This article explains the slow speeds pretty well: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/09/nyregion/subway-crisis-mta-decisions-signals-rules.html https:

This article explains the slow speeds pretty well: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/09/nyregion/subway-crisis-mta-decisions-signals-rules.html https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/05/09/nyregion/subw... Basically, it boils down to heavy consequences for operators that go too fast coupled with systems that measure speed inconsistently.