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7 train riders lost over 1,000 hours to delays as of May, up 60% from 2012: report

Crowded subway car of 7 train Queens bound late evening at 74th Street station. (Daniel Schwen/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Oct. 26, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez

New infographics from the city’s Independent Budget Office detailing how much time subway commuters lost to delays from 2012 to 2017 per line reveal that 7 train riders lost a combined total of over 1,100 hours this year.

An estimate of 1,125 combined hours of delay during the morning rush was determined for the 7 line as of May 2017, a 61.6 percent uptick from an estimated 696 hours in 2012.

The IBO used data from the MTA and the Hub Travel Survey to calculate the collective average hours of delay. The hours lost were calculated using the number of riders on each line commuting between 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. during the weekday morning rush, along with the length of time riders spent waited for longer than the scheduled interval between trains.

Estimate of Passenger Hour of Delay by Subway Line (IBO)

The IBO says the 7 line is among four lines that have seen the greatest increase in hours of delay since 2012. The J and Z lines saw a 71 percent increase, and the C line saw a 69 percent hike. 

The Oct. 25 data visualization is part of the IBO’s report released earlier this month, at the request of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, that calculates how much time and money subway riders lost due to delays.

The report determined that the average number of subway delays per month increased to 67,450 in May 2017 from about 20,000 a month in 2012.

In total, the average number of passenger hours lost grew by 45 percent from an estimated 24,023 in 2012 to 34,900 hours through the 12-month period ending in May 2017. The IBO also estimated that about $1.2 million a day, or $307 million a year, is lost to workday morning delays. The MTA, however, said the data used in the report was outdated, and released new numbers after the IBO’s report was published.

“Our city’s annual loss of $307 million to preventable subway delays is a critical derailment of the economic lives of many businesses and New Yorkers, particularly those from economically challenged communities who feel any hit to their wallet harder than those with access to alternate commuting options,” Adams said in an Oct. 12 statement. “I thank the IBO for working with my administration to highlight the gravity of this issue, one that can be immediately addressed by the MTA re-prioritizing the modernization of our antiquated subway signal system.”

 

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20 Comments

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rikki

again it will be 25 years before anyone will actually get a new tunnel to manhattan built.

Does anyone have an idea how many trains the LIRR will be sending to grand central when its all finished? a shuttle from sunnyside to GC would be an alternative

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Here come the peanuts gallery

7 line riders are some of the whiniest bunch and apparently have it the “worst” out of the entire system. This is definitely a documented fact.Which also proves they wouldn’t survive a day commuting with a train that passes through the hoods of queens and brooklyn on a regular basis.

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go live near the A line in southeast queens

Boohoo go cry me a river others in the borough have it way worse then you people.Try taking a crowded bus in south queens that drops you off by a train where you have to wait a good 15 mins to show up during rush hour.And when it does show up you can even its already packed to the brim and end up waiting another good 15-20 mins for another one.

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Roxy

During this past week, all Flushing-bound local service between Queens Plaza and 61st Street-Woodside was shut down from 10:30AM to 3:00PM on Monday through Friday. And this weekend, it will be shut down throughout Saturday and Sunday. An ENTIRE WEEK of service suspensions for so-called “track work”!!!
Why is it taking SO LONG???

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Oran Juice Jones owns a mansion in Maspeth

I heard that Oran Juice Jones purchased the rights to Lily’s secret recipes. He is investing in a Dazies concession at Citifield. As soon as that opens I’m jumping on that good ole # 7 and getting there. Too bad Oran Juice Jones and El Loco have parted ways. It would of been nice to see El Loco running the line in that kitchen whipping up some of Lily’s old dishes like in the old days.

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Bar Car

Oran Juice Jones rides the #7 everyday. He gave me his autograph the other day as we passed Lily’s Place. He is proposing to make the first car of the train a food and beverage car which will serve food. El Loco would be the executive chef serving up some of Lily’s menu.

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Oil beef hooked

7 Trolley was better in the good old days when you get a chance to look at the moment and get a soda on the cafe cabooses

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Vote out little big ears

Love the 7 train. Best in ny. Sure it’s crowded but it’s not the mta’s fault the neighborhoods that surround the 7 from the first stop to the last are way overpopulated. Thank your wonderful politicians for working hand in hand with the developer pals of theirs.

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Dave

I stood on the platform at 46th for an hour, watching packed train after packed train go by. Couldn’t get on. This happens all the time. I’m luck I have an understanding boss.

Then when you get on it’s like BACKPACKS BACKPACKS BACKPACKS!!!!

It’s maddening.

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Anonymous

Dave anybody over the age of 5 wearing a backpack on a rush hour train is an unrepentant imbecile and cannot be helped. Two such individuals are seen in the picture above this comment stream.

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Stand clear

Maybe if anyone at QB Plaza understood the concept of “STEP ASIDE and let the passengers off first” this would be less of a problem

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Anonymous

Yes because when people don’t “STEP ASIDE and let the passengers off first” it causes the signals that the MTA has been working on since the 90s to fail. It also causes rail maintenance emergencies on track that was installed over the past two years. This is not a revenue problem. It is a management problem. The MTA could manage to screw up a wet dream. Rail failures on 1 year old track? Please.
OBF the 3 minute number is a joke, the fact that they count express trains at local stations is the bigger joke. Try boarding a Manhattan express at 46th street, it’s a great trick but as Daffy Duck said you can only do it once.

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Anonymous

so what is JVB doing about this — he is always photo-oping by the subways and what might his response be !!!!!

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Oil, Beef, Hooked

I wish the train came every 3 minutes during rush hour.

Some delays are understandable. The switch problems are the most frustrating, as the 7 is one of the two trains that were updated so far?

Read about the commuter tax and you’ll find out why the budget isn’t there.

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A.Bundy

the mayor should keep allowing developers to build high rises and more rentals on the 7 line. that way the 7 will be even better than ever!

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