Recognizing MTA Train Operators
By Alicia Cruz The Black Urban Times Finally, we get to recognize the individuals who transport us through the five boroughs by iron horse: Train Conductors. The New York Daily News interviewed veteran MTA train operator Alex Bowen Sr whose been with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for 18 years. The 42-year-old father of three began his career with MTA at the tender age of 22. He's driven everything from a trash train to a vac trains, deicers and even the A train. For a brief moment, the Dutchess County native thought he wanted to ditch his subway gig. Everything from the dust to the overabundance of rats that call the subway tunnels home gave Bowen the willies. The steel dust and smell of the rats makes it tough to breathe. The fearless rats have been known to crawl up your arm and pants legs. "The rat feces and urine were so potent that I felt like I needed a gas mask. That was the one time when I thought that maybe this job wasn't for me," said Bowen. De...