So called "Express" Runs

[TheSubwayStation]

I think it pretty much boils down to knowledge and how well you know the system.

Some of it is common sense, but some of it isn't.

 

For instance, if I am at 34th st and need to get to Roosevelt av, I will opt for either the or and will take whichever one comes first.

 

I honestly prefer the , because there's fewer suprises and I will have a greater chance of getting a seat. The time difference between the and is not that great....even though the is express, it stops at 57st, Lexington av and Roosevelt Island, and probably will get delayed when trains merge with it at 36th st.

 

My last option will be the because lord knows what delays it will face past 34th st especially with the and running on the same tracks. I have some horror stories about that. There have been instances where it took me 35 (or more) minutes to get from 34th to Roosevelt av on the because of delays with the and !

 

Knowledge is power indeed.

 

Your logic about the doesn't make sense. While the stops at 57 St, Lexington Av/63 St, Roosevelt Av, and 21 St-Queensbridge, the stops at 5 Av/53 St, Lexington Av/53 St, Court Sq-23 St, and Queens Plaza. That's the exact same number of stops before the 4-track section begins. And then, of course, the makes local stops. The could certainly be delayed by the , just as the could be delayed by the .

[Brooklyn]

Your logic about the doesn't make sense. While the stops at 57 St, Lexington Av/63 St, Roosevelt Av, and 21 St-Queensbridge, the stops at 5 Av/53 St, Lexington Av/53 St, Court Sq-23 St, and Queens Plaza. That's the exact same number of stops before the 4-track section begins. And then, of course, the makes local stops. The could certainly be delayed by the , just as the could be delayed by the .

 

 

You're reading my post wrong.

 

It's not about the number of stops--it's about other factors which I alluded to. The should beat the usually, but I said NOT BY MUCH. My experience tells me this,and so does the MTA schedule, if you wanted to take a look.

 

I prefer the because of seat availability and fewer surprises. Could the M get delayed? Well any train can. The does too. But my experience tells me I have had more problems with the because of the merging on the VERY HIGH VOLUME QB express track.

 

Have you ridden the or to Queens Blvd during rush hours?

[TheSubwayStation]

You're reading my post wrong.

 

It's not about the number of stops--it's about other factors which I alluded to.

Well, here's what you said:

I honestly prefer the , because there's fewer suprises and I will have a greater chance of getting a seat. The time difference between the and is not that great....even though the is express, it stops at 57st, Lexington av and Roosevelt Island, and probably will get delayed when trains merge with it at 36th st.

That's the part where you said that the makes too many stops.

[Brooklyn]

Well, here's what you said:That's the part where you said that the makes too many stops.

 

 

That's to illustrate that even though the runs express, the time difference between the two trains is minimal.

 

I didn't say the makes too many stops.The is express, but yes, it does make a fair number of stops at those stations you wrote.

 

It really isn't much of an express from that leg.

[LTA1992]

^^So it makes too many stops. That's exactly what you said TWICE in one statement.

 

Anywhoo, I agree that an express is really only useful for long distances. Short distances, depends. An example, late evening express in Brooklyn out of Brighton Beach. They usually left a minute after the and passed it at either Neck Road or U. That would truly save you time If you were going to any of the express stations along the Brighton and all points thereafter.

[TheSubwayStation]

That's to illustrate that even though the runs express, the time difference between the two trains is minimal.

 

I didn't say the makes too many stops.The is express, but yes, it does make a fair number of stops at those stations you wrote.

 

It really isn't much of an express from that leg.

 

My point was that until the express segment begins (at 21 St-Queensbridge or Queens Plaza), the and are equal. You seemed to be suggesting otherwise.

[Fresh Pond]

Ah yes, that reminds of Utica Ave. A Manhattan bound 3 will come into the station, while a Manhattan bound 4 sits across the platform, and won't be leaving for another 9 minutes (and at least here we have countdown clocks that clearly say that). In that case, customers going to the east side are gonna have to transfer to the 4/5 anyway, so at least they're getting a seat, but I always get that ONE person who asks why this train isn't moving, and then gives me an attitude about how the 4 is supposed to be faster than the 3 and they gave up their seat for nothing......and then I see them get off the train at Franklin or Atlantic......

 

 

I'm somewhat guilty of this but not to the point where I would have to wait so long for an express.

 

when I get into Utica on the , I look at the clock from the window to see if a is leaving soon. If the next is leaving in more than 4 minutes, I know it's not gonna get me to Atlantic any faster than the would so I stay in the . If the is leaving within 1-2 minutes, I know it'll get me to Atlantic faster (may even catch up to the in front of it) so I'll hop on that

[Trainmaster5]

I'm somewhat guilty of this but not to the point where I would have to wait so long for an express.

 

when I get into Utica on the , I look at the clock from the window to see if a is leaving soon. If the next is leaving in more than 4 minutes, I know it's not gonna get me to Atlantic any faster than the would so I stay in the . If the is leaving within 1-2 minutes, I know it'll get me to Atlantic faster (may even catch up to the in front of it) so I'll hop on that

 

That works most of the time. I've seen it fail a few times while working my last picked job on the 5 line. I used to follow a 3 from New Lots and go in service at Utica. I've watched the riders abandon the 3 for the 4 many times and I never really understood why some people did it. Since my recollections pre-date the countdown clocks (at times) please bear with me. 3 times in my last 6-9 months I've seen that strategy backfire. If there is a blockage between Atlantic Avenue and Utica on the n/b express track the riders on those 4 and 5 trains from Utica are SOL unless their train is fully berthed at Franklin Ave. Meanwhile myself, my followers from New Lots, and those 2 and 5 trains continued moving, slowly, on the n/b local track, bypassing the blockage. If the trouble train is involved in something as bad as a 12-9 or a serious train breakdown like a brake pipe rupture those riders may be delayed anywhere from a half hour to hours stuck between stations until the problem is cleared up. A wise man once told me that it's better to ride a slow moving local train that you know is moving in your direction rather than count on a train that's standing still. Just my opinion. Carry on.

[RollOver]

I always take any train that comes first. Express trains are to equalize ridership by making fewer stops and prevent overcrowding on the locals, period. It's funny how whenever a arrives first, you see people still waiting for an . People just wait for the express without even realizing that its late regardless of it saving time. I've notice how SOME even ban the by getting off to wait for the at Broadway Junction going southbound, then when an arrives at Euclid I see the same faces getting off there after the arrived and left EARLY.

[Donald]

Ahh, it seems some people here are guilty of dong one of the things I hate, which is poking your head out of the doors at every express stop to see when the next express train is coming, thereby preventing me from closing the doors.

 

 

[TriboroughBridge]

Not necessarily, IMO a bunch of the ones I mentioned should just clear at higher speeds. And, there are plenty of timers that should be deactivated when switches aren't being used.

 

like this one by 96 st.

 

2 . Those timers protect the switches after the Station. God forbid the train flies into the station at 50mph and overshoots and goes right into the junction. When the switches are set to diverge (from express to local) there are Wheel Detectors in the area which force the train to slow down even more.

[Snowblock]

You gotta show your riders who is in charge of your train....

[Donald]

I hate it the most when people get off the train at every stop so they can go to the next car. I've locked plenty of those people off the train. So now instead of saving time by being in the car directly adjacent to the stairs at their station, they get to wait 5 or 10 minutes for the next train.

 

 

[Snowblock]

Yep, whenever people bitch about that I ask "what's wrong with the car you were just in?". Only once did I get a response of "I'm trying to move up to be closer to the exit" and I shouted "well now you have plenty of time to position yourself for the next train!" as my train pulled away.

[Eric B]

But just take into consideration, that the people were banned from crossing between cars. That's why they have to have to do that.

Many places, I wish they would spread out, like the at Parsons and Sutphin. Everyone stays in the last two cars.

[DanTheTransitMan]

But just take into consideration, that the people were banned from crossing between cars. That's why they have to have to do that.

Many places, I wish they would spread out, like the at Parsons and Sutphin. Everyone stays in the last two cars.

 

 

It's the silly rules like that hurt us all. Since the gap between cars is no longer as big as it used to be, why would it be a problem to let people cross between cars? No danger, no problems. Me thinks the T.A. is trying to avoid a lawsuit.

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

The Lexington Av express is quite useful for me despite my destination being a local stop. My usual commute is the from Pelham Bay to 23rd Street. What I have done most of the time is get off at 125th for the and get back on the at Grand Central. 90% of the time I do this I end up saving time and i'm talking 5-10 minutes over sitting on the all the way to 23rd. The normally take 10 minutes from 125-42 while the normally takes 20. Barring any delays i'll always end up on a ahead of the one I left at 125 St. In fact the one time I sat through all the way to 23rd (I expected the express to be delayed looking at the times on the clock at 125) the got held for 4 minutes at 103rd and the express I didn't feel like waiting for comes speeding past it.

[mark1447]

The Lexington Av express is quite useful for me despite my destination being a local stop. My usual commute is the from Pelham Bay to 23rd Street. What I have done most of the time is get off at 125th for the and get back on the at Grand Central. 90% of the time I do this I end up saving time and i'm talking 5-10 minutes over sitting on the all the way to 23rd. The normally take 10 minutes from 125-42 while the normally takes 20. Barring any delays i'll always end up on a ahead of the one I left at 125 St. In fact the one time I sat through all the way to 23rd (I expected the express to be delayed looking at the times on the clock at 125) the got held for 4 minutes at 103rd and the express I didn't feel like waiting for comes speeding past it.

 

 

Don't mess with the Downtown and during AM. Its hell hell hell, unlike PM. The gets in the mess of it during the AM in the Bronx.

 

I've mentioned before, the Express service is not really meant as Express. The purpose for it to be express, is for outer boroughs to have a shorter time to get to/from Manhattan. Those in Manhattan already could use the Local, even tho they choose the Express since its faster, but at times causes delays due to crowd issues. The Local can beat the Express, IF delays on the EXP is found. Just like a Local bus can beat the popular Limited and BRT service. More of me prefer the Local over the Express on most lines and times. I can find a seat, compared to the Express. Even tho I like to stand more. (When less crowded)

[Vistausss]

It's the silly rules like that hurt us all. Since the gap between cars is no longer as big as it used to be, why would it be a problem to let people cross between cars? No danger, no problems. Me thinks the T.A. is trying to avoid a lawsuit.

 

 

Yeah, on the trains it's normal behavior to just cross between cars so why would the subway be different?

[Snowblock]

What's wrong with just staying in the car you boarded at? I'm not going to hold my train so that you can run from car to car at every station. If I see you get off the train, I'm going to assume you're GETTING OFF THE TRAIN and close the doors.

[NX Express]

What's wrong with just staying in the car you boarded at? I'm not going to hold my train so that you can run from car to car at every station. If I see you get off the train, I'm going to assume you're GETTING OFF THE TRAIN and close the doors.

 

 

Maybe there is a foul odor in that car. Maybe the person is running late and needs to get to the correct car to exit faster. It could be many things. Although I agree that if it takes them so long that you manage to make/play the announcements and they're not in the car yet, there's a problem.

[SubBus]

But just take into consideration, that the people were banned from crossing between cars. That's why they have to have to do that.

Many places, I wish they would spread out, like the at Parsons and Sutphin. Everyone stays in the last two cars.

 

 

Its usually where the exits are. Especially at Crescent St and Broadway Junction where most of the customers are getting off. The same can be applied to the southbound lines in Brooklyn, especially the . Everybody are in the first two cars. Thats where the exits are.....

[TwoTimer]

Parsons is an interesting case, since the bus stops line the whole length of the station and then some. There are those that ride in the back so they are near the south exit for the bus stop there, and vice versa for the north end. Bway Jnct is a mad dash for the , lol and yes people will give up their seat at Utica just for that extra 15 secs the will gain if it and a leave together at Utica.

[Snowblock]

That's fine and great, but I'm not going to hold up the train and all of the other passengers so that you can jump from car to car at every station. You can just as easily walk down the platform from the car you originally boarded at when you get to your station, and if a couple seconds is gonna make the difference between being on time and late, then you should have caught the interval before mine! In fact, when I keep seeing the same person, I try to time it so the doors close just as he's halfway between the cars.

[CenSin]

I make it quick when I'm hopping cars. On the NTTs, the announcements are long enough that I could hop two cars if I made a dash along an empty platform segment, and on most other trains, the amount of people boarding or leaving keep the doors open for long enough. I don't hold up trains—ever.