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City Journal Audio

How Gotham Saved Its Subways

City Journal Audio

Manhattan Institute

News Commentary, News, Politics

4.7 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 27 December 2017

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Nicole Gelinas joins City Journal editor Brian Anderson to discuss how New York City saved its subway system after decades of decay and rampant crime from the 1960s to the early-1990s.

This episode originally aired on October 20, 2016.

Nicole Gelinas is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a contributing editor of City Journal, and a columnist at the New York Post. Her story "How Gotham Saved Its Subways" appeared in the Summer 2016 Issue of City Journal.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hello, I'm City Journal editor Brian Anderson. Thanks for joining us for the 10 blocks

0:13.2

podcast featuring urban policy and cultural commentary with City Journal editors, contributors,

0:18.6

and special guests.

0:29.6

The New York City subway system is one of the oldest public transit systems in the world. During the 70s, 80s, and 90s, the system, like the city itself, had fallen into a very serious state of decay.

0:38.3

Now, New York City has since recovered from its darkest days, as everyone knows,

0:43.3

and subways have improved along with it.

0:46.3

Last year, the subway serviced nearly 1.8 billion rides.

0:51.3

That was the highest number of annual riders since 1948. Joining us to talk about

0:57.9

crime in the New York City subway system and other subway-related issues is Nicole

1:03.2

Julinus. Nicole is a City Journal contributing editor, a Manhattan Institute senior fellow, and a regular

1:09.3

New York Post columnist.

1:11.1

Her recent piece, How Gotham Saved at Subways, was featured in City Journal's summer

1:16.4

2016 issue, adapted in the New York Post, and it can be found online in its full-length

1:22.1

version at www.

1:25.1

.city-journal.org.

1:27.1

Nicole, welcome to 10 blocks.

1:28.8

Good afternoon, Byan.

1:29.6

Thanks for having me on.

1:31.5

New York City Subways are experiencing, as I just mentioned, levels of ridership not seen since the years immediately after World War II.

1:40.1

Just how bad did the subways get during their nadir, which was probably when in the mid-80s?

1:47.2

Yes, 1990 was the worst year.

1:50.7

Just as it was for crime generally.

...

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