NYC Subways Rated in Annual Report

NEW YORK—A report released by the Straphangers Campaign on Wednesday shows that New York City’s subway cars are breaking down less often. However, a strong disparity still exists between the system's best- and worst-rated subway lines.

The J/Z line was rated the best, with a $1.45 “MetroCard Rating,” $2.25 being the highest rating. The No. 2 and C lines were rated the worst in the system, with a $0.90 “MetroCard Rating.”

“What's clear is that when people swipe their MetroCards into the system, they're getting different kind of rides, depending on whether they're on a top-ranked line like the J and the Z or the [No.] 7, or they're at the bottom of the barrel with the C and the No. 2,” said Gene Russianoff, senior attorney for the Straphangers Campaign.

The disparity is the largest in the breakdown rates. For example, the M line breaks down once in an average of 843,598 miles, while the C breaks down 15 times more often, every 54,838 miles. Announcement clarity is the best, at 100 percent, on the E, M, and Q lines and the worst on the C line, with 72 percent of the announcements being clear.

“I don’t feel it’s the worst line, but it’s not the best. I don’t see it frequently. It’s always crowded,” said Al Moran, 32, an employee at John F. Kennedy International Airport who rides the No. 2 line three times a month.

The Straphangers Campaign has issued its annual “State of the Subways” report card since 1997. The ratings are based on official data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Subway lines are rated in six categories: scheduled frequency, regularity of service, breakdown rates, seat availability, cleanliness, and announcement clarity.

“In 2010, the Transit Authority cut 166 car cleaners and scores of subway car maintainers, and we were very worried about the impact. It may be too early to really tell the full impact of it, but according to these numbers, and to the Transit Authority's credit, it improved the breakdown rate and held announcements and cleanliness at the same level,” said Russianoff.

While system-wide cleanliness ratings remain unchanged, disparities between different lines exist. The G train was rated the worst in the system, with 13 percent of the trains having moderate or heavy dirt, while the C and E lines were rated the cleanest, with 4 percent of cars having moderate or heavy dirt.

The C line was rated the worst in the system for the third year in a row. It is out of service at night and provides less service during the daytime than any other line in the subway system. In addition, C trains break down more often than other trains.

“When I’m down here, the E train runs two or three times as many times as the C train,” said Bernard Keller, 50, a high school teacher from Manhattan who rides the C train daily.

“I wish the C train would run more often, more frequently,” Keller added.

Russianoff attributed the disparities in service to decisions made by the MTA.

Aaron Donovan, an MTA spokesman, wrote in an e-mail statement: “We always appreciate and consider the Straphangers Campaign’s fun and unique take on subway and bus service.”