Great scoop on Page 1 of yesterday’s NY Times–Page 1, as in, war and the economy and national healthcare, Page 1–about how Metro-North trains leave a minute, on average, after their scheduled departure.
Michael Grynbaum does the spadework on this one, and finds out that conductors are told to leave a minute after the printed departure time, though when they actually leave is up to them.
Metro-North didn’t seem to psyched to have one of its oldest secrets out of the bag.
The phantom minute, in place for decades and published only in private timetables for employees, is meant as a grace period for stragglers who need the extra time to scramble off the platform and onto the train.
“If everyone knows they get an extra minute, they’re going to lollygag,” explained Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for the Metro-North Railroad. Told of this article, Ms. Anders laughed. “Don’t blow our cover!” she said.
Grynbaum surveyed 20 trains, and found they left 58 seconds after their scheduled time.
Call it a New York Minute–the 60-second delay does not appear to happen in other big cities around the country.
The practice has been going on “forever,” according to Jack Swanberg, 70, an unofficial historian of Metro-North who once oversaw departures at Grand Central Terminal.
“I was the trainmaster starting in 1970, and it was the case then. I’m sure it’s been the case since 1870 for all I know.”
After nearly three years of dissecting every conceivable angle of Metro-North travel–much of it related to departure and arrival times–I have no idea how I never ended up writing about this before. I’d noticed that trains never, ever left right at their scheduled times, but never imagined it was part of Metro-North’s official procedures.
Since you’re leaving the Big Apple, Metro North gives you back the precious “New York Minute.” Don’t tell Don Henley…