More Of The Same……
3 train pulling into the New Lots Avenue terminal. Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit
Continuing with the theme of barely being at or below average, another subway line has graded out with a C or C-. This time the culprit is the 2 train’s West Side Express partner, the 3 train. The 3 finished with an overall grade of a C- which was a notch below its partner which is fitting considering it is treated as being a notch below priority wise to the 2. Now it is time for the full breakdown of the 3’s 2007 Rider Report Card.
Top 10 priorities that 
train riders’ would like to see improvement on:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Adequate room on board at rush hour
03. Minimal delays during trips
04. Train announcements that are easy to hear
05. Station announcements that are easy to hear
06. Sense of security in stations
07. Sense of security on trains
08. Cleanliness of stations
09. Station announcements that are informative
10. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
Now here is the entire order of train riders’ priorities:
01. Reasonable wait times for trains
02. Adequate room on board at rush hour
03. Minimal delays during trips
04. Train announcements that are easy to hear
05. Station announcements that are easy to hear
06. Sense of security in stations
07. Sense of security on trains
08. Cleanliness of stations
09. Station announcements that are informative
10. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
11. Cleanliness of subway cars
12. Train announcements that are informative
13. Working elevators and escalators in stations
14. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel
15. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines
16. Signs in stations that help riders find their way
17. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
18. Ease of use of subway turnstiles
19. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way
20. Lack of graffiti in subway cars
21. Lack of graffiti in stations
Now here is the graded breakdown of all 21 categories:
Minimal delays during trips C-
Reasonable wait times for trains C
Adequate room on board at rush hour D+
Sense of security in stations C-
Sense of security on trains C-
Working elevators and escalators in stations C-
Signs in stations that help riders find their way C+
Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way C
Cleanliness of stations C-
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 B-
Like with the 2 train Rider Report Card, I feel riders were quite accurate with their grading for the 3 train. I see the 3 train as the stepchild of all the express trains on the West Side especially when comparing it to its 7th Avenue partner the 2 train. I tend to notice at least a 2-1 ratio of 2′ trains to 3′ trains which is scary considering how long the wait times can be for the 2.
The one positive I can say about the 3 is that of the 2 7th Avenue express routes, you would be more likely to get a seat on the 3. The problem is though with such a ratio of 2′ trains to 3′ trains, the wait for a non-guaranteed seat takes out any advantage one might have in using the 3. I also have a beef with the idea of running the 3 as a shuttle during the overnight hours & forcing residents to rely on a bus to go anywhere from 10-13 blocks. However I will leave that debate for another time.
As far as the number of responses go, it was another low turnout which I have come to expect. The final tally was 1,705 which is pitiful if you ask me. I guess it could be worse, the tally could have been 380 like the 42nd Street Shuttle!
xoxo Transit Blogger
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[…] This time the culprit is the train which once again earned a C-, the same grade it earned in 2007. Lets get straight to the breakdown: 3 Train Riders’ Top 10 Priorities; 2007 priority rank will […]