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Comment by barbecue_sauce | Hacker News Reader

It's because there is no "end of the line". It's just another stop. These things are essentially infinite loops.

Not all of NY subways are loop lines right? From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway#/media/Fi..., I can't identify a loop line in the NY system at all, not like Beijing that has a couple (line 2, line 10), and of course Tokyo's inner city rail loop lines.

Usually, if a non-looping subways hit EOL, there will be a sweep and a rest period. Looping subways might just change drivers and keep going...well, it can suck when you are on a train that is retiring (in Beijing, they just dump you out and tell you to wait for the next train...).

> Usually, if a non-looping subways hit EOL, there will be a sweep and a rest period.

Generally this is a short rest period, ~ 10-15 minutes max during peak times and 30 minutes max otherwise. Nobody's kicking you off, you can just wait until the train starts back the other way.

It's also generally the least busy part of the line.

The second greatest problem on NYC's subway for people who wish to "live" there (after rush hours) has to be the light. The fluorescent is unavoidable.

The south end of the Lexington Ave line is a loop.

Is it? I’m not sure I see that. The 4,5,6 doesn’t appear to loop anywhere as far as I can tell, nor do any of the NYC lines.

It is a loop, but passengers are not allowed on that segment. If you manage to stay on the car, you also get to take a quick peek at an abandoned station.

Ahhh, yea, in that case I believe the bottom of the 1 is as well in the Financial District. Very small loop. Always interesting to get on there because I think it's the tightest curve I've found and the trains probably at a good 6 or 7 degree tilt there. Neat stuff.

After the Queens Blvd locals (M/R) terminate in Forest Hills, they loop around through Jamaica Yard, meaning non-revenue track. Stragglers being asked to alight is a common sight.

Technically, I guess, but they do hold at the terminal stop for a while, and employees sometimes do a quick walkthrough or spot check.

The motorman has to move from the back to front, if he's staying on. Or he's off and someone else is taking over. So yeah they're there for at least like 10min.

Or the train is being removed from service. That's not really going to happen in the middle of the night but definitely happens during times when they are decreasing service (after rush hour, after like 11pn)

Peak service on London Underground is done by "stepping back". You bring a train in, switch off (allowing your driving cab to become a trailing cab in a second) and step out of the cab, then another driver steps in at the far end, switches that on, and the train announces its new destination and reconfigures appropriately. You begin walking down the platform. The train leaves, but in the time it takes to stroll to the far end another one arrives, so you get in and drive that one away. Thus drivers "step back" by one train each time they do this.

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