It was a busy news day for the MTA!

The transit agency released its station-level ridership data for 2009. The busiest stations: Times Square – 42nd, Grand Central – 42nd, 34th – Herald Square. The emptiest: Aqueduct Racetrack, Beach 105th Street on the A and the Shuttle, and Broad Channel — also on the A and the Shuttle.

Dozens of laypeople have gotten their hands on the MTA’s universal keys to subway gates, the Daily News reports. The revelation comes after cops caught a 25-year-old man charging people a discounted rate to pass through the gates with his key.

Transit apps are on the rise, reports amNY. The new technology will give riders a wealth of data on the city’s transit system. Commuters said they would especially like a program that will tell them exactly when the next train will arrive. But unfortunately, there is no app for that, yet.

East side residents are taking aim at the Second Avenue subway project, again. They say the construction has created a rat problem, according to the Wall Street Journal. But a contractor hired by the MTA says a nearby abandoned building is to blame.

A transit worker died after slipping on wet tracks and falling onto the third rail, the Daily News reports.

The Wall Street Journal’s New York edition launched today with a step-by-step guide on proper MetroCard swipe technique.