New Yorkers have always had a love hate relationship with the MTA. From dealing with the never-ending scuttling of subway rats to the mysterious liquid that drips from the ceiling—neither having to do with the actual purpose of the subway to get you from point A to point B in time, but that’s another story! And though you may have your bets on which subway line has been the least reliable this year, metrics indicate that the B train was the most unreliable subway line of 2024.
According to data from the MTA, analyzed by the New York Post, 82.1% of the systemwide subway trains ran on time this year (we gotta admit, that’s higher than we anticipated). However, the B line was only on time 65.1% of the year. Other trains that you couldn’t always rely on to be timely were the C (68.8%), F (70.1%), and 2 (70.5%).
Inversely, the S 42nd shuttle had the highest on-time percentage, making this line nearly 100% reliability (99.4%). Not far behind was the S Franklin shuttle that was 99.3% on time and the S Rockaways shuttle that was 95.7% on time. Beyond the S shuttles, the L train was the fourth most reliable line in 2024 with an on-time percentage of 91.9%. The 7 train was also in the 90s with 91.1% of 7 trains arriving on time.
In contrast to this year’s data, the F train was proven to be the most unreliable in 2023 after the MTA worked to modernize the 70-year-old line system. The B line was a mixed bag in 2023 with a 77% on-time record if you don’t consider no weekend service.
Though the New York Post claims the overall systemwide reliability has improved 1.7% in the last five years, it has actually decreased in reliability from last year. In 2023, the systemwide reliability was 84%. It now stands at 82.1%, a 1.9% decrease.
When expanding that lens to specific lines, the C train is the least improved line across a five-year span, while the M train is the most-improved within the same time frame.
We reached out to MTA for more information regarding the data, and they shared that the MTA is continuing its effort to improve reliability, specifically by installing CBTC (Communication-based train control), which is really just signal modernization. Both the 7 and L lines have CBTC installed, proving the system’s worth as both lines ranked among the most reliable this year.
“New York City Transit continues to deliver the best on time performance in over a decade, all while running 1,200 more trains a week with enhancements on 12 lines and more than doubling ridership. New Yorkers know the subway is the fastest and most reliable way to get around,” MTA Spokesperson Meghan Keegan told us.
So with 2025 ahead of us, we can only hope for more reliable trains!🤞