Straphangers Campaign released its annual study of subway delays today, and found that the F Train was the worst offender of all in 2013. The MTA issued 326 alerts for “controllable” issues on the Queens-to-Coney Island line — eight percent of its total alerts in for the year.
The 4 Train was next, with 298 alerts, and the 2 after that, with 289. The J/Z trains were the city’s most reliable by far, with only 53. Disconcertingly, alerts are on the rise systemwide, from 2,967 in 2011 to 3,998 in 2013 (Straphangers Campaign excluded 2012 because of Sandy-related issues).
Things aren’t exactly looking rosy for the F in 2014: last week, a derailment left 19 people injured and countless more late for work.
The MTA released a statement in response to the report, disputing the group’s claim that service has gotten worse since 2011:
Since 2011, the amount of time customers have had to wait for a train throughout the system has remained flat. We agree that the service alerts are a powerful tool that deliver meaningful information to customers. We have increased staff and have become more efficient in providing service information in a more timely manner so customers are quickly aware of any incidents that may impact their commute. However, the cause of such incidents can quickly change upon further investigation which is why the alerts were never meant to serve as a performance metric. Our wait assessment metric, which includes BOTH controllable and non-controllable incidents and measures the amount of time customers have had to wait for a train , provides a more comprehensive picture of service quality. Despite increased ridership and the challenges we face with these incidents, we continue to develop and deploy strategies to maintain even intervals of service for our customers, and our wait assessment metric reflects this focus. Again, since 2011, the amount of time customers have had to wait for a train throughout the system has remained flat.
(Photo: @MTAPhotos)
