No, It Can’t Be!
Two G trains by the Smith-9th Streets station; Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
Every time I look at the results & tell myself that it can’t be! How did the 
not earn a F for an overall grade in the 2007 Rider Report Cards. While the line did fail as it earned a D+ for its overall grade, it surprised many bloggers & riders such as myself who fully expected this line to earn a F. This was the only line almost everyone assumed would get the F as no other line seemed to stand a chance of earning the dubious honor. Anyhow enough with the upset of the century that might rival Appalachian State defeating Michigan (if you believe the so called experts, I knew they would beat them personally), lets get straight to the full breakdown:
Top 10 priorities that train riders would like to see improvement on:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Minimal delays during trips
03. Adequate room on board at rush hour
04. Sense of security in stations
05. Cleanliness of stations
06. Station announcements that are easy to hear
07. Sense of security on trains
08. Train announcements that are easy to hear
09. Station announcements that are informative
10. Cleanliness of subway cars
Now here is the entire order of train riders priorities:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Minimal delays during trips
03. Adequate room on board at rush hour
04. Sense of security in stations
05. Cleanliness of stations
06. Station announcements that are easy to hear
07. Sense of security on trains
08. Train announcements that are easy to hear
09. Station announcements that are informative
10. Cleanliness of subway cars
11. Working elevators and escalators in stations
12. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel
13. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
14. Ease of use of subway turnstiles
15. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines
16. Signs in stations that help riders find their way
17. Train announcements that are informative
18. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
19. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way
20. Lack of graffiti in stations
21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars
Now here is the graded breakdown of all 21 categories:
Minimal delays during trips C-
Reasonable wait times for trains D-
Adequate room on board at rush hour C-
Sense of security in stations C-
Sense of security on trains C-
Working elevators and escalators in stations D+
Signs in stations that help riders find their way C
Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C
Cleanliness of stations D+
Cleanliness of subway cars C-
Station announcements that are easy to hear D
Station announcements that are informative D
Train announcements that are easy to hear D+
Train announcements that are informative D+
Lack of graffiti in stations C
Lack of graffiti in subway cars C
Lack of scratchitti in subway cars C-
Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel C-
Comfortable temperature in subway cars C+
Ease of use of subway turnstiles C+
Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines C+
As I stated earlier, the overall grade not being an F ranks as a huge upset. I mean where does one begin with this line which is clearly the stepchild of the MTA. How can anyone take this line seriously when it is the only non-shuttle line to run in service with less than a full compliment of subway cars? From the top of my head I would swear that the Times Square shuttle for instance runs more cars! Lets not even get started on the running joke of this line serving as a Queens Blvd local.
The MTA might as well remove the G from any signs at Queens Blvd stations as it rarely runs along the corridor nowadays. The E is pretty much a loner during the overnight hours which is a joke in of itself but that is a topic for another time. We always hear how the G isn’t running along Queens Blvd due to construction. Well call me crazy but after all these years, I never see the damn construction that prevents this line from running along the corridor 24×7. Why don’t they just admit that they want to make Court Square its permanent terminal in Queens!
Quite frankly I wouldn’t disagree with anyone who wanted to give the G an F in just about every category on the “Rider Report Card” as it would be deserved. The biggest priority being “Reasonable wait times for trains” can’t be argued as one could grow old waiting for a G to arrive. You might as well save yourself time from looking at the schedule as the G rarely sticks to one. There is a reason why according to most the G stands for “Ghost” because you would swear you saw one when you actually see a G arrive!
The fact the train only runs 4 cars leads to the crowding issues the line faces. The G goes through some neighborhoods that have gone through or are continuing to go through gentrification. The population is growing in many of the neighborhoods the line serves yet the MTA displays ass backwards thinking in providing less service & equipment to match. Good one!!!!! Lets not also forget the dangerous “G Train Dash” which many go through everyday when they don’t know the line only runs with 4 cars. The more I see the dash, the more angry I get with the MTA. Seriously 4 cars, wtf!!!!!!
I am not one who usually pays much attention to the sense of security in stations grade but in this case I must. The stations along this line have a very deserted & unsafe aura about them. I am a strong 6’4″ man & feel that I have to pay extra attention at G train stations. There is just something to the aura of these stations that I have never gotten at any other stations in the system. It is hard to explain but I am sure G train regulars know what I am talking about. If you want to experience this aura first hand, go to the 21st St.-Van Alst station which hands down has the strongest negative aura of any station I have ever been in!
I am going to not dwell on the amount of responses the MTA received for this report card. However I do want to dwell on something that truly shows how pathetic this line is. As you know I have repeatedly laughed or questioned how every single line earned at least a B- for the “Availability Of MetroCard Vending Machines’. It was to the point that I considered it a free square on the card. Well leave it to the G train to be the first line to fail to earn at least a B- in the category. Seriously if that is not a sign of how bad this line is currently, then I don’t know what a sign in that respect is!
Lets hope that when the G gets extended in Brooklyn permanently, the line will realize its full potential! Hell at this point even a 1/3 of its potential would be a huge upgrade over what we have today!
xoxo Transit Blogger
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
[…] point in rehashing that point by point. If you want to refresh your memory on those comments, click here. In the meantime lets just face the fact that G riders have a few years to go before the line sees […]