Now that summer is here, temperatures are climbing and hitting record highs. More often than not, many commuters are feeling the heat (and then some) simply while waiting for trains in many of New York City’s underground stations.

In our latest report, Save Our Subways: A Plan To Transform New York City’s Rapid Transit System, we recommend a number of ways that New York City Transit can create healthier station environments for its customers. Day after day, commuters are exposed to environmental health risks which include excessive noise, poor air quality and heat in many of the City’s subway stations. On recent record, temperatures have climbed to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. These scorching temperatures undoubtedly pose serious health risks to riders and transit employees, which in turn can result in more sick passenger delays.

As New York City Transit moves forward with implementing its Fast Forward NYC plan, here are a few recommendations for cooling the subways:

• Design future subway lines to generate less heat and be more energy efficient: Future subway lines can be engineered to allow for more energy efficient and less heat generating performance. Additionally, turns can also be designed to reduce the need for unnecessary braking between stations and to maximize the benefits of coasting.
• Pump the brakes to reduce heat. Regenerative braking can potentially reduce the amount of heat generated by braking trains as well as the amount of energy required to operate the subway.