The “A” Train and The “C” Train co-existed as an 8th Avenue Express. Yes, The “E” Train is an 8th Avenue express but most of the time, it operated as an 8th Avenue Local with other 8th Ave Local Trains in Manhattan, but operated as an express in the borough of Queens. The “E” train, really an 8th Avenue express, spend most of the time as a local under 8th Avenue in Manhattan. The “E” train once operated as an 8th Avenue express in Manhattan Monday thru Friday during rush hours. The “E” train was an express and a local train in Brooklyn. The “A” Train operates express in Brooklyn during normal & rush hours when “E” or “C/CC” Trains run local in Brooklyn. The old “AA”, 8th Avenue Local, onced operated in Brooklyn as a local, while “A” trains operated express in Brooklyn.

I don’t ride it very often, but The Wife does. It causes her to swear quite a bit.

However, if they wanted high marks, it probably wasn’t wise to send out the report card at a time the A is so often diverted on weekends.

I amended the part about sharing tracks so that it reflects what I meant to say first. Thanks for the heads up. I didn’t realize it wasn’t clear.

And I think you’ve nailed the Rockaway Park Shuttle. Ridership figures to be low on that line. The population, as of early 2006, was just 120,500, and the shuttle runs for five stops. I’m not surprised it didn’t do well, but I can’t imagine it’s a top priority for the MTA.

A few corrections: The A doesn’t go to Lefferts Boulveard just “sometimes”; except for late nights, fully half of the trips are to Lefferts. The A and C don’t share tracks for “much of their Manhattan route”; they share tracks only between Canal Street and Broadway–Nassau. The rest of the way, the A is express and the C is local. However, the A is sharing tracks with the D between 145th Street and 59th Street. The C shares tracks with the B between 145th and 59th, and with the E between 42nd and Canal.

South of 59th Street, it’s true that there’s practically no benefit to taking an express, but that’s because there are only 3 local stops (50th, 23rd, and Spring). North of 59th and south of Hoyt–Schermerhorn, the difference is considerable.

The C’s D-minus grade is richly deserved. The C has one of the worst headways in the system, with trains no better than 10 minutes apart most of the time. Weekend service on the C is especially bad, because the B doesn’t run, so the C has Central Park West to itself.

Service on the Rockaway Park Shuttle reflects the fact that, quite frankly, those are some of the least used stations in the system. In the larger scheme of things, they probably are getting all the service they deserve, at the same $2 base fare everyone else pays for a much shorter trip. Obviously, the residents there probably want the same frequent service as everyone else, but I’m not sure it’s really justified.

Lastly, the A and the C serve some of the stations in the most deplorable condition, particularly north of 59th Street.