MTA Insists the F Train Is Getting Better

Tim Schreier's Flickr

After releasing a report last year admitting that the F train was really f'ed up, the MTA says service on the subway line has improved significantly. So significantly, in fact, that officials have decided there's no reason for a proposed F train task force to bother meeting as planned. City Room reports that a proposed review of the F train’s timetable, which had not been revised since 2001, is no longer in the works, because the MTA is satisfied with performance on the F line. But State Senator Daniel Squadron, who lives along the F line in Carroll Gardens, says the MTA needs to make more of an effort.

The MTA is happy to report that more F trains are running on time and more regularly, and the entire fleet of trains now consists of new high-tech cars. In September, about 82 percent of F trains arrived at their destination within five minutes of the scheduled time, a 5 percent improvement from a year earlier. According to the report, the improvement is partially due, oddly enough, to the elimination of the V train, which has enabled F trains to roll more smoothly through the Second Avenue stop, where the V used to terminate (and make the subway platform a billion times hotter by idling there).

"People appreciate the new cars; it makes a difference," says Squadron, who requested the report. "But there is still frustration with service inconsistency... It feels like you get the diagnosis again, and it’s not specific about the solution." At press time, it was unclear whether the MTA's disease can ever be cured.

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By John Del Signore in News on November 15, 2010 2:19 PM

Comments [rss]

diablofreak

you brooklyn people are funny. i ride the M and F uptown back to Queens and never have any problems.

except that time... well, almost every night... when I wait for an MF'ing M or F train uptown for over 20 minutes.

RevWaldo

I've noticed the difference. Before on the rush-hour commute back to Brooklyn I'd sit on the bench reading and let one or two completely packed F trains go on by and get a seat on the near-empty one stuck behind them. Now they arrive at regular intervals, crowded but not completely packed, with no seats available until at least Bergen St. So thanks for that.

Jamie McDonald

That's just because you don't know the advanced F train riding techniques. The secret is to position yourself near a sitting Chinese person before coming into East Broadway or a sitting black person coming into Jay Street.

Samuel

@imaginary

Plausible recommendation, but you have to look into the antiquated infrastructure and the lines running simultaneously with the F. The F shares the Queens Blvd line and then the highly congested Sixth Avenue line. It's all about coordination. The F is already close to its maximum based on the available times with other trains and signals. The Lex lines run frequently because their signals are closer and were upgraded to handle capacity. The BMT/IND lines weren't upgrade, but they are built into the 2010-2015 MTA plans as they install more CIS/PA and upgrade the signals. You cannot simply add more trains (which in affect boosts our fares indirectly from salaries of the TWU/unionized workers) and cause problems on other lines.

Also, when a train is held at a station or tunnel--

1) it can be early, so they are held by the dispatcher

2) waiting for a transfer/connecting train

3) waiting for signal clearance from the tower (Yes, they DO check the time at the punchboxes!)

4) the train crossing ahead is late

5) problems ahead

I know that some of those conductors don't make the most accurate announcements.

Also, for those using Android and iPhones, download this application to measure the MTA's on time adherence of your line: http://www.nycmate.com/. This app uses the source code from the MTA, so the times are used by dispatchers and controllers at the MTA. Try it. And you are reminded that you should factor in plus or minus 1-2 minutes. (MTA considers late as 5 minutes) when there are no problems.

imaginary

Thanks, I'll check that link out!

I was definitely oversimplifying. But I think to an extent all this logisitical stuff is an excuse. Easily 10-15 minutes pass between F trains almost every evening rush. That's inexcusable when they're scheduled to run every 4 minutes. Something is going wrong along the line, and it honestly can't be that difficult to figure out where the bottleneck is and how to solve it. If it can't be improved, then publish the ACTUAL schedule so passengers can decide for themselves what route they will take home.

nyguy7

I understand what you're saying. I find it easier going into Manhattan in the morning but the commute back into Brooklyn seems to be more difficult at times. I ride the F in the morning just before peak times so that may be why going in is easier. There's not quite as many people riding it at 7:30 AM. Just before 5PM thought then it starts to get to be a mess. Sometimes it's okay but other times if it's longer than 5 minutes between F trains that line is packed even at 42nd st.

I thought the M train going from Williamsburg would actually alleviate some of the over crowding since of people who used to get on the F at Delancy but it hasn't seemed to have helped much on the evening commute.

imaginary

Wait...what? I take the F to the A and vice-versa to and from work. In the morning The F train is great. The A/C is even better. Its almost always across the platform.

But from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the F train is a true freaking disaster at Jay Street. Every day I count at least 4 A/C trains arriving before an F comes...and what a surprise...its packed to the gils. Thats at like 6pm.

Then if I ever take the G into Williamsburg later at like 8pm - all of a sudden there's 3 (empty) F trains in a row before the G comes.

When does the F line think rush hour is?? How hard is it to get trains to run on time? Seriously...how long have we had a transit system. Its easy...ADD MORE TRAINS. I don't know what the MTA wastes its money on, but it sure as heck isn't service improvements.

Lost in Space

I must agree. I have been taking the F train for more than five years to commute to and from work. It has improved a lot during the week. It still sucks on weekends when it feels like the train is on a every 20 minutes schedule (is it?)

ladyjane

I take the F train to and from work, and it seems to be working significantly better than C train, for example, which I also use to commute to work. Seriously, the F train comes almost 3 times as often as the C at Jay St/Borough Hall. According to my own (extremely limited) subway user analysis, the F train is doing just fine.

Oh Almighty Walrus King

Yeah, no kidding; the C train is like a hippopotamus with learning disabilities next to the ninja that is the F, and to stand waiting for the C at Jay St really is to learn to hate that ninja (not to mention the A, that smug asshole).