MTA unveils new plan aimed at preventing overcrowding on three popular subway lines

NEW YORK (WABC) -- If you feel crowded on your subway ride, you aren't alone and there's good news for straphangers.

The MTA has a new plan to keep trains moving and keep you from waiting.

There are more people riding the Lexington Avenue line than the entire transit systems of Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco combined.

The number 7 Flushing line alone now carries more riders than the entire Washington metro and riders say it's becoming unbearable.

The worst overcrowding is on the 6, 7, and F-trains. The Transit Authority now says it will put extra staff on some platforms and monitor others with closed-circuit cameras.

They also plan to streamline signal repair and track work schedules, and step-up inspections to identify potential problems.

Another proposal is to expand the so-called "step aside" zones, where the subway doors open, which some riders say are actually counterproductive.

One option not under consideration is Tokyo's approach to subway overcrowding, but Transit Authority watchdog Gene Russianoff says the system needs to go high tech.

"Right now it's like a 19th century system that uses traffic lights and stop signals. They want to make the trains run more evenly, the best way to do that is to computerize the train system," said Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign.

These modest steps are expected to be phased in over the next several months.