The Sorry State of New York’s Subways, Where Trouble Won’t Stop

I have lately tried to use New York’s subways as little as I can. I am not afraid of COVID-19 infection. There are many dangerous incidents on the train.

Last weekend, four homeless people were stabbed in succession, two of whom died. The suspect was the same in each case and was arrested, but then on Feb. 16, two Asian women were attacked by someone; it is reported that they were injured.

Beginning last fall, there were incidents of people being shoved off the platform onto the tracks, and I often hear stories about getting spat on by strangers. According to the media, many of those arrested suffer from psychological disorders and attack indiscriminately, day or night. I’m a little nervous when I do use the subway.

After a year of the pandemic, subway ridership has declined by 70%. As passenger numbers have plummeted, some [subway] lines have turned into places for homeless people to live, and the troubles are constant.

New York’s subways have many problems, such as decay and delay, but for more than 110 years they have run for 24 hours a day, and they are a symbol of an energetic town — even at night they are bustling with passengers. Even as the positive rate of COVID-19 tests declines, I keenly feel, looking at the sorry state of the subway, that some time will be needed for economic recovery.