TWO-WAY RADIO COMMUNICATION MASS TRANSPORTATION DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

EXISTING EQUIPMENT PRIOR TO THE DEMONSTRATION REQUIRED THAT TRAIN CREWS DESCEND TO THE TRACKS TO REPORT TROUBLE, WHILE POLICE HAD TO RELY ON CONVENTIONAL TELEPHONES AVAILABLE ONLY IN STATION CLERKS' BOOTHES. A VARIETY OF ALTERNATIVE MOBILE SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS WERE CONSIDERED, INCLUDING TRAIN-TO-WAYSIDE INTERCOM SYSTEMS CURRENTLY USED IN CHICAGO, TORONTO, AND LONDON. THESE PROVED TOO LIMITED IN SCOPE FOR THE COMPLEX NEW YORK CITY SUBWAY NETWORK. A PORTABLE, TRANSISTORIZED TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER WAS JUDGED IDEAL, PARTICULARLY FOR THE POLICEMEN WHO REQUIRED COMPACT, DURABLE EQUIPMENT. THE ENGINEERING, OPERATION, AND MAINTENANCE OF THE SELECTED SYSTEM IS DOCUMENTED. THE IMPROVED COMMUNICATIONS WERE EVALUATED PRIMARILY IN TERMS OF REDUCED TRAIN DELAYS AND POLICE REACTION TIME. THE LATTER WAS DEMONSTRATED TO BE PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE. MESSAGE DELAYS BETWEEN POLICE DISPATCHERS AND TRANSIT PATROLLMEN WERE REDUCED BY 99%, AND THE RATIO BETWEEN CRIMES AND ARRESTS IMPROVED BY 8% DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS AND ROSE TO 95% AT NIGHT. OVERALL OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY ALSO SHOWED SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF TRAIN DELAYS PER MONTH DECREASED 41%, AND THE AVERAGE DURATION OF SUCH DELAYS DECREASED 9% IN THE TEST AREA AS COMPARED WITH THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE. RIDERSHIP WITHIN THE TEST AREA WAS ALSO SHOWN TO INCREASE DURING THE DEMONSTRATION. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT OVERALL, THE PROJECT WAS SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH TO WARRANT THE USE OF TWO-WAY RADIO EQUIPMENT THROUGHOUT THE NEW YORK SUBWAY SYSTEM. APPENDICES DEAL WITH CAPITAL AND OVERHEAD COSTS FOR THE PROJECT, AND REQUIREMENTS FOR EXTENSION OF THE SYSTEM TO OTHER DIVISIONS OF THE SUBWAY NETWORK. /UMTA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • PROJ NO NY-MTD-8
• Corporate Authors:

  New York City Transit Authority

  370 Jay Street
  Brooklyn, NY  United States  11201
• Publication Date: 1968

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communication; Communication systems; Maintenance; Police; Radio; Subways; Transistors
• Old TRIS Terms: Crews; Two way communication
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00226464
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 7 1972 12:00AM