Why are NYC subways so hot?


Why are NYC subways so hot? Tiffany-Ann Taylor, the vice president for transportation at the Regional Plan Association, said that most subway platforms, barring the new ones such as at Hudson Yards, are hot because the air-conditioning on the trains generates heat that is pushed onto the subway platforms and then trapped.


Why is it so hot in the metro?

Pollak gives a number of reasons for the phenomena: The heat sink effect, where heat is transferred from surfaces like the pavement to immediately cooler areas, like a subway station. Air conditioning. Ironically, the subway system is heated by the energy given off by the A/C that cools the interiors of trains.


Do most New Yorkers take the subway?

In 2021, our total subway ridership was 760 million, reaching 45% of our 2019 ridership numbers. Total bus ridership was 312 million, back to 56% of our 2019 ridership numbers.