Transit Blogger

(N)ever Fails…….

Coney Island-Stillwell Ave. bound N entering 39th Ave. station; Resized photo courtesy of Eye On Transit

So how do I start off the new year? I start it off by catching up on blog posts for all of my loyal readers. Before I begin, let me wish each & every one of you a Happy New Year! I hope your 2008 is everything you hope for & then some! Now let me get straight to the updates by starting out with a below average rider report card result. The C- which was earned by the train comes as a surprise to no one. Here is 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. Cleanliness of stations
05. Station announcements that are easy to hear
06. Train announcements that are easy to hear
07. Sense of security in stations
08. Station announcements that are informative
09. Sense of security on trains
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. Cleanliness of stations
05. Station announcements that are easy to hear
06. Train announcements that are easy to hear
07. Sense of security in stations
08. Station announcements that are informative
09. Sense of security on trains
10. Cleanliness of subway cars
11. Comfortable temperature in subway cars
12. Courtesy and helpfulness of station personnel
13. Train announcements that are informative
14. Working elevators and escalators in stations
15. Lack of scratchitti in subway cars
16. Availability of MetroCard Vending Machines
17. Lack of graffiti in stations
18. Signs in stations that help riders find their way
19. Ease of use of subway turnstiles
20. Signs in subway cars that help riders find their way
21. Lack of graffiti in subway cars

Now here is the graded breakdown of all 21 categories:

Minimal delays during trips D+
Reasonable wait times for trains D+
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 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 C-
Train announcements that are informative C-
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-

I think the N got the grade it deserved as I personally thought it deserved either a C or C-. The problem I & many others seem to have with the N is the inconsistency which plagues the line. When things are going well, you feel pretty satisfied with your commute. The unfortunate part is you never know which N you will get. Will you get the N that is consistent & provides good service from Astoria to Coney Island or will you get the N which many feel stands for “never” as never showing up?

6,384 feel the latter of the two is what they have come to expect. Considering this is the case, it is no surprise that “Reasonable wait times for trains” is the #1 priority for riders. To be honest, I wouldn’t have ranked “Minimal delays during trips” as the second biggest priority. In my years of riding the N, I felt the biggest issue outside of wait times was actual space on the train. It is a rare thing to comfortably get a seat on the N during any part of the day. As one would expect, riders closest to the terminal on either end usually don’t face as many seating issues. While “Adequate room on board at rush hour” was the #3 priority, I think it deserved the #2 spot.

Like the “Adequate room on board at rush hour” & “Minimal delays during trips”, both announcement categories earned a D+. The announcement issue is one I expect to improve by leaps & bounds when the line is filled with the new R160B subway cars. Hopefully these new cars will also help improve service with more reliability & faster service.

In the end, it is just about to impossible to argue with how the 6,384 riders graded the . I am really curious to see what the line will grade out after having its entire fleet made up of R160B cars. Lets hope that this coupled in with its own line manager helps move the N forward since change is desperately needed for the riders who depend on it!

xoxo Transit Blogger

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