Metro

Felt up: Subway gropes on rise

Maybe they should call it Grope Central.

Female straphangers are most likely to be touched by slimy subway pervs on rides between Grand Central Terminal and East 14th Street-Union Square than anywhere else underground, NYPD statistics show.

James Hall, who heads the department’s Transit Bureau, told the City Council yesterday that those criminals seem to prefer the 4, 5, and 6 lines through that stretch of Manhattan, shuttling back and forth in crowded cars.

Predictably, the worst times for the offense are during the morning and evening rush hours.

“It’s disgusting. There’s obviously a lot of sick people out there,” said Mercedes Rivera, 29, a financial administrator who takes the 4 train from Brooklyn. “It’s just too crowded, and it gives perverts the opportunity to get away with it.”

Police have arrested 412 creepy grabbers underground so far this year — a 6 percent drop from last year — even though complaints are up by 4 percent, said Hall.

“In my mind, it’s the No. 1 quality-of-life offense on the subway,” Hall said, adding that arrests will likely spike during the holiday season.

The sleaze stats came to light during a committee hearing about lewd and revolting touches on subway cars that sometimes feel more like sardine cans.

The MTA encourages riders to report sexual offenses to a police officer or station agent, and it has launched a series of public service announcements and handed out pamphlets to get the word out.

Police track recidivists and keep photographs of them, which are then handed off to subway cops, an NYPD spokesman said.

There are also specific teams of plainclothes officers — including at least one female officer — who regularly take to the subways to identify repeat offenders and any other lewd behavior.

“We ask the public to report the incidents as soon as possible,” said NYPD spokesman Paul Browne.

Seventeen percent of those arrested this year are repeat offenders, Hall said. The average suspect age is 39.

Both police and council members also encouraged school-age female straphangers to carry around cellphones and use them to photograph creeps who are too touchy.

murray.weiss@nypost.com