Dubai Debt Issues Push Stocks Down
Family Gets Early Christmas Gift From Ellen DeGeneres
Photos of D Train Murder Depict Bloody Panic
Mayor: Sex Trafficking Victims, Please Speak Up
GMA: Adam Lambert, No; Chris Brown, Yes
The Straphangers Campaign has released its annual State of the Subways Report Card and yet again, the 6 train is named the best line while the N is the worst. The other trains, from best to worst, were the 1/9, 7, 4, E, J/Z, L, 5, Q, 2, 3, V, F, A, D, R, M, B, W, C. So, overall, it seems that the crappiest grouping of lines are the B, D, F, V - which comes as no surprise, as though cars are really old and crappy. The 6 gets its high rating because the train cars are newer, which means more comfort (if not more seats), more clear announcements and less breakdowns, whereas the N gets slammed because it performed below average on these four measures: "arriving with regularity, seat availability, cleanliness and announcements." If you look at the data (there are a bunch of PDFs available at the Straphangers), it seems to suggest that shorter lines - and ones with the newer subway cars - tend to rise to the top. Newsday, though, gets a quote from MTA spokesman Paul Fleuranges who says, "The subway system was never designed to offer everyone a seat during rush hour, particularly at the most crowded point along the route." Yeah, so suck it up, New Yorkers!
N riders aren't surprised their line sucks; Gothamist likes how one person the Post interviewed was "sweating profusely" as he waited for a train, because we've noticed that many N stations (Times Square, Herald Square, Union Square) are like saunas. If Gothamist were a conspiracy buff, we'd say the 6 is the best line because Mayor Bloomberg usually takes it from his townhouse, but we're not anything like that. But perhaps we'll change our nickname for the N from the "Never" to the "Nasty" train.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
I do not know where the Z bear is.
i must get a G train bear!!
Awww the 7 Bear gets no love. :(
FEWER breakdowns, not 'less breakdowns'.
How come the G train isn't even on the Report Card??!
I love the bears! where can I get one?
The 6 train has to be good for the simple reason that its the only line to and from the UES. Furthermore, a majority of midtown and downtown businessmen/women, and most of them pay larger amounts towards city and state income taxes. Additionally, Wall Streeters give more to Pataki than any other group in the city (they give equivalent amounts to Democratic hopefuls, but that's because they like to hedge their bets).
So, the fact that the 6 train gets more money and service than other lines is hardly surprising. If the 6 went down as often as the F or N for example, the city would be in worse financial shape than it is .
What's surprising, though, is that given all of the power and money off of the 6 line, they haven't been able to push the 2nd Avenue line harder and get it done. If there's one disaster or bombing on the 6, and that line goes down for any signifcant period of time, the city is going to have a huge mess on its hands.
Yesterday morning at 9:38 I waited over 15 minutes for the N train at Pacific Street. So annoying! The N train does suck.
I'm surprised the 2/3 wasn't higher since I think those lines also have the newer cars.
And as far as service goes, I dont' find the 6 that great, at least during pm rush hour. It's quite often slow to come.
Another oddity is that at least half the afternoons they have some of the downtown 6 trains skip astor place, spring, and canal. Aside from the inconvenience of not being able to get off at my stop, I've been curious for months why this is. Does anyone know why they do this, or is it just to keep the trains moving faster?
Let's not forget to mention that the cover photo on the Straphangers report is by nyc phoblogger Travis Ruse...
I think the 6 train runs more frequently than other lines for the simple reason that it is the only line serving the East Side (with the 4/5 running express). I'd be curious to see a breakdown of the number of riders per line and the frequency of trains. From my experiences, I've found no trains are more crowded during rush hours than the 6.
Elayne:
the note at the bottom of this chart explains that "the G train recieves no rating as reliable crowding data is unavailable."
http://www.straphangers.org/statesub05/chart2.pdf
"The subway system was never designed to offer everyone a seat during rush hour, particularly at the most crowded point along the route."
That quote reminds me of this great "Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three" quote from Frank Correll:
"Screw the goddamn passengers! What the hell did they expect for their lousy 35 cents - to live forever?"
The G train did not receive a rating as it has now moved to the Horrible Train Hall Of Fame and is therefore ineligible for further consideration.
: )
Jamie
Hello! this poll is so seriously flawed. The N train is the biggest vein in the public transport system. Everybody takes that train. Of course people are gonna complain about it. It's like comparing new york to missouri in a poll of 100 people and asking them who is more courteous. People will say missouri even though they've never been there. I've never taken any other trains besides the N,r, b,d,f,q,and the 5,6 and 7. How would you rate the other trains if you've never taken them? I take the N,R and 6 in lower manhattan and I think the N is more reliable than the 6. But maybe the N sucks when you get to uptown. How do they conduct this poll?
Actually I think the A is the longest train.
It actually warms my heart a bit that no one notices/remembers/can locate the G train. If the straphangers can't find us, then terrorists definitely won't...
Here's something sort of interesting. Two trains on the same line (The N and the W) are both the cleanest and dirtiest in the system - respectively, according to the report. Hmm...
The two only diverge in the lower part of their route, esp in Brooklyn. Perhaps it's the Brookylnites that are to blame.
How does one find out which subway lines are out at a particular time? On Saturday, 8-20-05, the M line was not running in Brooklyn. Sat. Nite, the 4,5, and 6 were not running up town from Fulton. How is one to know in advance?