The Q line makes subway riders gush online, while the C and R trains are the most reviled by commuters, according to an analysis of Yelp reviews.
Almost 1,600 straphangers have used the site as their soapbox — not to leave snarky reviews of restaurants or coffee shops, but to dish on the ups and downs of commutes.
Across the subway system, riders chided their lines, penned love letters, and even anthropomorphized their trains by addressing them on Yelp. Some posted haikus, while others penned five-stanza poems.
The No. 7 wasn’t deemed the best or the worst in the subway system, but the elevated Queens line sparked 197 reviews– more than any other service.
Other trains had just a flicker of online presence. Despite decent Wi-Fi on the No. 2 train, its riders only left 29 reviews and No. 3 train riders just posted nine.
Both the Q and No. 2 were rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, but the Q had more than double the number of reviews.
Although commuters griped about incessant “train traffic” delays the Q always seems to be battling, the express line generated some of the most fawning reviews.
“Fast, reliable, clean. With a bit of magic,” wrote a Yelp reviewer who identified himself as Matteo R. “The Q train, a.k.a. Broadway express, bailed me out several times when I had to go back to Brooklyn from Manhattan late at night. The cars are bright, clean, and … what is that? An announcement that you can hear AND understand?!”
Transit watchdogs weren’t surprised the line did well on Yelp. “The Q has the newest cars, and is express running through Manhattan,” said Andrew Albert of the Transit Riders Council. “What’s not to like?”
Some riders feel so loyal to their subway lines, they admitted feeling guilty when they see other trains.
“I feel like I’m cheating on the D train every time I catch you on the transfer at Atlantic Avenue,” confessed Miguel D to the N train. “But damn it, you do the job and you do it well.”
Other subway lines’ Yelp pages were a source of free therapy for downtrodden commuters who griped about ancient subway cars, long platform waits and excessive doorblocking.
Fed-up commuters gave the C and R trains a paltry two stars.
“Of course they’re uncomfortable, creaky, loud, and dirty; they were built a year after President Kennedy was assassinated!” wrote one C train rider, who identified himself as National H. “When they were built Yogi Berra managed the Yankees, and Whitey Ford was pitching. It was Shea Stadium’s first season. The World’s Fair was in Queens.”
The C line’s subway cars date back to 1964.
“Of course people turn to Yelp to complain about the C train,” said Wil Fisher, a 23-year-old member of the Riders Alliance, who lives off of the Franklin Avenue stop. “We haven’t had any meaningful response from the MTA about the infrequent, unreliable service and riders are desperate to voice their concerns to anyone who will listen. For me, if I have time, I will often walk to other lines to avoid overheating underground as I wait for a C train that is infrequent and more often than not, delayed.”
The R train was also wildly disparaged online.
“Ive spent countless hours stuck in the tunnels, or forced to quick-search for alternate paths from somewhere the R train just decides to die on us,” sniffed Yelp user Gully F.
“I feel like the MTA should be paying ME to ride that thing.”
Unsurprisingly, the L train also inspired 190 reviews with Brooklynites trashing the sardine-can trains during rush-hour but raving about the cars’ cleanliness.
“Endlessly irritating. Reasonably punctual,” said a poem by Yelp user Nate B. “Ceaselessly amusing. Typically running, unless it’s not.”
Scroll down to see how your subway line fared.
