-functional MNRR line (read: any line OTHER than New Haven), you may not realize how disgusting and uncomfortable this can be. Take my word for it – it is not pleasant.  While I could rant for hours about the despicable condition of the trains that I ride ~225 days a year, my focus today will be the famed terminal – Grand Central – that marks the beginning and end of each of my work days.  Beautiful architecture, convenient transfers to subway lines, food & drink options galore (where else in NYC can you get a bottle of Heineken for $2.25?)…. Grand Central’s got it all, right?  

I have a request for the ultimate improvement to GCT, if I may be so bold:  ventilation on the hellish train platforms. Diesel fumes, and air so thick that you can cut it with a knife.  I’ve lost about 20 lbs in the past 4 months, and I’m convinced that 90% of that comes from sweating it out walking on the train platforms in Grand Central. 

 

If you spend more than 30 seconds on the platform, dehydration (and a possible asthma attack from the diesel fumes) is pretty much a given.  There are fans affixed to the ceiling every few hundred feet, but they are absolutely useless.  I’m not sure who to contact – the EPA, OSHA, Department of Health – but Satan himself would surely be uncomfortable in these conditions. 

 

I truly feel for the poor souls whose job it is to work on the platforms – they deserve hazard pay. MTA:  Do something.  Please.  I’d rather stab myself in the eyeball with a rusty coat hanger than stand on a platform in GCT for any period of time.