The venerable Straphangers Campaign released its annual State of the Subway survey results this afternoon, and the results are, in a word, shocking. The L train has been ranked as the best subway line in the city. Never mind that the trains are packed like sardines and often suffer through slow rush hour trips; the train earns its high marks because the announcements are easy to hear and the train runs frequently. While the Straphangers have long questioned the MTA’s own internal ratings systems for trains, I’m beginning to wonder if we should subject the PIRG’s announcements to the same scrutiny. More on this later.
Straphangers: L train ‘best subway line in the city’
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Actually, the train doesn’t run very frequently. Many of the other top-ranked lines share tracks with other lines, or have local/express alternatives. The 4 and L both run at 4-minute headways, but in Manhattan the 4 runs together with the 5, with the 6 as a slightly slower alternative; the L has nothing. The IRT lines run at 2-3-minute headways when one combines track-sharing express lines; the L can’t expand beyond 4 without massive capital investment.
Alon, the 5 and 6 don’t do you much good if you’re going to or from Brooklyn.
Depends on where in Brooklyn you’re talking about. The 5 is fine if you’re going to Atlantic Avenue, for instance.
Josh, the 5 only runs to Brooklyn at peak times.
The 5 doesn’t go to Brooklyn?
Not accounting for lines that overlap seems like a major drawback to this method. I mean, poor bottom-ranked W train. True, if you absolutely have to take the W and only the W, you might want to have a book with you on the platform. But unless you’re going specifically from Astoria to Wall Street and aren’t willing to switch trains, an N or R (or several) will probably pass by in the meantime. Now it’s expected to compete with the 7?
Then again, this is a publicity exercise, not a scientific study, and trying to measure all the overlapping lines (separate ratings for “Bronx 4,” “Bronx 2/5”, “Manhattan 4/5”?) would probably turn it into a complicated mess.
Whoops, the 5 thing was clarified while I was typing. Sorry.
You can see why the L would be ranked so highly. It has all-new rolling stock, and service has been increased. It may not be the most-served line in the system, but it has a lot more service than it used to. Remember, most people who respond have only a couple of lines they ride regularly. The typical L rider isn’t comparing it to the 7; they’re just comparing it to the way the L used to be.
Despite its methodological flaws, this study is more than just a publicity stunt. The Straphangers Campaign takes the subway seriously. They issue the study every year, so you can make comparisons over time. I agree that any method that would take account of overlapping services would be a lot more complicated, and probably not worth it. By the way, the MTA’s rider report cards did the same thing.
The comparisons over time suggest that the differences near the top are insignificant. The Q has been getting better and better, and the D worse and worse, but besides that, the 1, 6, 7, and L are perennially at or close to the top, with no apparent trend.
I agree with the rating. The new cars, “next train” signs and frequency of service are the L’s big pluses. During Rush Hour there are about as many trains as possible. In my opinion the limitation is the 8th Ave terminus… Trains always back up at 6th Ave for a reversing slot. Also, remember the L has the dual-cleaning crew experiment going on.
All-in-all, it’d be glad to take out of town friends on it.
I should also mention last summer I had a different opinion. I constantly would have to let several trains pass at Lorimer in the morning. This summer I’m using Bedford, one stop closer to Manhattan, and can still get on fine. The extra trains helped.
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The L train is pretty good. I still don’t understand why people hold the doors so much on the line even though they are regular riders. they have to know that another train is leaving in 4 minutes more or less).
It takes, unless a person or 2 holds the doors or there is track trouble, 35 minutes from end to end. With a 4 minute waiting time that mean in 40 minutes you are in Canarsie or at 8th Ave. The cars are cool, the announcements are hearable… it is really a good line.
The 6 is pretty nice too, and the 1… not too sure about that one.
First of All i Live by the L and it is Constantly crowded. train get delayed so much during rush hours. Plus the R143 runs faster then the R 160 on the L line. Which they did not do a good job testing on L line Like they did on the JMNQWZ line. There is no soultion to this problem. They will not add a express tracks especially the way the econmy been and the Questionable Finicial stablity of the MTA. For those who lives in Between Grand st and beford have it easy to Manhattan cause is about a 3 to 10 minue ride. So plus they cano build another track due to the turns the l makes and neighborhoods it runs threw will be to much chaos and controversy for the mta
A train Has Been a Big Question it has 3 last stop in Queeen is 31 miles long. They where testing the R 160 on the A but never was completed for uknown reasons.
C train should run at nite cause the A makes about 60 stops to far Rockaway from 207 st which is abuse to riders cause of the long ride
4 train is always crowded and always jam pack but northbound gets easier after 42 st. And most of the time during rush hour does not run 4 minutes usaully more.
5 train never goes to 238 st Neried ave on rush hours any more. Which why Mya has never mention we dont know. They seem to be very secert. It Runs approxmatley 8 minutes during Rush Hours.
D train is horriable it makes the Ntrain goes slow also between The connection from after the Bridge. always Delay cause of the D and they Put the D and N train to close of arrival time at pacfic and 36 st to allow some space so they can got a desecnt speed. Also allow for the N goes first from 36 st to 59 st there no turn which require to go 10 miles like the d goes to go to the elavated track to 9 ave via the west end line.
M train is always being delay due to the J. North Bound Always allowing the J to go first before it enters broad st allow the M goes first Makes more sense cause it makes no turn Until myrtle. But the J goes first from Marcy to go express which cause the M to be delayed. But the R 160 train Helps on the M which runs smoother and faster. J train should run express in manhattan from delancey to chamber st since they are for tracks and two are not use which also is another resoultion for M train delays North bound
I hope some this information Help on some reason why trains are delayed