For straphangers who wait and wait for A and C trains, only to squeeze into crowded cars: the MTA is conducting a full-line review to improve the ride.
This will be the fourth analysis of a train line for the MTA. Past studies of the F, G and L lines resulted in better service.
“NYC Transit staff expects that the upcoming studies will also produce new insights and suggestions for improving the subway system,” said a letter from MTA chief Thomas Prendergast to State Sen. Dan Squadron, who pushed for the reviews. The letter was first reported by the New York Post.
“Again and again Full-Line Reviews have improved service for riders within the MTA’s budget,” Squadron said in a statement to amNY.
The A and C lines — the longest in the system, running from Rockaway in Queens through Brooklyn to the top of Manhattan — use decades-old train stock and have longer average wait times than some of the other subway lines. On weekdays, the A line had a 70% on time rate in the past year from March, while 80% of trains on the C line were on time, according to recent MTA statistics.
A grassroots transit group, Riders Alliance, slammed the C train in a letter to NYC Transit, asking the agency to prioritize the line for new cars, cleaner stations in Brooklyn and more rush hour service.
Andrew Sloat, a Riders Alliance member from Clinton Hill, said he tries to leave himself extra time to get to his job by Penn Station, “but you can’t ever predict when there will be delays, and on the C train the delays can be frequent and last a long time.”
