By Gus Saltonstall
No matter the context, it can be a surge of adrenaline to spot something rare.
That is what happened this weekend, when Upper West Side native Louis Dzialo saw a 9 train in Manhattan.
Why is that a big deal?
The 9 train has been discontinued since 2005.
As many readers will remember, though, the 9 train ran during rush hours from 1989 to 2005 on the 1 train line from South Ferry in Lower Manhattan, though the Upper West Side, up to Van Cortland Park-242nd Street. The 9 train operated as the express alternative to the 1 train, skipping certain stops along the line.
The MTA decided to discontinue the line in the spring of 2005 as a result of the decreasing number of riders it benefited and its redundancy with the 1 line, along with alternative express lines.
It is unclear why a 9 train, which hasn’t been in operation for 20 years, appeared at the South Ferry stop in Lower Manhattan this weekend.
The MTA did confirm to West Side Rag that the 9 train is not returning.
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No – not a 9 train; a mislabeled 1.
Official sloppiness or passenger humor?
Hard to care about signage slippage:.Instead, how about subway service (including track/signal repair) being restored to 2005 levels.
No, I haven’t forgotten there was a subway strike at the end of 2005.
The MTA sends a survey every month that allows riders to rate their most used lines. It provides ample opportunities to complain and suggest improvements. They use that data to justify initiatives that benefit the riders.
You mean the surveys that take 20 minutes to fill out?
Those are joke.
Having new/rebuilt switches and signals on hand, and the competency to install the gear correctly would be a benefit.
Just an old roll sign that has made it this long without replacing! Or, a stopgap measure to replace an aged 1 sign with a bullet that’s at least the right color. Was the entire train outfitted with this signage or only one window/one car?
Wow, an old skip-stopper! This line was a puzzlement to me when I first moved to the city.
Ever notice the now-unused #1 stop at 91 st Street as your train rolls on to 96th?
Yes but that 91st station was closed more than 60 years ago, I believe. Well before the 9 train was discontinued
There is a green 8, red 9, green 10, purple 11, green 12, and red 13 on all the R62 and R62A rollsigns just in case. I believe they were delivered this way also.
No they weren’t, they were added with those numbers added in 1988 in anticipation for the 9 service which replaced the original rollsigns.
Neil Diamond:
🎶Hello, again, hello
Just called to say hello
I couldn’t sleep at all tonight
And I know it’s late
I couldn’t wait
Hello, my friend, hello
Just called to let you know
I think about you every night
When I’m here alone
And you’re there at home
Hello🎶
Lin-Manuel Miranda:
-I used to think we lived at the top of the world
When the world was just a subway map
And the one-slash-nine
Climbed a dotted line to my place
-There’s no nine train now
These route and destination displays can easily be tampered with by using an allen wrench. This was most likely just some teen playing around with it and leaving it as 9.
If you guys want to hear the R142 9 train announcements, here are the links:
https://youtu.be/hINL1F5atAc?si=mu77EaAQYGdATavq
https://youtu.be/mavqHeUkiEo?si=d41_IcHNWhk_icGB
YES! You heard me right, Dianne also did the 9 train announcements. They are deleted now but MrRailfan thankfully saved them!
What a waste of a story. The roll sign was in the wrong position – so what? And the 9 was not an express version of the 1 – they both skipped a handful of alternate stops, which resulted in a saving of probably 3 minutes. In addition, it incovenienced passengers who wanted to go from a #1 stop to a #9 stop. And it doubled the waiting time for those who wanted a skipped station. A failed experiment. (Skip-stop works on the J/Z because those are low-use stations. The 1/9 skipped stations were not.)
Actually it was to try to put more trains on the track which increased frequency for the rest of the line
I recommend canceling your subscription!
I bet you’re a real hoot at parties.
Does anyone else recall that there was a 9 train conductor who would announce the stops and would end with something like “this is the 9 train to x. It’s not the 1, but it’s just as much fun!”
I got a kick out of that every time.
. . . which reminds me of the IRT conductor in the 1980s who had a travelogue-worthy announcement for what could be found at each stop along the route of the no. 1. I remember him on the southbound morning run.
I’d like to see the express route to extended from 96th to 125th.
It’s not?
This makes me smile. I moved to New York in the 1990s as a young Columbia University student, brand new to New York. The 9 train, along with the 1, were part of my early New York DNA. For years after it was discontinued, I *still* told people when they asked how to get to my place that they could “take the 1 or the 9.” Number 9 Train, you may be gone but you will never be forgotten.
I would find a way to bring the 9 back.
Current 1 trains still have the signs for the number 9 trains. They just never show it. There’s a rolling mechanism that allows the sign holders to roll the sign from 1 to 9 and viceversa.