The Bronx is turning subway riders’ stomachs.
A transit-advocacy group issued its hall of shame for subway stations yesterday, and two of the worst three surveyed were in the borough.
A study of 50 facilities by the New York City Transit Riders Council shows that the second-worst station in the city is the No. 4 train’s heavily trafficked “Gateway to the Bronx” at 149th Street-Grand Concourse, followed closely by 138th Street-Grand Concourse.
“It is the ‘Gateway to the Bronx’ and it doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar,” said the organization’s associate director, Jan Wells.
The lightly trafficked Beach 90th Street A train station in the Rockaways scored worst on the survey, but it is due for renovation soon, so the Riders Council highlighted the Bronx’s hideous hub at 149th Street.
The group pointed to missing tiles, corroding girders, muddy puddles and exposed wires in a facility that sees roughly 40,000 riders daily.
“It’s terrible,” said rider Linda Wallace, 54. “It’s falling apart.”
But shortly before the Riders Council’s press conference there, the station did get a suspiciously timed fresh coat of paint.
“Maybe we should announce these every few days and it will get the system cleaned and repaired,” said Riders Council President Andrew Albert.
The survey graded stations in a variety of categories, including odor, but the only station to flunk for funk was in Brooklyn.
Jay Street-Borough Hall’s A, C and F train station got a putrid F for smell.
The 149th Street-Grand Concourse station, along with the 28th Street and 157th Street No. 1 stations, received notable dishonors for rodent sightings.
And in overall conditions, the council claimed that the third, fourth and fifth most dilapidated stations were 138th Street-Grand Concourse; Jay Street-Borough Hall; and the No. 6 train’s 103rd Street station.
The best grade in the survey went to the Sutter Avenue L train station in Brooklyn, which attracts a daily average of 2,739 straphangers. The second best is the Prospect Avenue station, serving the No. 2 and No. 5 lines in The Bronx.
New York City Transit said it was implementing several measures it hoped would lead to better conditions, including appointing a manager to oversee each subway line and a request for a $71 million fund for incremental repairs.
“Of course, while the task of improving and maintaining station infrastructure is ours, riders can contribute to system cleanliness by properly disposing of litter,” the statement read. “We thank the NYC Transit Riders Council for their study and sharing our interest in improving conditions for NYC Transit customers.”
Recommendations in the survey include fostering an “adopt-a-station” program with neighborhood groups and corporations, seeking more assistance from the city, and involving local Business Improvement Districts.