Riders unite to tell ‘Subway Horror Stories’

Paint peels from the ceiling at the 42nd Street A/C/E subway station in Manhattan Thursday, May 14, 2015. New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer say dirt and other poor conditions is the fault of the MTA. Photo Credit: Hugo Boss

Of the 8 million stories in the naked city, at least 400 are about subway travel.

These tales of woe from subway passengers suffering through worrisome delays, claustrophobic overcrowding and rat-infested stations were compiled into a book by the Riders Alliance, a grassroots transit group.

The book, “Subway Horror Stories,” is dedicated to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is being pressured to figure out a way to fund the MTA’s $32 billion plan to get the transit system in working order at a time when subway service is noticeably deteriorating. The MTA is $14 billion short of what it needs.

The group’s members held a mock campfire reading in front of Cuomo’s Manhattan office yesterday. Reps did not return a request for comment.

“He’s the only one that can make sure that we don’t have a second volume of our horror stories and that we have a happy ending,” said Jess Nizar, senior organizer with Riders Alliance.

The Rats Are On the Steps

“I am in the subway every morning at 4:45 a.m. and the rats in this subway station are so horrible that sometimes you can’t even walk up and down the steps because the rats are on the steps to the platform. They get really close to people — it’s disgusting and dangerous. Please get rid of the rats before someone gets bitten!”

— Francine A, Manhattan

Pushed Off a Crowded Train and Broke My Fibula

“On an overcrowded 4/5 train which was impossible to get on in the first place, I tried to transfer to the 6 train across the platform and no one would move or get out to let me off — if you move to let someone off, you might not get back on. I pushed my way through and then someone shoved me off the train onto the platform. I fell and broke my fibula.”

— Sandra Y, Manhattan

I See Altercations When People Are Crushed

“Frequently I see altercations and angry actions when people are crushed in like sardines during the morning and evening rush on the F train. It is dangerous and will eventually be a repellent to the very residents critical to the economic vitality of the metro area.”

— Michael J, Brooklyn