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V train finds its identity after six years

By Marlene Naanes, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | MNaanes@am-ny.com

December 31, 2007

Six years after the V train went into service, many straphangers remain unimpressed, roasting its much-maligned local service.

But the V line, amNewYork found in interviews recently, has attracted its share of admirers, who happily trade speed for a guaranteed seat.

The V line began running on Dec. 17, 2001, from Forest Hills, Queens to Second Avenue, Manhattan to relieve the crowded E and F lines. But plenty of riders are content to keep cramming into the E and F trains, and the V remains the emptiest train -- at 49 percent capacity -- during peak hours in the transit system. The E, meanwhile, is still bursting with riders during those hours.

"I never liked the idea of the train from day one because as soon as I realized it was local it didn't make any sense to me," Steve Duca, 36, said as he got off the V to wait for a Queens-bound E train one recent evening.

The introduction of V service cut off G line service in Queens at Court Square and coincided with New York City Transit rerouting the F line. People railed against the V from its inception and transit officials tried to lure riders with marketing campaigns.

"This is typical of New Yorkers which is when they have to choose between speed and comfort they choose speed most of the time," said Straphangers Campaign attorney Gene Russianoff.

Others complain it only runs on weekdays and doesn't travel into Brooklyn or far enough into Queens.

But transit officials say the V is doing its job.

"Without the V, there would be many more riders on the E and the F, and it has valuable capacity to accommodate the growth in Long Island City and also to serve customers who are transferring to the G to go into Manhattan," said transit spokeswoman Deidre Parker.

"The V has room to grow and we'd love to see more people using it."

Loyal V riders love the train for a roomy weekday commute. Many Queens residents spread out to read, nap or balance their checkbooks -- even with several extra stops.

"In comparison to the E, it takes maybe five minutes extra," said Randy Padilla, 26. "And there's always a seat."

Some validation for the V What straphangers say about the V train:

I don't know how it runs or why it runs. Right now the E train is going to pull up and they're going to need people to shove us in. If anything, the E is more crowed than ever. I think I have maybe taken it just by accident or something. The V don't do anything for me.
Steven Brizar, 31, Jackson Heights

I was kind of disappointed at first because they rerouted the G train. But overall, I have no complaints with the V. It takes five minutes extra (than the E). I would love for it to be extended into Brooklyn like the F.
Nikita Anikeev, 22, Woodhaven

I love the V train. I take it to work. It's reliable. I find it faster than the R train. Some people are a little cautious about it. If I know I'm in the neighborhood of a V train, I actually go out of my way to get it.
Edward Cintron, 30, Queens