Recommendations for MTA Metro-North (and the cities/towns/states in charge of stations)

• electronic signs
  • inside the train to announce station stops, indicate destination
  • on the outside the train to indicate destination
  • above the platform to indicate destination
  • inside the waiting room, to announce train arrival and track number
• seats with fold-down trays for eating/laptops/work
• pockets on seat back to hold magazines and newspapers (so they don't end up on the floor)
• more toilets at stations
• more benches on platforms at stations (especially Stamford, Harlem 125th Street, Fordham)
• more maps and schedules posted, and subway/bus MetroCard Machines
• cheaper ticket to Harlem-125th Street Station, more gradation between intermediate ticket prices (eg, going from one station to the next should be less than $2.25); more discounts (for college students, small groups, weekends, different times of day)
• better interchange between 3 lines at stations in the Bronx
• easier to read/fold schedules (combine the different lines into one book, with turning pages)
• places for wheelchairs, strollers, and bikes on board
• carset lineups should be standardized and published (i.e., bar car location, train length, along with track number)
• connecting trains should wait for passengers coming from New Haven (and other locations), not just from New York
• add information about bicycle parking at train stations to stations section (MTA Metro-North Stations), in addition to exisiting car parking and bus/Amtrak connection information
• More consistant schedules (ie, New Canaan has no outbound trains on weekdays from 5:15 to 7:30 pm, and the first inbound weekday train arrives at only 8:39 am, while on weekends it's 7:14 am). Better late-night service (the last connecting train to New Canaan from Grand Central leaves at 11:17 pm weekends and weekdays, although there are later trains bound for Stamford and New Haven).
• escalators at stations should shut themselves off after a period of inactivity and turn themselves on when someone approaches
• Ticket machines available on board trains (to avoid those high on-board ticket purchase fees)

They've done these: -a way to get in touch with them via email mailto:pbernard@mtahq.org,Strum@mnr.org,Vaughan@mnr.org,Jasam@optonline.net,aszegda@mtahq.org,jmathai@mtahq.org,syoung@mtahq.org

• Make public the neighborhood maps found in subway stations by placing them on the MTA web site (like the lower Manhattan map currently available on their web site)

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