No Expected Arrival Time to Relief From Heat on New York City Subway Platforms

One way to spend the afternoon after a long day at work: waiting for a delayed train on a 104-degree subway platform.

1 minute read

August 21, 2018, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Subway Platform

Goran Bogicevic / Shutterstock

"A study released by the nonprofit Regional Plan Association (RPA) last week found that temperatures in New York City’s busiest subway stations are soaring and that the average temperatures hover around 94.5 degrees Fahrenheit," reports Jonathan Hilburg.

According to the report, the temperature of the platforms is exacerbated by the age of stations. According to Hilburg, "the city’s busiest stations are often its oldest and their design precludes centralized climate control."

Hilburg is following up on news coverage of the new study written by Aaron Gordon. Gordon's approach to the news raises the alarm about a lack of funding to implement the available solutions for the problem of rising heat in the subway system. And with longer and more intense heat waves expected as a result of climate change, the rising temperatures on subway platforms are expected to have worsening public health impacts.

Thursday, August 16, 2018 in The Village Voice

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

White on-demand microtransit transit vehicle in Missouri.

Rural Missouri Transit Service Could Lose State Funding

OATS Transit offers low-cost rides to primarily elderly rural residents with little or no access to other transportation options.

15 minutes ago - The Daily Yonder

Entrance to subterranean Hollywood/Vine Metro station in Los Angeles, California surrounded by tall apartment buildings.

Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access

A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.

April 21 - San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Yellow roadside sign with extreme heat warning: "Danger - Extreme Conditions! - STOP - Do not hike Jun-Sep - HEAT KILLS"

Record Temperatures Prompt Push for Environmental Justice Bills

Nevada legislators are proposing laws that would mandate heat mitigation measures to protect residents from the impacts of extreme heat.

April 21 - Nevada Current