Inside New York's WORST Subway Stations!

[@HereBeBarr]

Did I miss any really bad stations? Make sure to smash that like button so KZbin can recommend this video others! 📝Planning Your NYC Trip? Shop Our NEW Travel Guides Here: bit.ly/BarrGuidesNYC1

[@raycrou8837]

Does the City/MTA/NYDepartment of Transportation even care if you send them this video? Make this the first thing that the mayor sees after the elections. I really wish these stations were like the Stockholm stations or even the old Soviet stations in Eastern Europe.

[@ReginaTrans_]

I think so!!! I’m not a frequent subway user but I’ve heard some of the craziest stories from the sketchiest parts of the subway.........., there’s an abandoned chamber of old machinery where people can still get in, as well as some weird old abandoned restrooms that used to be bathrooms in the 70’s, there tunnels too, I think you need to do a revisit with some urban experts Jonathan, but BE CAREFUL, even though people have fun in there, there’s also a lot bad things happening

[@nightcitydweller1975]

You guys skipped E 42nd when getting on the 7 train between Grand Central and Times Square. There are HUGE "blankets" of mold stained lead paint chips dangling around. Pretty sure I got some lead in my system from years of commuting back and forth on that station

[@IndyGuy65]

6 Line Hunts Point the smell of urine was so foul I nearly puked. Maybe they cleaned it up. Right!

[@chrissahar2014]

Elmhurst Ave in Queens on the R and M. Not the absolute worst but I would put in the top 25. I advise exploring bothe exit ends though to get the full ugliness of it.

[@justappearances]

As someone who grew up in Moscow and used Moscow subway extensively for years, I could not believe my eyes when I saw this. There's absolutely no excuse for any station to look this bad, ever.

[@mikerobinson7565]

As someone who lives in NYC, I can assure there have been plenty of excuses over the years.

[@itsDjjayyArt]

What's it like there

[@KorvasYT]

The excuse is that it’s in NYC

[@darkmatter5424]

@@itsDjjayyArt Moscow metro is a far different world from these.

[@eseopu]

@desert789 london has probably one of the best trains. they are *_mostly_* clean

[@vocesdelrioriourbano7236]

After watching this video is not so hard to believe that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are based on real events.

[@colinj5291]

Someone did a walkthrough of the exact station where April gets ambushed by the Foot in the 1990 film. Can't remember what station it was...but 30 years later, some of the imperfections, cracks, etc. matched up perfectly.

[@cirielm6023]

It's true!

[@jujublue4426]

As someone who took the subway several times in Paris and in London, I've never seen stations looking so bad and these two cities are already far from having perfectly clean stations

[@solvdev]

This… I thought the tube was bad…

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@MelissasArt]

Both the Tube and Metro are very old. They will never be like these gleaming new systems built in China, Singapore etc. Though the new line they have built in London is incredible. The NY Subway is also old, but it has clearly been neglected. London and Paris are nowhere near being in this state.

[@stevenbarnes8238]

I've been in Paris metro stations many times, and they are so clean there is no excuse new york.

[@virginiamaldonado1963]

You know the funniest thing about the subway stations is that they look so bad but they have the nerve to have brand new screens for the strap hangers to see advertisements. Instead of using the money in fixing some of these stations 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@HereBeBarr]

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

[@ELVISofc]

Welcome to the future!

[@warcriminal4183]

They've actually renovated a lot of stations and are continuing to

[@briank.7686]

The advertisers pay for that, not MTA money

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@SharingtheRoad]

Ahhh New York.... The City That Never "Sweeps!"

[@HereBeBarr]

hahahah

[@karengibson9777]

Lol

[@alantaylor2117]

Spot on.

[@michellebadillo7574]

😂 good one

[@RichardHartl]

Clever!

[@insignificantaftermathPROJECTS]

I went on holiday in NYC in 2018 and when I returned to London, the moment I hit the London Underground again, I felt like kissing the floor. Its just the best.

[@deadlykilla39]

you missed NYC in the 90s. it was decent at the time.

[@alexcohen8874]

As a New Yorker, this is utterly pathetic and embarrassing. How can our public transit be this disgraceful considering how rich our city / country are?

[@TheWutangclan1995]

Corruption. I can’t really put a finger on it and say I found the answer. But it’s interesting how there are skyscraper sized condos getting built like it’s jenga and unfinished everyday, yet the subways looks like this.

[@Umm-mg3pb]

Because the rich and the politicians have absolutely gutted all the finances what do you expect, the entire country is infrastructure is collapsing, I'm so happy I didn't have kids I'm 37 and hopefully I won't be here when everything hits the fan, good luck with your future kids we left you a hell on Earth sorry it wasn't me I've been telling people for years

[@geoDB.]

Who nose

[@hughmcaloon6506]

Rich folks these days don't believe in public investment.

[@limedickandrew6016]

It would probably take 5-6 billion dollars to put all the wrongs right and bring the New York metro up to world class standards. Maybe a little more. But, in the US they'd rather spend that money on yet another aircraft carrier!

[@queens6583]

That tunnel at 191st is seriously frightening. I'd hate to be a woman walking down that tunnel alone, especially at night. No one would hear your screams and by the time they got to you it's too late. Any station that requires you to go down multiple levels to the track is scary and like you said, hot, hot, hot! I love it when you guys team up!

[@Stephengirty]

Lol it used to be worse. All the lights were broken for years! It was really bad in the 90s.

[@pamgodsoe9076]

I think that is the station, I would walk up the hill via the street and go directly into the station. Not sure, I may be confusing it with 181

[@thesharinganknight]

Yeah like dudes can't get killed in the same tunnel either🤨

[@moomoomoooo]

@@thesharinganknight womp womp

[@bluemoon4944]

@@thesharinganknight you need to accept the statistics my friend...

[@electro_sykes]

London's Tube was also in a state of disrepair like this during the 80s/90s. Then in the late 90s through to the late 2010s, the Tube was restored and now it looks very nice and the trains are very clean again. Just a little bit of commitment and these stations could really be in such good condition. But politicians in the US won't fund in rail because they can't drive their flashy cars on it.

[@XxowendanxX]

And because they want to bomb every country on earth

[@NicL1994]

The tube is fantastic given its age. The new line that's recently been opened is amazing.

[@sidrad]

Chambers Street is more or less an abandoned station that never closed. The station is incomplete; it ran trains on the Manhattan Bridge before the Chrystie Street Connection was completed. That door leads to a tower that was probably closed around the same time that the Manhattan Bridge tracks were disconnected.

[@michaelscott7706]

Yea was gonna say the same thing. Definitely a tower for the interlocking north of Chambers. The switches are locked.

[@michaeljohn9263]

*News Flash* All democratic ran cities look like this!!

[@antmck99]

If anyone knows, these stations are located in the Asians community

[@antmck99]

If anyone knows, these stations are located in the Asians community

[@ntcrawford722]

@@michaeljohn9263 wrong so your saying Cleveland does and Chicago clearly your one of those fake ass trump supporters who never know what they talking feel me

[@Pintexx]

From the roads to the subways, NYC is a super old city and it’s showing these days. It’s beyond me why the city is throwing billions on random skyscrapers that are super flashy and floating island parks when they should be throwing billions on modernization of 100 year structures

[@HereBeBarr]

Brings up a nice point ☝🏻 little island was privately funded as are many of the observation decks. That being said I agree these places need facelifts

[@alicen2610]

Very few buildings are built by the state government anymore, pretty much all are handled between companies. It's hard to say if the subway was privatized, it'd be better. It was initially but there were too many issues since the companies were not working together. They would also likely charge far more, probably charge per stop (each stop = $0.50 or something), which disproportionately hurts poorer people who can't afford to live where most of the jobs are concentrated in Manhattan, while the way it is now, $2.75 can get you from one end of the city to the other, though that is a bit much for 1 or 2 stops.

[@eddiew2325]

It’s almost like we should’ve taken the trillions we wasted on the Afghan war and invested it in infrastructure instead

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

@@eddiew2325 Or the trillions we've wasted on a war on drugs that can't be won.

[@williambrown8249]

The city isn't spending money on skyscrapers, PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS are. The city (as well as the state government) is totally incompetent and wastes every penny that it takes from taxpayers. For instance, NYC spends roughly $50,000 per homeless person annually, yet the city is still overrun with homeless drug addicts and mentally insane people who attack random people on the streets. Likewise the MTA has a much higher budget than larger systems (e.g. in Beijing, Shanghai, and Moscow) yet offers a horrible product in comparison to those cities. Throwing money at a wasteful government will not help. We've tried that a million times. Probably the only solution to make the NY subway not horrible would be to privatize it... but that will never happen (Fun fact: the NYC subway was originally built by private companies; the city only took it over in the 1950s, which is around the point when the subway started to go massively downhill)

[@LaurenMunroe]

I used to live in nyc and I specifically remember the eerie/unsafe feeling I always felt at Chambers Street station. I feel like it's been severely neglected

[@joestewart8914]

What has always shocked the hell out of me is how fast things can turn bad in NYC. It seems like one day they renovate something or pave a street or open a new facility and you go back there a month later and it looks like who did it and ran.

[@starventure]

Bad people create bad places.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

It's the winter, the freeze thaw cycle and salt take a toll on everything. I didn't think NY roads were so bad (at least compared to PA, their roads SUCK) but I was SHOCKED at how good roads were in the Carolinas

[@justinliu1014]

Agreed, it's hard to keep places clean if the people don't respect it and take care of it. Makes it very expensive as well.

[@nicolecarnevale3226]

I was in NYC in 2015. The subways have deteriorated substantially.

[@queens6583]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv They don't get ice and snow

[@cjc2]

Back in the 80s and 90s that tunnel used to be scary as hell. There were huge rats all over…and coming out of the drainage pipes looking for garbage to eat.

[@Stephengirty]

Yea! The lights were broken as well! This is leaps and bounds above what it used to be! 😂

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Oh god I hate to think how much crime happened in that tunnel back then

[@fomorians]

I like to imagine that the reason why the subways look like that is because superheroes, villains, cryptids and/or supernatural beings battle out there at night and constantly trash the place so they gave up on repairing it.

[@leob4403]

That makes sense. Maybe Marvel should make a movie about captain America fixing the subway instead of fighting some generic super villain

[@MotorCityPhoenix313]

I would wear masks in those subway stations even without a pandemic LOL

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Be surprised but many people just don't follow the mandate. Probably about 10% of riders, literally no one enforces the rule.

[@bryx170]

So much difference between Asians and Americans. We, as Asians, we embrace wearing masks here and it's a culture. Whether in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Philippines, etc. You can see masks everywhere. Metro trains are still at full capacity but passengers are on masks.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

@@bryx170 And it's still not preventing cases, those countries had the worst outbreaks yet despite you all being perfect maskers. China doesn't count it's almost a certainty they are lying

[@bristoled93]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv UK has a worse covid problem than Japan, the Japanese wear masks much more. Coincidence??

[@tracy_5577]

@@AdamSmith-gs2dv of course there won’t be a 100% case prevention, but it does help. they control it much better than like the uk or usa

[@ActionKid]

I took TWO showers after watching this video 🤢

[@HereBeBarr]

I took THREE

[@KPOPIVESTEVE]

The look really bad

[@vivekvaikkattil9958]

I too have that problem

[@eddiew2325]

@@vivekvaikkattil9958 I haven’t showered in four days

[@295g295]

> 2:24 < showers

[@T_Dubbs]

Imagine how good-looking these stations could be if they were properly and regularly maintained. A few paint jobs and flex tape here and there and you've got yourself a clean station!

[@tammya5403]

From someone born and raised in NYC, this is so normal. You almost feel like every station looks like those stations, since the MTA train stations in general are extremely unclean, disgusting and rat infested. I literally spend dough taking taxis rather than spend a simple $2.75. For me, $2.75 is not worth the uncleanliness or the harassment from crazy people. I’m so over my city😩

[@eduardochavacano]

those areas look charming though...its just real. its not a theme park.

[@tammya5403]

@@eduardochavacano Not charming when you’re actually using them daily. Quite unsanitary and invasive actually. Maybe to tourists it’s a different experience. Of course they’re not a theme park, any daily transporter would know that.

[@liamsimpson8233]

Lol u soft

[@tammya5403]

@@liamsimpson8233 yes I am 😩👍

[@tedcalero3143]

Same bro I’m from NYC too and this is all normal to me

[@etonbruno2]

I went to NYC for the very first time last week I was Shocked by how the train stations are there! I wasn't expecting that AT ALL. And I say that because I know what neglect means coming from a poor country like Brazil, but even down here train stations would NEVER look like this. Topless strange dudes wandering around... didn't feel safe either... And I couldn't find ANY not a single Subway staff

[@ninjapirate123]

Meanwhile in China, there subway stations are almost like the future of transportation

[@cli9943]

They are homeless people. Where else would they go that is nice and warm and open 24 hours?

[@aena5995]

Damn Pakistan don't seem that bad 💀

[@aena5995]

@@cli9943 even beggars in South Asian don't walk around naked

[@aena5995]

@@hualian_baru r u serious it's my dream to live there 😍

[@easy1355]

I remember being shocked at the state of the New York underground. We have messy stations on the London Tube, but even the bad stations are not even in the same league as these NY stations for their awfulness . Such a shame.

[@frednich9603]

On our trip last week, I for the most part didn't notice any of the horror stories you hear about New York, except for one thing. I have to say, the inside of the subway elevators were some of the worst smelling things I've ever experienced in my entire life. I guess too many people don't know the difference between those and bathrooms.

[@HereBeBarr]

🤣

[@yehudahecht1520]

That's why I'll avoid subway elevators at all costs....

[@chichiandsammy5367]

That's nothing you don't want to visit a NYCHA building

[@maxabeles]

Yeah don't take those XD

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@arodin]

Welp... NYC may be "the greatest city in the world," but there's always room for much improvement. Videos like this may be negative but I think they're worthwhile. Really the only reason these stations don't get renovated is because they're "hidden" from most people's view. If the 42 St station ever got green mold all over it the city would clean that ish up in a jiffy. So I think it's good that you shined a light on these eyesores.

[@HereBeBarr]

Absolutely true. None of these are prime commuter or tourist lines

[@fredletel7276]

Absolutely agree

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

You'd think they'd at least do something about Chambers. I've never even been to NYC and I know how bad it is. It's embarrassing.

[@sm3675]

But we pay for these subways! Surely the stations can be better. Both the users and operator (governemnt) should maintain and keep the stations clean. 🙏🙏

[@sm3675]

So sad to see some of the stations 😪. Disgusting

[@chochootrain]

Chambers Street was my first subway ride in New York City! I moved to New York for college after graduating from high school near Seoul, South Korea. As in, I am used to subways where you don't usually even see the trains because they're behind tinted glass screens that double as sliding doors. The stations smell a little damp, but mostly like nothing, with hints of cleaning products. Then I am faced with Chambers Street.

[@peter7936]

Seoul is nice, but 100 years newer than the IRT.

[@chochootrain]

@@peter7936 that it's 70 years newer certainly seems to help. But NYC's subways have also been updated since the 70s, and Seoul didn't have screen doors from the beginning either. Besides, Chambers is messy because of the lack of proper maintenance, not because it's old. Its age is a much smaller factor than its mismanagement

[@DeanStephen]

Compared to the Moscow subway system, or really almost any other system worldwide, NYC’s subway is a sewer with train tracks. Totally embarrassing.

[@williambrown8249]

The MTA doesn't exist to provide the public with good transportation. It exists to give cushy 6-figure jobs to unionized government employees. That's the sad reality.

[@williamtyler9209]

The subway system in Rome wasn't a dream

[@Xgamerwoo]

The subway system in Mexico City is much better and consistent as well

[@waynemclaughlin8937]

I used to watch videos about the subways around the world, and when I saw a video of a subway station in Moscow I thought it was a museum. It looked so clean you can probably eat off the platform in that particular Moscow subway station.

[@lopwr1212]

Yall only paying attention to the negative. The fucking system is old and they're trying to fix it

[@Pejelo]

"1st world city" with a 4th world Metro. None of latam metros looks THIS BAD.

[@KTTstudios]

New York is so ghetto for some reason lol

[@itsDjjayyArt]

@@KTTstudios it's over clustered traffic is a mess parkings getting worse property value getting higher I hate traveling to school and work

[@KTTstudios]

@@itsDjjayyArt there was a lady stuffing her underwear with pissed stained toilet paper on the subway today

[@itsDjjayyArt]

@@KTTstudios WTF 😒 this what I'm talking about shit to much

[@nyctransitrailfan]

@@itsDjjayyArt the subway just hasn't evolved from their original 1900's stylish stations yet

[@GX33Official]

As someone who lives in Düsseldorf, Germany and uses the subway system( we call it U-Bahn) I have to say I am in shock watching this

[@larrybuchannan186]

geman subway is shet too dude.

[@GX33Official]

@@larrybuchannan186 nah depends on the city. I think the one in Düsseldorf is nice

[@20PINKluvr]

I feel like European countries do a lot better with maintaining their subway stations..like they have STANDARDS

[@tonyperez4791]

The holes on the walls were back in the days they had candy/chewing gum dispensers ( I remember buying chicklets 2 pcs for 1 cent. Also they had phones .

[@mmoore5190]

I remember payphones in the subway but I wasn't around for penny candy. Sounds lovely though lol

[@tonyperez4791]

@@mmoore5190 A lot of the stations had little shops were you can buy newspapers , candy , magazines even hot dogs and sodas. " they made great egg cream sodas " They were mostly on the platform by the entrance. In the late 70's they began to seal them with tiles. The dispensers were on the platform in front of the booth. They had Dentine, Chiclets and Mary Jane and some other stuff . Hope you have a great Labor Day weekend !

[@leob4403]

​@@tonyperez4791it's just so odd though, if there were holes in the concrete like that, here in Sweden and many other parts, they would immediately send a guy to fill the holes with spackle putty. Like any normal person can fill holes in concrete with spackle, it's not hard nor expensive

[@peter7936]

@@leob4403 A lot of those holes were filled with grout. What they didn't do was replace the ceramic subway tiles that were drilled through to mount stuff.

[@garrywallace1007]

I live in Adelaide AUS...got off the train today and there was a team of about six, cleaning a single grafiti tag about 1 foot long on the ground! They apologised as the graffiti had been there since last night!

[@bristoled93]

What a waste of money, getting rid of some paint.

[@Yorosero]

@@bristoled93 It's not a waste of money. It's an ugly eyesore for the public. If you let that sort of thing escalate without dealing with it you soon have a public dump.

[@rafaelalbiter6923]

@@bristoled93 people with attitude like yours are the reason NYC subway looks that bad

[@sanketpandia]

@@rafaelalbiter6923 I believe he was sarcastic 😂

[@bristoled93]

@@sanketpandia I was not being sarcastic, I like graffiti and how it looks.

[@StephenBrown-xf7dd]

As a Chicago native I thought our subways were bad but damn! This makes our subways look outstanding! I’ve visited NYC but I didn’t know that they got this bad! Just ridiculous!

[@ToastMan2011]

It's just certain stations a lot of the stations look great, but these are just neglected

[@ROCKSTAR3291]

I live in Australia and people love to complain about the trains and the stations here lol, I'd like to show them this video. The stations in Sydney are actually quite clean and in good condition.

[@yezzum]

Yes, the recent upgrades of many Sydney stations have been great. And then you experience the Singapore subway system and realise how good they can be!!

[@Pidalin]

Exactly, beying a Czech, people complain that there is no toilet paper in train or display at station doesn't work, but this in the video is totaly different level of "something is wrong here" 😀 What is the worst here is that they actually repair it, but then they lock it because they are afraid that people would damage it again, so you have all new fancy toilets at train stations etc...and everything is locked. 😀

[@johnt3500]

Some of the recently renovated stations in Sydney look pretty nice. The rest isn't amazing nor bad, decently clean, rare to see anything broken.

[@stillcouldbeworse9291]

I'm from Southeast Asia, an ostensibly "poor" region, yet our metro/subway stations don't look nearly as bad as the ones shown here.

[@Pidalin]

@@stillcouldbeworse9291 the fact that you actually have a metro means that your region is not that poor

[@dustin6804]

What's really sad is the Chambers Street was supposed to be the BMT's Grand Central! Newspaper clippings from the time said the platforms were packed and the station was beautiful. Unfourtantly, service cuts and the decline of the Els in Brooklyn resulted in the current station we have today

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@anthonygallo3576]

Alot of chambers st is no longer standing. The overpasses and stairways were dismantled. Crazy thing is , it is right under City Hall. If that wont make thrm fix it , nothing will

[@majikglustik9704]

2:07 behind the door is an old interlocking machine and CTC board used for dispatching the trains. I is / was known as the chambers street "tower".

[@ren1018]

Chambers is the most depressing subway stop...i remember stopping at that station as a kid and I got a bad vibe from it back in the late 80s...it's still the same...no thanks!

[@16randomcharacters]

I think that "toxic sludge" is more likely corroded copper, similar to the corroded iron that makes the red/brown rust stains. Not really that gross, but always makes me wonder what structural or electrical elements behind the wall look like...

[@Bluesourboy]

The 191st tunnel was one of the first features of the city I remember seeing in 2011. I, a native Chicagoan, appreciated how the city could let something like that thrive, it's quite a sight. It's not all as bad as y'all are thinking.

[@codenamecatatonic8894]

The Hot Garbage smell that hits you like a brick wall … never washes off. Welcome to NYC.

[@chrystiensolon9520]

And the garbage stain on the sidewalk 🤮🤢🤮🤢

[@leob4403]

No thanks I'd rather stay in Europe

[@tips4tourists790]

If In the Heights was a horror movie, they would play a distorted version of "Paciencia y Fe" in 191st st. I feel rather sad about that

[@JG-dm4du]

Great video. By the way you are ROCKING in the hightop Converse All-Stars! Nice footwear!

[@FoodandFootprints]

“I think this station is so ugly that the rats don’t even wanna be here” 😂😂

[@jessicagutierrez257]

You should do the same subway station tour now right after Ida.

[@Spaghetti_policy]

Looks like it’s becoming the old NYC again. Hell yeah!!

[@peter7936]

Voters who oppose law and order and want chaos.

[@roviwoteap2375]

I’m sorry, but those subway stations are the pits. Coming from the outskirts of London, I have to say at least our tube stations on the whole are a lot better. The trains might not run efficiently, but at least the stations are clean. Seems like the mayor of NYC needs to do some butt kicking and get all the stations cleaned up, especially for one of the major cities in the world. Not very inviting.

[@spacetimecontinuum]

Clean but seats made covered with fabric. I can't think of anything more unsanitary than that on public transport.

[@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma]

The subway is owned by the state, not the city. Either way, they're broke and have been since the 70s (or even earlier, really).

[@roviwoteap2375]

@Mase Williams 🤣

[@nyctransitrailfan]

@@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma The subway we see now wasn't like this before, because each were independently owned by different companies. They were the original creators of the now called MTA NYCT. They were building new stations back in the 1900's, improving transportation in NY. NYC had one of the best transportation systems in the world at some point, until it downgraded so badly

[@PeteS_1994]

@@spacetimecontinuum I prefer fabric seats. They are more comfortable on longer rides and look more interesting. It's not like we have to eat food off the seats.

[@cyclicmusings2661]

The very least they could do to some stations is stop the leaks, clean the trash, and wash the sludge off the walls. Maybe a fresh coat of paint and fix broken light fixtures. A big part of why maintenance doesn't happen is because of the insistence to make trains run 24/7 complicates things. During the earlier days of the pandemic they closed stations for a few hours to clean it. That should be a regular thing, a couple of hours closure in the dead of night about once a week would be an acceptable tradeoff for relatively clean stations.

[@carmenl163]

The 24/7 is not a valid reason imo. Lots of train stations around the world are fixed and not only during night hours. They do it bit by bit or they close for one week to do so.

[@ivisraudales805]

gotta say, i love your videos on the city, very informative and super helpful. thanks a bunch!

[@MrJobcon]

Like you said, it’s a very old station that obviously doesn’t have a maintenance budget and has a building envelope issue (leaking water) so everything looks rusty, mouldy, or delaminating tiles. It’s obvious that at one time it was a very beautiful station. It just needs a lot of tlc. Cheers, and thanks for making the video

[@antony5430]

That grafitti tunnel looks like a nice place to record a horror movie.

[@stevenbarnes8238]

Like kamala's presidential run.

[@MichaelSalo]

The 168th Street station that you showed has a special feature, in the foot bridge over the tracks. In many NY subway stations, there's no way to get from one side to the other.

[@jbyesterday3959]

Thanks for the tour. I've been riding NYC's trains since tokens were 15 cents & have seen a lot of stations over the past decades - including most of these in your video. It's sad, dangerous & a health hazard if you're not careful while riding/walking or just standing on trains & platforms. City should really do something to clean these 5 for starters tho. Btw, I've watched Action Kid's walking tours of the City , & they're really cool.

[@handyrus]

Used to be able to buy an egg cream soda and pay with a 15 cent token. Bronx 1966

[@jbyesterday3959]

@@handyrus Cool ! Back then, your neighborhood pizza & Sabrett hot dogs (from carts) were also 15 cents 👍

[@handyrus]

@@jbyesterday3959 yep. Friday after school was out, slice of pizza and a coke... grand total 25 cents

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@stanb.5261]

@@handyrus And it was GREAT pizza in just about any neighborhood you went!!!

[@jamesotto478]

the way surfside collapsed with the parking structure collapsing and pulling down the tower! I wonder the subway under the city building will pull down the city... just collapse the pillars... THE CITY HALL FALLS DOWN!!!

[@sjgee4309]

I worry about this becoming reality tbh

[@SteMCFC79]

I only spent a week in New York very recently but the regularity of the trains has ruined public transport for me forever. My first day back trying to get through my home city on public transport was even more stressful than it used to be by comparison.

[@jetgdvsdfgd]

Diversity is our strength¬

[@therealhannahlee]

All of the stations that require you to use an elevator to get down really freak me out. I’m so afraid of getting stuck! 😬

[@HereBeBarr]

🤣

[@luv4dio]

The one on the R line at Court St- Borough Hall FREAKED ME OUT!!

[@therealhannahlee]

@@luv4dio I used to live near there and that’s the first one I thought of! Clark St nearby has elevators too, but it’s less creepy for some reason.

[@frankgrimesification]

I'd me more afraid of not making it out of the elevator without being violated somehow.

[@sogochii]

Omg same I was always scared of elevators especially those rusty train ones😵‍💫 whenever I go to school or come back from school even if I'm too tired I always use the stairwell and its not even just that I'm scared it's cuz the stench is unbearable like I can handle the train scent cuz its an open space but when I'm in a stinky small elevator, I just feel disgusted and claustrophobic

[@pedrogaraj6380]

Escape from New York was supposed to be an action flick, not a documentary...

[@owtena]

I've been in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Paris, London and Oslo metro, but I've never seen anything even remotely dirty as New-York metro, THAT is just awful and unacceptable. You need to really hate your citizens to leave metro in such a state. That is just disgusting! 🤮🤮🤮

[@FireFox173]

168th has new elevators, it was way worse before. It’s restored now. The actual worst thing about that station is the crowd waiting to get on elevator. The gunk coming off the walls can be found in every train station not full of tourists. Yea some of those stations were pretty bad but they’re over 100 years old, you’ll be looking that bad too after years of abuse :P

[@pamgodsoe9076]

Thank you for the update. It did look like a new elevator. I stopped using 168 after being stuck in the elevator and stuck in the train with no way to move. Two trains were let out at the same time, with no way to move passengers.

[@lopwr1212]

Exactly!

[@haroldbeck4351]

I use the 168th street station, and two others that got new elevators, all three elevator replacement projects taking about a year to complete. It didn't take a year for new elevators at these stations to start having problems requiring them to be taken out of service.

[@robatsea2009]

Those first few stations resemble something from a post-apocalyptic movie...the kind where astronauts land on a planet run by talking apes, only to discover an old NY subway station and realize they've been on Earth all along. Even the rats take one look and go "Nah, I'm good - I'll eat my pizza elsewhere!"

[@TheBaldr]

I thought NYC rats were a joke(rare event), where if you lived in NYC long enough you might see one. Nope, you can walk into almost any subway station and see one.

[@QuesQuestion]

Do you remember the movie name?

[@robatsea2009]

@@QuesQuestion "Beneath the Planet of the Apes"

[@classicminecraftambience747]

Look up Halloween horror night’s descendants of destruction. Takes place in a post apocalyptic subway station where humans went underground to be safe from the toxic air. It takes place in New York.

[@PatrickRiordan-o2l]

The United States has given over $3.75 trillion in foreign aid since World War II. In 2021, the U.S. provided more than $50 billion in aid to over 150 countries and territories, regional funds, and NGOs. In 2022, foreign aid obligations jumped from $56.3 billion to $70.4 billion. In 2023, the United States spent nearly $61 billion on foreign aid. After looking at the condition of these hundred-year-old subways, if any American thinks it’s not time to start taking care of our own then I really don’t know what else would convince them.

[@stephenj.schneider5185]

Behind that door was an old "switch" or control station. I'm old enough to remember seeing men and women inside those. The sort of bracket marks on the columns could be from the old Wrigley Gum vending machines they had at the stations decades ago.

[@ericcosentino2390]

I'm old enough to remember the flat, 1c gum machines on the pillars in NYC Subway stations. I also thought that was the likely reason for the spackled blotches on the pillar near the beginning of the show. Speaking of gum, is there even one on-platform newstand/candy store still operating in the entire system?

[@rebelo2025]

@@ericcosentino2390 yeah on west 4th-wash sq

[@rebekahmulkey6035]

I've lived off of the 191st Street Stop on the 1 train for 6yrs now and the tunnel portion was never glamorous but it didn't fall into such disrepute and grim/filth until the pandemic happened. The city has completely neglected it since the pandemic, but I hope they'll clean it back up soon! The rest of the station is actually pretty beautiful. It has a huge beautiful mural on one wall. And actually there's another exit that doesn't go down the tunnel so there's more than one way to get to that station 🙂

[@HereBeBarr]

I agree I liked it a lot before

[@stanb.5261]

As to the holes in the rectangular pillars on the subway platforms... back in the day, they had gum dispensers mounted on some of them. Put a nickel in the slot, turn a circular dial on the bottom, and out came a stick of gum (usually). I'm betting those rusty holes are the remains of where they were located....

[@alantaylor2117]

The Complaints Dept is behind the closed door. Sorry out for lunch .

[@mdhazeldine]

London has its fair share of sketchy pedestrian tunnels/subways, but in my experience, Underground stations are usually better maintained that this. You do get the odd rat running along the tracks though, which gives me the creeps, but I guess it's hard to eliminate them completely when you're underground.

[@Sapphire-dw7sd]

As a fellow Londoner even the roughest of places tube stations don’t make you shudder and want to wash yourself in 200 degree water!

[@gab5831]

Was literally just thinking this. Was trying to think of any stations that would even come close to these and I can’t really think of any. Of course there are dirty and dodge stations but nothing like this at all.

[@mrgothicman]

'usually'? There isn't one station on the underground that comes remotely close to most of the ones shown in the video.

[@TsLeng]

London tube has cute little micro mice. Not rats. 😂

[@PeteS_1994]

@@gab5831 Maybe back in Thatcher's 80 when the tube was neglected. They spent a lot on making in look better in the 90's/00's I think. kzbin.info/www/bejne/faWqnWyMlrCFgas

[@ABee-vd6rt]

OH MY GOD… I left NYC in 2020 after 20 years, but I had stopped taking the subway in 2014 because the conditions started to go downhill. But oh my god…. It was never this bad. It’s so sad…

[@hummersd]

Isn't the 191st Street Tunnel station where they filmed the "In the Heights" movie? How quickly (two years?) did it get grungy.

[@HereBeBarr]

I'm not sure if it was actually filmed there, or they just said it was but filmed somewhere else.

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

No that 181st on the a train

[@Loopycanopener]

In the Heights did film in the 191st tunnel.

[@behavedave]

The appearance really wouldn’t bother me at all, history and character (unless it’s cracking and spalling which is more of a modern building problem). What puts me off is the smell, urine in underpasses is bad and heat is uncomfortable. 168th looks great to me, so ornate, someone at some point put their heart into that design.

[@eldinswe]

I have not travelled too much in my life sadly. But from four capitals I have visisted, I always though that my own, Stockholm, would be the least modern one. Tokyo was amazing but I had high expectations on both the Paris and London underground/metro. When I came back from Stockholm from my trip to the two other european capitals I was mindblown from how nice the Stockholm metro really is. Seeing the worst of the New York metro is a sad sight to behold. It is like some things are really left out of reality.

[@mmedefarge]

Wow, how badly it all has deteriorated. The 168 St. station used to be my favorite, the faience tiles, old huge gas lamps, the ironwork, even though they painted over the creamy marble with teal green paint. So much history left to rot. (It appears they've removed the ornate and huge gas lamps, I hope they moved them away from harm but they really belong in that once beautiful station, which had been beautiful even in my lifetime).

[@charlestruth1354]

When Community Board 12 had a great District Manager that 191st tunnel was looking real good, bring back the Dee

[@lisagardner903]

OMG. That is so scary! I have no interest in visiting NYC. What a sheet hole.

[@WiseAssGamer]

I got off at Chamber Street Station once. I could say I don’t remember it looking like that, but was kind of in a rush and had to be somewhere. But seriously, that station needs a renovation.

[@deepspacecow2644]

Its always looked like that

[@NormaGeli]

Pure genius!!! Loved this video

[@HereBeBarr]

😂😂😂😂👌🏻

[@egb8728]

Anybody whose been on NY subways in the 80s and early 90s is laughing hysterically at everybody clutching their pearls.

[@Linda-rs6lf]

Was that the tunnel used in the “In the Heights” movie? Glad you will show best subways. 6 Train at Westchester Ave. Bronx has a beautiful Romare Bearden stained glass at it’s entrance.

[@ELSHOOTERMASFINO]

Yeah that’s exactly the tunnel used in the movie. But it wasn’t in as bad of A condition when the movie was shot

[@osagiee.guobadia-secondytc4624]

I think the MTA needs to update these subway stations to be more cleaner than making it worst for the people to never go or visit there.

[@MrJaybody-vd6eb]

You should have seen the old Surf & Stillwell subway station in Coney Island back in the mid & late 70s. It was quite treacherous! It looked like a muggers' & murderer's haven! I think it was used in a few gang movies?

[@Suzibird307]

It's just all part of NYC's charm. Jimmy Hoffa.....I think Jimmy Hoffa is behind that door.

[@the.magic.catbus9459]

I lived uptown and I used to use the 191st street tunnel all the time. This was before they commissioned the street art and it was pretty terrifying to walk through especially at night. It looked so much better when they commissioned the street art. I wish they did a better job protecting the murals from vandalism. It now looks almost worse than it did before. Also y’all should see some of the stations in the BX. There’s also the Hoyte schermerhorn station in the BK with an abandoned platform. If we are gonna be honest, almost every station outside of midtown is horrible.

[@kweenah.dknight]

Did 168th get more lighting? It looks so much brighter and less depressing

[@itistobewar]

Its so sad, they are renovating the Chambers St station slowly but they have covered up the beautiful NYC murals that are probably from the original station, you used to see it right across from that creepy door at the end of the platform. I used to use that station every day, it really is that bad. I hope they restore it and maintain parts of the historic station .

[@wakey1086]

The London Underground is much older than NYC subway but they maintain there stations way better than NYC MTA does by far.

[@wakey1086]

I now live in Toronto and of course the TTC subway is a younger system but it is well thought out. When raining no water drips down from the street grates or running down the staircase with a thunderstorm pouring outside. I used the MTA in the 70's the stations still needs major insulation upgrades n water drainage..

[@wakey1086]

But most of all people need to stop throwing their garbage on the platforms n tracks n passageways n stop complaining that the city needs to clean it up. Of course the city needs to but how did the garbage get there? Selfish not caring people is how.

[@wakey1086]

Montreal n Toronto n London's subways are way cleaner than NYC, and of course people in other cities have pride in their tube n metro n subways. In NYC some people don't care n think someone else will cleanup there mess. They have to start to care n start using the garbage bins more often. More importantly people in NYC one day will have pride in maintaining clean subway stations thru out again.

[@Jasongvl]

woah. That's quite shocking. even some of London's old abandoned WW2 underground stations don't look like that. and they were bombed out (seriously).

[@dtheman4J]

The door at the end of the station probably has something to do with train controls and track operation. We have some of them in Toronto, it is where the signals and or distance between trains is monitored. Perhaps that one is no longer in use.

[@psucsi4145]

So happy between my two visits this summer (both following Here Be Barr marathons) I was lucky to not encounter anything like what you showed. Of course, we pretty much stayed and traveled in touristy areas so I am guessing those may get some TLC. Looking forward to your 5 Best List. FYI, my favorite of the ones know is the American Museum of Natural History stop.

[@B3Band]

Having moved to Florida several years ago, and having been to Chambers and Bowery at least once a week back then, I have no idea how I did it. I'm terrified just watching this video!

[@braydonbrown6988]

Can’t get enough of your videos!

[@rossspenser8314]

Why dose your house look like this ?

[@rexbenemerito1943]

The subway stations in Metro Tokyo is amazingly clean.

[@itsDjjayyArt]

Of course it's Tokyo there's discipline

[@rafaelalbiter6923]

@@itsDjjayyArt even in Mexico a 3rd world country the stations are for the most part clean, there's no reason for the NYC subway to be that bad

[@itsDjjayyArt]

@@rafaelalbiter6923 damn that's says a lot

[@nativetexanful]

The subway in Sao Paulo, Brazil is much nicer than the one in New York.

[@HUNTSPOINT.]

My cousin and I would play in tunnel street everyday growing up in the 80s and 90s. He grew up to the right of the entrance when exiting in the building across the street. His father still lives in that building. We would ride our bikes, skates, scooters, and skate boards to the end of the tunnel and right back up again. At night we would dare each other to go into the tunnel and see who would make it in and out the fastest when the lights in the tunnel would go out. Good times. When it would snow heavily we would put all the snow in the entrance and use cardboards to slide down the entrance.

[@johnjohn35104]

168 Station was horrible. It looks better because they fix it. And the MTA said that they were going to build emergency stairs. I did not see then no where. I try my best to avoid it. Also, the prices keep going up. And they still don't fix the Stations. That's the reality of our city. Thank you for sharing.

[@snowman4008]

Tell people to pay the fare, stop spiting and pooping in stations why so many rats cause of people leaving food

[@johnjohn35104]

@@snowman4008 True. A lot of people do that. I can't understand because there are garbage in every train station.

[@SeaBassTian]

I kept bracing for rats during those track scenes but thankfully one didn't materialize. Thank you for braving the sludge!

[@darthlucas759]

Everytime I see NYC subway, I thank God that Jakarta has revolutionized its public transportation, especially trains. Our public transports used to be abyssimal. Then one day, a guy took charges of the railway system, and said "nah, this ain't it". He overhaul the entire railways system with an iron fist. Along with that revolution, the entire public transport system also change. Now we have LRT, MRT, KRL, jaklingko, gojek/grab/uber interconnected with each other❤

[@th3thrilld3m0n]

I'm guessing behind that door might be an old signaling booth now unused, especially if the station is that old.

[@The_D0RK_KNIGHT]

I use the 191st station for my commute to and from work; the tunnel here looks better than usual as before I've seen the almost entire floor covered in litter as though it was a carpet One time tripped over a homeless person buried under wet cardboard. During the winter the tunnel at times is populated by homeless persons seeking shelter from the cold and you have to watch out for them and their food/stuff lying on the floor. Really crappy station that the city should improve.

[@mookeychase0907]

The Bowery is the Lower East Side Chambers is downtown the Bowery looks about the same above ground at least in the 80s and early 90s when I lived there

[@arxvphoto809]

The 191 street tunnel was so nice just a few years ago. They did a great job cleaning it up and improving it, wtf happened!

[@dwaynes5983]

Democrats took over. Now all slums just like Long Island

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Washington Heights happened

[@vedantsharma9495]

The metro stations in India look Heavenly in comparison, although most of them are quite new with modern amenities and modern trains. Our cities are still mostly unclean though.

[@rootuj]

Local stations in mumbai look kinda similar to the video 😂

[@KristNi]

This looks like something from a horror movie on Tubi, I swear! The storage behind Chambers station is probably were people are kept and hidden then used in torture machines. I swear, I step one foot in the NYC subway. Its a horror film and its gross 🤢

[@jamesarroyo8401]

Honorable mention: Herald Square Station. I will skip the gory details because you keep a pretty chill following for your vlog. That was pre-COVID, I don't want to know what it was like during the pause.

[@parpar3]

What's worse than the decay is that the subway is not really usable for people in a wheelchair or with a stroller.

[@DeanStephen]

Ironically, few of the stations in the big liberal-run cities are handicapped accessible. Their excuse? The stations are old, it costs to much, but they will spend ridiculous sums on laughable “public art,” and bike lanes that are used only by the young and healthy.

[@nyctransitrailfan]

@@DeanStephen come on conservative person, this doesn't have to do with liberals

[@DeanStephen]

@@nyctransitrailfan First off, I’m not a conservative. Secondly, it has everything to do with liberal’s real priorities versus political theatre.

[@markeeecmarkoni2855]

To me, as a European, this really looks like something from a horror movie, but then again, it's New York and that's why it's special

[@leob4403]

Dude I don't care how edgy or ninja turtles you want the city to be, I'm not walking around with mold, rust, and sewage water, and rats and piss everywhere, that's a health hazard to be in, it's not worth sacrificing your health to be cool