There’s not much more frustrating than commuting through a busy subway station. And in NYC, with everyone having places to be, our subway system can get a bit crowded at times to say the least. You’d think having the largest number of public transit subway stations in the world would help ease the overcrowding but that’s not the case.
So if you’re heading out of your apartment and you’re looking to evade the chaos of a congested subway station, try your best to avoid some of the busiest stations in the city.
The MTA released data from 2022 announcing that the busiest subway station in NYC is officially Times Sq-42 St station, home to the N,Q,R,W,S,1,2,3,7,A,C,E,B,D,F,M lines, with 45,023,339 annual riders.
In total, the NYC subway system saw 1,013,425,465 riders in 2022.
When calculating ridership, the MTA counts all those who enter the subway system, except employees, those who exit the subway, and passengers transferring from other subway lines.
The top 10 busiest subway stations in NYC
According to data from the MTA in 2022, these were officially the busiest subway stations in NYC:
1. Times Sq-42 St (45,023,339)
2. Grand Central-42 St (22,937,475)
3. 34 St-Herald Sq (20,972,120)
4. 14 St-Union Sq (17,809,631)
5. Fulton St (14,963,870)
6. 34 St-Penn Station (14,328,387)
7. 34 St-Penn Station (13,777,313)
8. 59 St-Columbus Circle (13,340,397)
9. 74-Broadway (11,848,368)
10. Flushing-Main St (11,722,581)