Subway Delays are Up 24%

Photograph by unlisted sightings on Flickr

On the day we learn the MTA wants to raise fares again, there's finally data to confirm what we all knew: NYC Transit offered up statistics that show on-time subway performance has gotten worse.

The least on-time line is the 4--for the year ending with May 2008, the 4 was on-time only 79.7% of the time, compared with a systemwide average of 92.0%. And in May, the 4 was on-time only 70% of the time, compared to 80% in May 2007. One rider told the News, "Sometimes I have to wait and wait and then I'm late for work." Another rider detailed one memorable delay to the NY Times, “One day we stopped at Bowling Green, they told us there was a power outage, we waited 30 minutes and then they said we’re not going anywhere...I had to walk to the A-C at Fulton. That’s an extreme example, but there are delays all the time.”

Apparently NYC Transit can't quite figure out why delays have increased; per the Times, "Information about those delays comes mainly from reports by train crews, a method that authority officials acknowledged may not be adequate." While NYC Transit suggests that record levels of ridership and other issues are why delays are up (in April 2008 the #2 for delays was riders holding doors), some MTA board members think it's more about management, since the commuter railroads have been dealing with higher ridership just fine.

The Sun reports NYC Transit is considering skipping stops on crowded lines. After the jump, a list of the on-time performance for all the lines, in descending order of timeliness:

J/Z - 98.8%
M - 98.7%
G - 98.0%
Q - 97.2%
W - 96.1%
C - 95.5%
B - 95.1%
D - 94.9%
N - 94.7%
R - 94.7%
E - 93.7%
V - 93.6%
L - 92.8%
7 - 91.8%
A - 91.7%
F - 90.7%
6 - 89.6%
1 - 89.4%
3 - 86.7%
5 - 84.8%
2 - 81.1%
4 - 79.7%

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By Jen Chung in News on July 22, 2008 3:31 PM

Comments [rss]

JMH

You have seasonal increases in ridership on the 7 too, and it's not doing nearly as poorly as the 4.

Giulia Pines

I agree with Savage. I would love to know what kinds of supposed "improvements" they're actually doing to merit the ordeal we are forced to endure just to get home.

At the 96th St. 1/2/3 station, for example, they have both the local and express trains down to one track pretty much every night and on weekends, but all I ever see them doing is putting new white tiles over the older ones.

Because, you know, station beautification is JUST THAT IMPORTANT.

Rfive

I pay less than $80 a month for my transitchek. I think I'm getting my monies worth. There are better systems, but few serve a population like this one.

ravendaly

Ah yes, the 4, take it everyday (or the 5)... it came as no surprise that it is at the bottom of the list. Multiple factors for this: as one poster pointed out, we have a seasonal increase because of baseball, it is the *only* line on the east side currently, and also, commuters dump into it from Grand Central. These factors add to the delays, I think (overuse/under repair, etc etc)... Honestly, if we actually got updates when there are delays, I think people would be happier.

Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our subway system. It gets you where you need to go in a short amount of time, and beats driving and having to sit in traffic... And even though I ride on the 4 and it is always packed, I'd take that anyday over an hours worth of sitting in traffic.

jove4015

Here here plk779. I also would say the C train belongs next-to-last on the list (right ahead of the G). It's easy enough to say trains are meeting expectations when the bar is set so low. Sometimes you wait as long as 25 minutes for a C train at Franklin Ave. - while 4 or 5 A trains fly by! The only train that's worse is the G train - I mean, sometimes I swear I check the paper just to make sure they didn't close it down when I wasn't paying attention.

However they're taking these statistics, they should find a better way. Maybe they really need to measure customer satisfaction with the timeliness of the lines in question, they might find quite a different reality. I mean, when's the last time you heard someone complain about the A? And it's lower than the G?

lavenderNY

completely agree with previous comment.

how bout a list of trains most effected by track work/"improvements"

Savage

Seriously what the F%*$ are they doing with all of their money. I can't fathom how they are incurring a $900 million shortfall when their have been next to no small improvements let alone large scale modifications save the 2nd ave subway line. Which I know I'll never see in my lifetime and I'm only 25.

Granted energy costs have skyrocketed this year but this has been occurring for quite a few years. However because of this ridership is at an all time high.

There needs to be a legally mandated public audit of this company because somebody is running the subway into the ground and needs to be held responsible.

The Stu

plk779, I think the G escapes this because it's only scheduled to arrive, like, every half an hour. So it doesn't come very often, but it comes more or less as scheduled.

But who the hell had the stupid idea of skipping stops? How will that reduce congestion? People need to get OFF their train every once in awhile, too, and if you skip their stop they're just going to have to get on a downtown train and crowd it up even more (not to mention get even more pissed).

plk779

I refuse to believe the G train should be anywhere near the top of that list.

JRod5417

@evilone- I've noticed that service on the D & B lines is also worse during the baseball season, but I must say that the 4 train is pretty miserable year round.

theevilone

Gee, the 4 train got worse in May? Hmmm, like when baseball is in season and there are so many people trying to get to Yankee Stadium and not enough trains? Thereby jamming the platforms with fans and people who actually use the 4 train to get home?

That couldn't possibly be the reason.