The Straphangers Campaign released their annual State of the Subway survey this afternoon, and I’ll just provide you with a link to the results right now. I’ll have time to give some more analysis and thoughts on this survey later. The winners are the 7 and L, the two lines that were both under the auspices of the Line Manager pilot program in 2008. The C was the lowest rank line, unseating the W for that dubious distinction.
Straphangers give 7, L high marks
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It seems pretty clear that new equipment is the leading factor in bringing some lines to the top of the list. As is not having to share your line with half a dozen other lines (*cough* R *cough*).
A huge factor also is that the 7 and L lines hired alot of additional cleaners so that it looks more like the general manager program works. That is a huge advantage over the other lines which aren’t allowed to hire additional cleaners.
Time will tell if it works on the other lines. Nevertheless the 7 and L start out with huge advantages.
Because the ratings are heavily weighted toward scheduled service, the four lines that don’t share tracks with other lines – the 1, 6, 7, and L – are always at the top. Since 1997, the only time the top line was not one of those four was in 2001, when the Q ranked at the top; the Q is a perennial high-scorer as well, since it only shares tracks with the low-frequency B and N.
That’s exactly right; conversely, the W tends to rank low because it’s a fill-in service. It runs only during the day, and it’s not the only service on any part of its run. The C has the Brooklyn local to itself, but in Manhattan it shares trackage with the E and the B.
[…] afternoon, I offered up a short piece and a link to the Straphangers Campaign annual state of the subways report card. I didn’t have time then […]