Queens Subway Squeeze Plagues Riders Even Before Amazon Arrives

ASTORIA, NY – Long before the first of thousands of Amazon workers arrive in Long Island City, subway trains are so packed commuters watch several pass by before they can squeeze inside, several riders said Wednesday.

The over-crowding is a daily problem, straphangers said. The MTA reported no unusual issues during Wednesday morning's rush hour: "At this time we have no ongoing incidents affecting the N/W," NYC Transit wrote on Twitter.

"However rush hour is the busiest time for service often creating small stoppages/pause that can add up and slow train movement. This can also add to hold up times in stations."

But that was little consolation to Dino Panagoulias, 38, a Long Island City resident who had to watch three trains pass before he could board.

His local subway station, 39 Ave-Dutch Kills, reopened at the end of January after being closed for renovations, but at least one thing has stayed the same — the overcrowding he said he experienced for months before the station closed.

"They're packed every single day," Panagoulias said of the N/W trains.

He commutes to Borough Hall in Brooklyn, where he works for the Department of Education. "If I get to the station at 8 o'clock, I will not get to work until, sometimes at the latest, 9:10."

Without delays, his commute takes 35 minutes, Panagoulias said.

Panagoulias and other commuters took their frustration with this morning's commute to Twitter.

"First a Manhattan bound N just flies by 30 Ave. without stopping,"one Astoria resident tweeted. "Now the next (packed) train has been stopped at Qboro for 5 minutes. Why do you hate Astoria residents so much?"

Later in the morning, a signal problem at Lexington Avenue-59 Street caused delays on the N and W lines, according to a tweet posted by @NYCTSubway at 9:17 a.m.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents Long Island City and Astoria, has been a vocal critic of subway service in those neighborhoods. State Sen. Michael Gianaris has expressed similar concerns.

Van Bramer, Gianaris and residents have said they fear Amazon opening its HQ2 in Long Island City will worsen the already problematic commutes.

(Lead photo by Dino Panagoulias)