F grade for the F line
‘Sub’ par: Most delayed train of 2023
New York’s most-delayed subway lines of 2023 can be revealed following a Post analysis of MTA data.
Service disruptions are most common on the F line, which runs between Coney Island in Brooklyn and 179th street in Queens, with only 71% of trains running on time.
The line is closely followed by the A and the C lines, which run from the Rockaways in Queens through Brooklyn to Inwood in Manhattan — and which ran on schedule only 72% of the time, according to the data.
The N train running between Astoria in Queens and Coney Island in Brooklyn came in fourthmost-delayed, with only 73% of trains running to schedule.
On the other end of the scale, the most on-time trains can be found on the hipsters’ favorite, the L train from 14th Street in Manhattan to Canarsie in Brooklyn, with a whopping 93% of trains running to schedule.
Notably the tunnels the L takes under the East River were upgraded in a huge project finished in 2020, which helped improve service on the line.
The L was closely followed by the 7 line, running between Flushing in Queens and Hudson Yards in Manhattan, which clocked 91% of trains running on time.
Maintenance worker Jamilla, 54, of Brooklyn, said subway delays are frequent and frustrating.
“It’s been the A and the J for me. They’re the worst,” she said. “It’s a 15-minute wait, consistently. It was better before. It’s getting longer now. The worst is in the morning. It can get longer and people get crazy, start pushin’ and nonsense.”
An MTA spokesperson said the four lines most frequently delayed are mostly affected by construction work, suspended services caused by vandalism, and the complications of merging different branches of the lines.
“The F is one of the longest lines and is affected by construction along much of its route, plus it is also affected by construction on other lines that are then rerouted onto the F line,” the spokesperson told The Post.
The A train is often delayed because it runs on “one of the longest lines and is complicated because of the merging of branches in Queens,” according to the spokesperson, adding that there is “an ongoing initiative to review A line performance in detail.”
Malcolm, a 71-year-old retired truck driver from Brooklyn who frequently travels on the F, said the issues have become so commonplace he can predict them.
“My daughter lives on Kings Highway and I don’t visit them at certain times and on certain days because the F has a definite rhythm. Weekdays, in the morning, the trains slow down, like they’re running less trains before and after the rush,” he said, adding, “I just don’t feel okay standing on the platform for like 15 or 20 minutes. I’m an old man and I don’t have the strongest arms anymore or the quickest reflexes anymore so I can’t just stand there like a target for 20 minutes. Weekends is better. The trains come closer together and you can kind of time it.”