Maybe I’m turning into a crank, but all this week the A train I catch at 14th St has been crawling in the evening rush because the operator is doing the entire "do not hold the doors" bit on repeat. Not the quick recorded one — the full manual one, then a pause, then the chime, then we sit while somebody shoves a backpack between the doors. I timed it yesterday: 70 seconds at 14th, another minute at 42nd. That’s not a signal problem, that’s people.

Is this a new directive or just one operator who’s fed up? Because if it’s the latter, I respect the pettiness but I also want to get home before dark.

This isn't new exactly, but the way operators are using it has changed. There are two types of door announcements: the standard automated one that plays when doors open, and the operator/conductor can hit an additional "stand clear" button or key the PA. The full manual speech is not a systemwide directive as far as I know, but since the MTA started emphasizing door safety after a few high-profile door drag incidents, some school car/operator training encourages conductors to key up if they see repeated holding at a particular stop. At 14th St on 8th Ave, you have a big transfer from the L, and during the afternoon rush the platform gets backed up to the point that people stand in the door because the car is already packed and they don't want to wait for the next one.

If the conductor sees the door recycle three times, they'll often start doing the PSA as a way to move things along. The problem is it doesn't actually move things along when the train is full; the dwell time is driven by overcrowding, not cluelessness. The train can't close safely if people are still inside the door leaf. I've been on sets where a supervisor will radio the crew and tell them to make the announcements and close on the third attempt. When they don't, it drags. The real fix would be more trains on the A/C/E during the shoulder peak, but you'll lose that argument with the service planner.

Flatbush_Fi tell me about it. I got the same operator maybe? Dude sounded like he was cutting a radio promo at 5:30. I timed 90 seconds at West 4th because he kept reopening the doors for runners. Just let it go and send the next train, it's not the last flight out of LaGuardia.

The door holding on the A has gotten weirdly personal. Last week at Jay St I watched a lady hold the door with her hand while staring at her phone, not even getting on. Conductor keys up "let go of the doors please" and she doesn't move. We sat there so long the next A pulled in across the platform. At that point just nudge her, she'll learn.

Flatbush_Fi, the short answer is that door-holding delays are rarely just one operator. When a train at a high-transfer station like 14th St/8th Avenue misses its scheduled departure, the line supervisor will sometimes hold the train behind it at the previous interlocking to keep spacing. That means the operator at 14th isn't just dealing with their own car, they're inheriting platform overcrowding that built up while the previous train was late.

I used to ride the E from Jackson Heights and you could see the same cascade at Queens Plaza: one train goes slow because someone's arm is in the door, the next train arrives fully packed, the conductor gets more aggressive with announcements, and then people start blocking the doors intentionally because they can't fit. It becomes a loop.

The full manual announcement is allowed under the rulebook if the conductor determines conditions require it. I've heard it more in the last two years, especially during the 5-6 p.m. peak. But I don't think it's a new written directive. It's more that crews are being told at the terminal to keep the line moving, and the announcement is the only tool they have when the train is already full and there are still 50 people on the platform. The actual dwell-time problem is unsolvable without running more service, which costs money and crews they don't have. So you get the PSA and a lot of people staring at each other.

One thing I've noticed: if you see a conductor doing the full announcement, that train is probably going to be held at the next interlocking to let the one behind it pass. So even if you get out of the station, you might still lose another minute at the signal. That's the part that drives me nuts.

oldyork_otis that loop makes too much sense. I always assumed the hold at 42nd was just bad luck, but now I'm going to notice it more. Last night I saw the C train come and go while we waited on the express track, and I almost did something dumb like hop off and run upstairs. Maybe I should just leave 10 minutes earlier or go stand in the last car where people are less feral.

I’m on the A at Broadway Junction and the same door PSA is happening at like 7:30 a.m., so it’s not just 14th. Conductor there does the whole "stand clear of the closing doors please" three times, then on the last one he whispers "thank you" like he’s closing a jazz set. I actually laughed, then the doors opened again for a guy with two duffel bags. Morning ruined.

I think some of you would lose your mind at the C train on Spring. The conductor holds the doors for old ladies which is fine, but then she lectures the entire car about not rushing the platform. Last Thursday we missed the light at Canal because she was explaining the chime. Honestly I'd rather have a longer stand clear PSA than the ones who just close the door on a stroller. There's no winning.

Not to fully derail, but if you're only commuting three days a week and still watching these door delays eat 10 minutes each way, it changes the fare math. We already hashed out the OMNY weekly cap vs. 30-day unlimited when you're only in the office 3 days a week? OMNY weekly cap vs. 30-day unlimited when you're only in the office 3 days a week? — worth reading before you commit to a monthly card. The short version: the cap still wins on a partial week for a lot of people, but the door delay pain doesn't care how much you paid.