2:41 pm Aug. 1, 2012
Want a seat on the subway during rush hour? Best avoid the 4, 5 and E trains, where your odds of seat attainment are only 23 percent, 23 percent and 30 percent, respectively, according to a report just released by the Straphangers Campaign.
The odds are dramatically better on the R (71 percent), the 7 (71 percent) and the B (57 percent).
The 1 train wins for cleanliness: 97 percent of subway cars on the 1 train were ranked clean.
The C train, with some of the system's oldest cars, is dirtiest, with only 75 percent ranked clean.
The results were part of the Straphanger Campaign's annual State of the Subways Report Card, which uses M.T.A. data to tabulate its results.
The poor C train also ranked worst in breakdown rate and amount of scheduled service, all in all earning itself last place in the subway rankings. (For what it's worth, the C will be getting newer cars soon.)
The Q train won the top spot, with its crystal-clear announcements and its above-average rankings on cleanliness, delays caused by mechanical breakdowns and seat availability.
Read the whole report here.
