Faulty AC units on NYC’s 1 train put riders on fast track to hell

The 1 train might be a local — but it’s often an express ride to a sweaty commute on hot summer days.

That’s because the air conditioning units on the line’s subway cars are old and constantly in need of repair, according to a former head MTA mechanic who knows the cars inside and out.

“These [1 train] cars have a history of having air conditioning problems,” said Steve Halvax, who oversaw subway train maintenance before he retired from the MTA in 2020. “When it gets really hot, the s--- hits the fan because the units, they’re just not taken care of.”

Halvax said the cars are still in the same bad shape they were in when he was overseeing their repairs. But 1 train riders don’t need an expert to tell them that they’re more likely to face boiling commutes every summer.

Gothamist rode the 1 train this week with a thermometer gun to see just how hot the cars get. On Monday, temperatures in one car without a working air conditioner clocked in at 95 degrees. The temperature on the street was 82 degrees, and temperatures on 1 train cars with functioning air conditioners hovered between 75 and 78 degrees.

“Ugh,” said Helene Liss, who got on the 95-degree car at Canal Street. “Thinking about if I can move quickly to another car. I’m probably just going to ride it out, because I’m only going to 72nd.”

Liss, 52, said it was far from her first time dealing with a steaming car on the 1 train. She said the train is hot “way more often than not” when she commutes downtown to her weekly gym class.

Data provided by the MTA shows that during last week’s heat wave, nine cars on the line were removed from service over a two-day period due to being "warmer than standard." MTA spokesperson Joana Flores said 99% of the entire system's subway cars have functioning air conditioners.

Those numbers only represent how many cars were taken in for repairs after they were reported to the MTA by riders and subway crew members. Halvax said the MTA prioritizes pulling cars with broken air conditioners from service if they're in the front or middle of a train, because those are the ones manned by subway operators and conductors. Riders are less likely to report hot cars because they spend less time in them than MTA employees, he explained.

The train cars on the line are called R62s and were manufactured in the early 1980s, making them some of the oldest running cars in the entire subway system. MTA officials said they planned to replace them in the coming years, but that’s been put on hold due to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s indefinite pause of congestion pricing.

The MTA last month said they’re holding off on ordering $1.5 billion worth of new subway cars, which were supposed to be paid for with money from the tolls.

The air conditioning units on New York City’s subway cars are situated on the roof. Halvax said the ones on the R62s are poorly designed, and noted that each unit has two blow motors. Unlike the ones on most other subway cars, if one motor goes, the car’s entire cooling system shuts down, he said.

Halvax said parts needed to be "rebuilt constantly" during his time overseeing repairs of train cars on the 1 line.

Riders in the 95-degree car out of South Ferry on Monday said their ride was unbearable. On several stops, people immediately switched to another car after noticing the heat. Less savvy tourists who were confused about the lack of air conditioning appeared disgruntled.

On the platform at 14th Street, Arturo Fernandez sweated through his button-up shirt while waiting for a downtown 1 train on his way to work in SoHo. He said he’s been commuting on the line for more than a year.

“At least once a week, I almost get into a car that doesn’t have AC,” said Fernandez, 33. “Usually they’re fairly empty so you kind of know something’s up, and if you’re quick enough, you can dart right back out and get into another car.”

He said it “can be pretty brutal” when he gets stuck in a hot car.

“[I’m] sending blessings and positive thoughts to people in July and August during this time, it gets really hot and humid,” said Fernandez. “Stay hydrated, bring water with you and if you get into one of those trains, ideally they don't have to endure it for a long time.”