New MTA dashboard will offer transparency on delays and subway issues

Now you can see the reasons behind your crummy commute

Want to know just how much better—or, let's be real, worse—your subway commute is getting month over month? Soon, that will be possible.

This week, the MTA will launch a new online dashboard that tracks subway delays and lets commuters know what's causing them, reports the New York Times. MTA chairman Joe Lhota says the new information will provide the public with a better understanding of what's happening with the system as well as make it easier for transit officials to target problems.

The dashboard is expected to go live on the MTA's website on Wednesday, and will eventually sync up to a smartphone app. It will track "the performance of individual lines as well as wait times on platforms," according to the Times.

The new dashboard was inspired by similar tools that are already in use on transit systems throughout the country, as well as in London, which is what the MTA aimed to mimic in its attempt to be more transparent.

Up until now, riders did not have a dedicated portal that provided a full scope of the issues that affect their commutes. Now, riders will be able see if there is a major incident that will delay at least 50 trains and will allow the MTA to see how much time commuters are spending waiting on platforms.

While this new system isn't exactly a solution to the subway system's myriad problems, it's a step forward—as well as an admission on the MTA's behalf that it needs to do better when it comes to tracking the system's performance. "The whole point is to make the next month better than the prior month," Lhota told the Times.

• How Much Time Was Spent on Subway? M.T.A. Can Now Tell You [NYT]