New Tech On 7 Line Will Make For Smoother Subway Rides, MTA Says

QUEENS, NY — The MTA is promising 7 train riders a smoother commute.

The transit authority this week finished installing a new technology on the 7 line that automatically optimizes trains' speed, acceleration and braking, instead of leaving those decisions up to individual train operators with "varying degrees of experience," the MTA said.

Train operators will still decide when the train leaves a station, control emergency braking and look out for obstacles on the tracks, according to the MTA.

The technology — called automatic train operation, or ATO — is already in place on the L line.

7 train service has been improving steadily since the MTA finished installing a modern signal system late last year, the agency says.

Thanks to ATO and the new signal system, called communications-based train control, the MTA says the 7 line has 29 trains running per hour at peak times, up from 25 to 27.

"It’s no coincidence that the two lines with CBTC and ATO have the best performance in the system," NYC Transit President Andy Byford said. "We’re excited about what the future may bring as we explore emerging additional technologies."