The W is the worst subway line in the system, a new report claims.
The lower Manhattan-to-Astoria local scored a weak 70 cents – out of a possible $2 – on a transit watchdog’s annual “State of the Subways” report card.
The Straphangers Campaign, using NYC Transit’s own data, rated the worthless W line well below average in cleanliness, frequency of breakdowns, regularity and clarity of announcements.
And perhaps riders avoiding the line led to its only positive mark in the report – 46 percent of passengers were able to sit down on the line during rush hour, compared with 43 percent average for the entire system.
“The W would have scored lower, except you can get a seat,” said Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign.
The M landed second to last, with a 75-cent rating, and the C and the B were tied at 80.
“Overall, the subways performed weakly,” Russianoff said, adding that delays and other metrics have “gotten worse throughout the system.”
Russianoff added, however, that there were some bright spots. The L and the No. 7 lines topped the report card, with $1.40 and $1.30 scores, respectively.
Late last year, both lines were put under the guidance of “general managers” who oversee just about every element of the routes.
The L performs above average on service, cleanliness, announcements, regularity and frequency of breakdowns. But during the peak of rush hours, only 28 percent of riders got a seat.
“We are grateful for the Straphangers’ acknowledgement of the early positive results of the Line General Manager Program, which is in place on the 7 and L lines,” NYC Transit said in a statement. “We fully expect similar results in the future as the program is rolled out to other lines in the system.”
The survey was based on the second half of 2007, so it only briefly overlapped with the general-manager program.
The survey did not include the G line because part of the measurement included crowding on trains as they enter Manhattan, and the G runs only between Brooklyn and Queens.