The $442 Million Question: Does Having Two Train Conductors Make Subways Safer?
Albany blocked one-person train operation this summer, a move that could have saved the MTA millions. It's now up to the Governor to veto the bill.
There is little to no evidence that two-person train operation (TPTO) makes subways safer, based on data from New York and peer systems worldwide. Yet this summer, Albany passed a bill essentially prohibiting the MTA from adopting one-person train operation (OPTO)—the industry standard almost everywhere else, which would also save the agency as much as $442 million. Whether it becomes law now depends on Governor Kathy Hochul.
The bill says that “the presence of trained New York City Transit Authority personnel, other than the engineer, on each train is necessary and should always be required to ensure improved safety for passengers during emergencies.”
But New York is already an outlier. A new Transit Costs Project report found that fewer than 6.25% of systems worldwide still use TPTO, and warned that the bill “would directly undermine the spirit of the billions of dollars committed to improved signalization and operations” on lines like the F, G, A, C, E, M, and R. In short, it would improve nothing and block progress.
For the Transport Workers Union, however, the data is beside the point.
“It doesn’t really matter to us what the data shows,” TWU president John Samuelson told the Times, insisting that conductors make trips “visibly safer.” Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., a co-sponsor, similarly argues that conductors provide safety and customer-service benefits worth the cost. But a two-person operation did not prevent a passenger from being dragged to his death on the Q train in 2022 after his clothing became caught in the doors.
International comparisons tell the same story. London—an entirely OPTO system—has one of the safest rail networks in the world; its last operator-related fatality was in 1975. In a 2018 door-dragging incident, the brakes still engaged automatically, and the passenger survived. The presence of a second onboard employee simply wasn’t the determining factor.
The bill also claims that conductors serve as “first responders” to potential terror attacks. But this causal leap ignores the rarity of such events and the lack of evidence that conductors meaningfully alter outcomes. London has endured multiple terror incidents; its safety systems, not its staffing model, have been decisive.
In fact, the MTA’s own analysis attributes nearly all recent gains in subway safety to increased NYPD presence on trains and platforms.
What the $442 Million Could Buy
Moving to OPTO would free up as much as $442 million annually—funding that could meaningfully improve service. The planned Interborough Express (IBX), for example, would be roughly $10 million a year cheaper to operate under OPTO. More broadly, those resources could support additional frequencies across the system, boosting ridership and shifting trips away from cars, which are 26 times more dangerous than transit on a per-passenger-mile basis.
If lawmakers are serious about safety, those funds should go toward platform screen doors, which have a strong evidence base. In New York, more than 409 subway deaths between 2008 and 2021 were attributable to suicide. After Seoul installed platform doors, annual subway deaths fell from 70 in 2003 to just 2 in 2010—none from suicide. The doors also cut delays and improved air quality.
A Gradual, Evidence-Based Transition
Critically, a veto would not eliminate conductors or threaten their jobs. It would simply allow the MTA to adopt OPTO where the technology already makes it feasible, gradually transitioning as staff retire and new lines open. Many New York–area systems already use OPTO or fully automated operation, including the JFK AirTrain. So do Paris Metro Lines 1, 4, and 14, along with 94% of major urban rail networks worldwide.
The Citizens Budget Commission has urged Governor Hochul to veto the bill, arguing that it represents an unnecessary legislative intrusion into MTA operations. The Governor now has the opportunity to reinforce the authority’s autonomy and support its effort to deliver world-class transit.
Adam Lehodey is an investigative reporter at the Manhattan Institute. Opinions are those of the author.