Why is the New York City subway so hot?
If you've ever taken the New York subway in summer, you know the heat on the platforms is unbearable. Here's why the underground gets so scorching—and what you can do about it.
Summer in New York’s streets is notoriously hot, but it’s nothing compared to the heat on the subway platforms. In early August 2018, a New York transit riders’ group recorded a record temperature of 40°C (104°F) at Union Square station and several other major stations in Manhattan.
Why such extreme heat in a city known for air conditioning? There are two reasons:
- First, the simple fact: surprisingly, of the 472 New York subway stations, very few have air conditioning systems. Most stations rely on outdated ventilation equipment.
- It gets worse: the heat is intensified because the trains themselves have air conditioning. The hot air from the trains is expelled directly into the tunnels, warming the stations as trains pass through. The more trains that run, the hotter the stations become.
The problem won’t be solved anytime soon. The MTA, New York’s transit authority, explains that installing modern air conditioning in existing stations is impossible due to the narrow tunnel design. Subway riders and tourists will continue to endure the summer heat.
Here are two tips to make it more bearable:
- To suffer less from the heat, wait as long as possible before going down to the platform—ideally just as the train arrives. You’ll catch the breeze that often flows up the stairs.
- Bring a light sweater or jacket despite the heat outside. Subway cars are cooled to very low temperatures, and the temperature swings can be uncomfortable.