The MTA is getting rid of seats on some subway cars

Finding a seat on the subway during rush hour is damn near impossible. Soon, such a feat will literally be impossible on cars across the system.

MTA chairman Joe Lhota held a press conference on Tuesday to announce an emergency plan for fixing the New York City subway system. The plan included 30 action items that aim to tackle a wide range of issues that cause an estimated 79 percent of the delays across the system, the most intriguing of which is a pilot program to remove seats on select cars across two different lines. 

The program will strip seats out of train cars operating on the L line and the Manhattan Shuttle, which Lhota says will help increase capacity and reduce overcrowding. The cars in question will be painted a separate color and have other signage to let customers know that they are sans chairs. The initiative is inspired by a similar setup in place on some MBTA trains in Boston.

There is not yet a time line for the rollout of the spacious cars, but Lhota did say that all of the action items detailed in the press conference will be delivered within a year.

Until then, it's time to start cherishing a subway seat when you find one. Soon enough, New Yorkers will face yet another set of "standing room only" signs.