Let me walk you though my morning Shuttle ride from GCT to Times Sq.
I was sprinting down the stairs with a train on Track 3 and the countdown clocks reporting 1 minute left. Sure enough as I got to the first door there was no space, as was the case in the next two doors, so I relented and let the doors close. Then, there was an annoucement that a "train was arrving on T4", Even though the train just arrived and was ready to open it's doors. So about 25 other people (and I) sprinted back and around to T4, and started the 50 foot sprint, up to the T4 train (Track 4 stops 50+ feet shy of the bumper for whatever reason).
As I was 30 feet away, and only 5-10 people safely on-board that came stright from the staricase, the auto PA annouced "Stand Clear on T4", as T1 was pulling in soon, and the T/O started to close the doors. Luckily an Asian gentleman observing the situation noticed the situation, and held the door for me and some other strangelers that got snubbed off T3. When I got up to the door, a few of us in-turn held the doors for the last few (mainly seniors/slow runners), that couldn't find space on T3, despite the idiotic T/O's yelling. Another minute of holding later (great bonding between random pax, though) we left with 30% of the seats in the last car taken, and one or two folks in the first and second car (which is ridculious considering that T3 left with no space in it's back two cars).
When we got to Times Sq, the same exact thing happened, the PA announced the closing of the doors, and people running around the loop to get to T4 made a chain reaction of holding for family/friends, which again makes sense.
The worst part of the whole experience was seeing the T1 train arrive (packed) moments after us, and seeing it's passengers make it to the N/R quicker, since it de-trains closer to the connections.
At this point, I'm no longer going to bother with tje T4 stupidity, and just wait for T1 or T3.
First a few suggestions and comments:
-One easy remidity would be to fix whatever the problem is on the T4 Platform that makes it stop 50 feet shy. If we had not held the doors for those seniors, they would have missed T3 due to overcrowding, T4 due to how far away it is and the stupid scheduling, and then T1 as they'd have to walk back and around, all in 30 seconds, too much for 70+ year olds.
-The next suggestion would be to board T3 on the T3/T4 island platform, that way if one misses T3, he or she mearly has to walk across the platfrom, not run around and up. And, consdering T1 stops close to the stairs, missing T3 would mean a closer walk to T1.
- Despite the automated PA, there should be some on-site staff directing people to the tracks, and the T/O should use common sense. I know he wants to get things going, but what's the point of operating back and forth if NO ONE is riding. Had no one held the doors, the train would have had 4 passengers to TSQ, and 10 passengers back to GCT, while T1/T3 have 200+ each.
-When T4 was closed earlier this Spring, at least in my opinnion, it was slightly more crowded, ut there was more orginization and less stress, which worked better. So maybe T4 shouldn't operate at all.
I was sprinting down the stairs with a train on Track 3 and the countdown clocks reporting 1 minute left. Sure enough as I got to the first door there was no space, as was the case in the next two doors, so I relented and let the doors close. Then, there was an annoucement that a "train was arrving on T4", Even though the train just arrived and was ready to open it's doors. So about 25 other people (and I) sprinted back and around to T4, and started the 50 foot sprint, up to the T4 train (Track 4 stops 50+ feet shy of the bumper for whatever reason).
As I was 30 feet away, and only 5-10 people safely on-board that came stright from the staricase, the auto PA annouced "Stand Clear on T4", as T1 was pulling in soon, and the T/O started to close the doors. Luckily an Asian gentleman observing the situation noticed the situation, and held the door for me and some other strangelers that got snubbed off T3. When I got up to the door, a few of us in-turn held the doors for the last few (mainly seniors/slow runners), that couldn't find space on T3, despite the idiotic T/O's yelling. Another minute of holding later (great bonding between random pax, though) we left with 30% of the seats in the last car taken, and one or two folks in the first and second car (which is ridculious considering that T3 left with no space in it's back two cars).
When we got to Times Sq, the same exact thing happened, the PA announced the closing of the doors, and people running around the loop to get to T4 made a chain reaction of holding for family/friends, which again makes sense.
The worst part of the whole experience was seeing the T1 train arrive (packed) moments after us, and seeing it's passengers make it to the N/R quicker, since it de-trains closer to the connections.
At this point, I'm no longer going to bother with tje T4 stupidity, and just wait for T1 or T3.
First a few suggestions and comments:
-One easy remidity would be to fix whatever the problem is on the T4 Platform that makes it stop 50 feet shy. If we had not held the doors for those seniors, they would have missed T3 due to overcrowding, T4 due to how far away it is and the stupid scheduling, and then T1 as they'd have to walk back and around, all in 30 seconds, too much for 70+ year olds.
-The next suggestion would be to board T3 on the T3/T4 island platform, that way if one misses T3, he or she mearly has to walk across the platfrom, not run around and up. And, consdering T1 stops close to the stairs, missing T3 would mean a closer walk to T1.
- Despite the automated PA, there should be some on-site staff directing people to the tracks, and the T/O should use common sense. I know he wants to get things going, but what's the point of operating back and forth if NO ONE is riding. Had no one held the doors, the train would have had 4 passengers to TSQ, and 10 passengers back to GCT, while T1/T3 have 200+ each.
-When T4 was closed earlier this Spring, at least in my opinnion, it was slightly more crowded, ut there was more orginization and less stress, which worked better. So maybe T4 shouldn't operate at all.