MTA Testing its Broken Signals

The Save Safe Seconds program is testing the beleaguered subway system's signal timers.

1 minute read

November 9, 2018, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Subway Tunnel

Timmy / Flickr

Dan Rivoli reports on the New York MTA’s Save Safe Seconds program, which aims to speed up subway service by testing and discovering signals that slow trains down in the city's subway system.

"The MTA has tested signals on about 90% of the subway system since September," discovering 91 malfunctioning signal timers.

Once the Save Safe Seconds program has completed its testing, "[t]ransit officials plan a program to fix malfunctioning signals. They’ll start on the 1 and Q lines. Then they’ll move on to the D, N and R lines in Brooklyn’s Fourth Ave. line. They also plan to fix signals on the J, M and Z lines on the Williamsburg Bridge and east of Essex St. so they’ll be in shape before the L train shutdown in April."

The article includes more details on the process MTA is using to test the signals, the effect of malfunctioning signals on system performance, and the effect of repaired signals on train speeds.

Monday, October 29, 2018 in New York Daily News

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Passengers board an Amtrak train under a cloudy sky.

Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement

The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.

September 18, 2026 - Mass Transit

An Airo train driving towards the camera on a track. There is a forest behind it.

Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet

Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.

September 22, 2026 - Washington State Standard

The Gross Reservoir, a large body of water surrounded by trees and mountains.

Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion

Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.

September 18, 2026 - Inside Climate News

A rendering of the proposed building, which is tall and highlighted in yellow to stand out from the surrounding buildings.

NYC to turn city-owned property into thousands of homes

The city has scheduled a public hearing regarding the development for October.

September 29 - Gothamist

The new busway. The pavement is painted red, indicating it as a bus-only lane.

Buses travel at 5mph along this route in NYC. The Bronx's first-ever busway looks to change that

Prior to the busway, buses on the Bx36 route traveled as slowly as 5 miles per hour.

September 29 - Mass Transit

People cross the street in downtown Pittsburg.

Pittsburg launches 'EZ permits,' aims for one-day turnaround for low-risk permits

The pilot ‘fast lane’ for permits is part of a bundle of modernization efforts for Pittsburg’s permitting process.

September 29 - Smart Cities Dive

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Senior Planner

City of Thousand Oaks

Community Development Director

City of Wisconsin Rapids

Professor of Urban Planning

Harvard University Graduate School of Design