DISCLAIMER: This tool has not been developed with or sponsored by any way with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, nor are any of the components specified remotely scientific; this was a project fueled purely by curiosity.

As a resident of the Columbus Circle area, I frequent the Columbus Circle train station. This morning, I rode the C train on my way to transferring to the F at West 4th. I ended up sitting in front of a map. I have seen the map hundreds of times before, but I still begin to duly study the intricate details of every corner of it. Everyone around me is plugged into their digital world, taking no note of anyone around them but just the pixels popping on their smartphones. Here I am, though, living in the moment!

I began to notice a pattern. Most lines that run with multiple trains have separate unique route endings; what I mean by this is that, even though the B/D/F/M run together for half of Manhattan, they diverge and end distinctly, highlighting the individual importance of each line. The D train outruns the B in the Bronx, with its terminus as a D train-only stop in Norwood 205 St. Another example, the F train, runs its own route deep in Queens, extending into Jamaica. The 1/2/3 and 4/5/6 systems are all quite similar. Each line is made complex and significant by serving areas unique to it. But what about the C line?

Currently, the C line acts as a subsidiary to the A line. The train runs through Manhattan and Brooklyn, with termini at 168 St and Euclid Av. The C route has no such unique pathing as the aforementioned lines. I became curious; I wanted to find more inconsistencies, more breaks in the patterns. There’s a reason why the NYC system is widely renowned as the most complex subway in the world (and I do not mean the interlocking).

The New York City Subway Efficiency Index is a tool designed to highlight the differences in train lines, ranking them based on the following parameters:

a) ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS

b) SERVICED STOP-TYPE

c) INTERCONNECTION

d) RIDERSHIP

ROUTE CHARACTERISTICS

All route characteristics were retrieved from the MTA New York City train map

This is the most basic criterion. It has two parts: boroughs and termini. Train lines will be analyzed regarding how many boroughs (and how much of the boroughs) they serve. The larger ration of this category is allocated to the different types of terminal each train line concludes at. There are three types of termini: exclusive termini (ET), mutual termini (MT), and overlapped termini (OT). An exclusive terminal occurs when a line ends its journey unaccompanied (ex.: 3 train’s New Lots Av). A mutual terminal exists when multiple trains also end at the terminal that the specified line ends at (ex.: Coney Island Stillwell Av, where the D, F, N, and Q end). Finally, an overlapped terminal appears when multiple trains exist at the specified line’s terminal, but then those other trains continue (ex.: the 6 train ends at Brooklyn Bridge City Hall, but the 4 and 5 continue). DTs include terminals like the 1 train’s South Ferry, even though the R and W station Whitehall St South Ferry is not the same station (but is a close connection).

SERVICED STOP-TYPE

All station types were retrieved from the MTA New York City train map The amount of stations that a line serves is paramount to its complexity. In addition to enumerating service stations, we have codified them into four varieties: Exclusive Original (EO), Exclusive Local (EL), Express Local (XL), and Mutual (MM). EOs specify the stations where a train line is the only one running its route; the A train, for example, has a stretch of EO stations from 175 St up to its termination at Inwood 207 St. ELs, on the other hand, specify stations that are run by only one line, but have an express that passes through. The C train, immediately following 168 St, has two UL stations in 163 St-Amsterdam Av and 155 St. ULs are evidently less compulsory than UOs (as in compulsory for that line to solo those stations), and that is reflected in the equation. Opposite to ELs, XL is the title given to such stations where the express train passes through, but does not stop: the A train at both stops in the previous example. Finally, mutual stations are all the other stations: any stop where more than one train meet. This term covers everything from the R and W Prince St station to the connector at New Utrecht Av and 62 St: all information for what stations are considered “connections” was gathered from the MTA ridership statistics (2016).

INTERCONNECTION

All interconnections were retrieved from the MTA New York City train map The ease of connection between multiple train lines is another aspect observed by the TCI, especially when comparing how many trains a line can connect to with the amount of stations it services. Each individual service will be scrutinized for every station where a rider can transfer to another line. There are two separate strains of train station linkages: in-house connections (IC) and tunnel connections (TC). In-House connections are, as expected, stations across the map where riders do not have to cross through extended tunnels to reach other trains. For example, Forest Hills 71 Av, where the E, F, M, and R offer interconnection, is an in-house connection. Tunnel connections, in juxtaposition, are the stations where riders must navigate through extended tunnels to reach the other lines; this is usually in connections where trains are at separate, nearby stations that are linked (however, not always).

RIDERSHIP

All ridership statistics were retrieved from the MTA website (2016)

Ridership is the foremost quality utilized when describing the complexity

of a train line. It indicates the amount of people serviced by each line. While the MTA does not provide results for each individual line, it presents the information for ridership at each of the 421 stations. There are two different variables within this section: 1) serviced station rank average and 2) serviced station rank range. The index applies the rank of the station listed on the MTA website instead of the exact number of riders at the station (there is no way of gleaning which train the riders rode on or transferred to, so it is simpler to employ only the rank for calculation concision). For the first part, all of each service’s stations’ ranks will be averaged; the lower the average connotes that the train’s average stop serves more riders, so its index score will be positively affected (however, interestingly enough, trains that serve many popular stations could suffer in this section; for example, the A train’s stretch in the Rockaway section ruins its score here). For part two, trains that cover a stark depth of stations (stations with high ridership and low ridership) will benefit (the A train benefits here, though, as it serves both the highest ridership station and the lowest).

The first line on the list is the S train in Rockaway Beach. This train runs through a set of only five stations (which actually makes it the longest of the three shuttles). While it does serve the riders of Rockaway sufficiently, that’s just it: it is a complete non-sequitur from the rest of the subway system. One major hindrance is in its ridership statistics; the five stations it serves are among the five least popular.

The G’s low ridership station rank average, amount of stations, and interconnection figures badly injure the line’s rank. Across a total of 21 stations, G travelers can only transfer to a maximum of nine lines (including the G itself), and only five out of the nine of them are in-house connections. Sorry, hipsters. #Endgentrification

In the initial calculations, the J placed a little higher; going back and clarifying whether the stations that read “Z rush hrs, J other times” were J EOs or mutuals (they are considered mutuals on the MTA ridership statistics 2016) made the J lose a significant portion of its value (while at the same time raising the value of the Z line).

The 2 train is the first of the Seventh Avenue lines to appear on the list. Its bronze medal for “Overall Distance” is a severe impediment, as the amount of stations is a variable affecting many of the other parameters (and in all cases, it is beneficial to have a lower amount of stations). The 2 travels a total of 61 stations (49 combined sum of EOs, ELs, and Ms, and 12 express pass-throughs).

I was not wrong when I marveled at how “non-unique” the C line is. The C only has overlapping terminals (resulting in zero score), and has no exclusive original stations, only a few exclusive locals and a plethora of mutual stations. It is perplexing as to why the MTA does not extend the C to cover the Ozone Park Lefferts Blvd branch of the A train by itself, as that would alleviate some of the complexity of the A line, meanwhile also allowing the C line to come into its own.

The Z fares slightly better than its localized counterpart, mainly because it offers the same sum of connections in less stops. Its ridership figure is also bolstered because, as it is express, it is positioned to visit only the more popular stops (this hurts it, too, as it then receives no exclusive locals points like the J does).

Similar to the 2 train, its distance is severely detrimental to its scoring in other categories; the 5 train covers a whopping 67 stations (including express). It is also the only line besides the A train that has more than two terminals, as it has two separate branches in the Bronx: one hugging the 2 train up to Nereid Av and the other peaking singly at Eastchester Dyre Av.

The B train is one of only three lines (B, W, and Z) to have no exclusive original or exclusive local stations. It is a consistently mediocre line, surpassed by all of its Sixth Avenue colleagues in that they all have unique branches whereas the B does not. Its journey throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn is completely traced by the the D and Q trains.

Growing up in the East Village, my “home station” was 2nd Ave; when they discontinued the V train (which had its terminus at 2nd Ave) in favor of the M in 2010, the M became a least favorite of mine. Like Michael Scott said of Toby Flenderson from the Office, if Michael was the B/D/F: “[The M Train runs on the Nassau Street line], which technically means he works [with the J/Z], so he’s really not a part of our family. Also, [The MTA changed his color from Brown to Orange], so he’s really not a part of his family.” The 6 train has an impressive number of exclusive stations in its run of the Bronx (through Hunts Point, Soundview, Parkchester, etc.), enough to barely edge out its local parallel in the Seventh Avenue system (1 train) with a Serviced Stop-Type score of 0.632 to the 1 train’s 0.622. Overall, the 6 train’s problems lie in that the stations it serves are not, on average, as popular as the other lines. The F train has some highlights in its range (serving both the 405th popular station (Neptune Av) and the 3rd most popular station (34 St-Herald Square)) and its serviced station-type (a surprising 20 unique stations: besides its run in Brooklyn, it sneaks a lot through the cracks like York St, East Broadway, 2nd Av (R.I.P V train), Roosevelt Island, and more). The D train is the most consistently average line of them all; suitably, it is in the middle of the rankings. Because of its commanding tenure throughout all three of its boroughs (Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn), it is the fourth longest line, trekking a total of 50 stations (including express-through stops). Before I created these rankings, I never realized that the Broadway trains were the only ones in the system colored black. I also did not imagine that they would stack the front half of the index. The R has good ridership (averagely serves the 127th popular station) and good distance (45 stations), but besides that is nothing to write home about. Along with the F, the R can transfer to every single line (except two of the shuttles) at some point in its journey. The 3 train is another line tied for number two in termini (there are three lines tied for it). It has two exclusive terminals, Harlem 148 St in Manhattan and New Lots Av in Brooklyn. For example of how tight these placings are: if the 3 did not have one of its exclusive terminals, it would drop slightly behind both the R and D trains. The 3 also furnishes sizable distance (46 stops). The 1 train follows in quick succession to its sibling, and is the last of the Seventh Avenue family to place. The 1 train, as previously mentioned in the 6 train’s bio, has great serviced stop-type (the index did not consider Cortland St). The 1 also ekes into the top eleven by its good ridership (on average serving the 133rd most popular station). The E train terminal at World Trade Center is incredibly deceiving: it is in fact an elongated connection with both the 2 and 3 trains at Park Place, and its sisters the A and C trains at Chambers St. Its express route through Queens, and its pathing in Manhattan allows it to serve, on average, the 87th most popular station, which is the lowest of any train (except one of the shuttles). The second S line to appear is the Brooklyn, “Prospect Park” shuttle. When calculating interconnection for this line and its sibling on 42nd Street, I quickly faced a conundrum: these lines could connect with an inimitable pool of trains. I decided to cap the individual score for interconnection at 2.5, even though this line should technically receive a 3.75; still, this maxed-out score carries the line, as it falters in almost every other aspect. Many would argue that the A train is the most complex line of all, especially considering its accolades: it has the highest range of serviced stations (serving both the least popular station, Broad Channel, and the most popular station, Times Sq-42 St), it serves the most out of the boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and inches from the Bronx), it has the most exclusive terminals (3: Inwood 207 St, Ozone Park Lefferts Blvd, and Far Rockaway Mott Av), and is runner-up for overall distance (66 stations). It has a weak ridership ranking, though, due to its stretch of severely unpopular stations in the Rockaway area. Note: this Q ranking does not consider its new second avenue stations (72 St, 86 St, and 96 St) because those stations are not reflected in the 2016 MTA ridership statistics (if these were integrated, the Q would likely fall a few positions). The S line at 42nd St wields the greatest interconnection ability: a transfer to any of 16 lines (including itself) in the span of its two stops, Times Sq-42 St and Grand Central 42 St. Evidently, it serves both the second most popular and most popular stations, so its ridership average is the greatest of any line. This line cracks into the top five due to sufficient stats across the board: great ridership range (serves both the 411th popular station, 20 Av, and the most popular station, Times Sq-42 St) and good interconnection (22 connections across its 28 stations). Its expedition of 8 exclusive original stations in Brooklyn helps its case. The 4 train, which placed 4th, also has the 4th best serviced station rank average (serves the 106th ranked station on average). This line also has the 5th best overall distance, running through a total of 48 stations. On the other hand, the 4 has the worst ridership range outside of two of the shuttles, serving at worst the 268th ranked station (Bedford Park Blvd-Lehman College, sorry “lightning bugs”? What the heck is that). At first glance, the W train looks no more complex than the B or C trains; a local with no exclusive stations to its name. Its lack of stops helps it tremendously, however, as its interconnection stat is boosted by being able to connect with 22 of the lines in only 23 stops. The W also provides excellent, efficient service to the most popular stations, on average serving the 99th ranked station. If you look at the map, you can tell the L is special right away. It is the only line that delivers an extensive amount of coverage to a myriad of Brooklyn neighborhoods. 18 out of its 24 stops are exclusive original, giving it the highest serviced stop-type score of any line. The L also has a great range of serviced stations, as it serves both the 409th ranked station (Atlantic Av), and the 4th ranked station (14 St-Union Sq). The 7 train is officially the best subway line. It has two unique terminals (34 St Hudson Yards and Flushing Main St), the second best proportion of served stop-types (16 out of its 22 are exclusive), and great interconnection (20 connections in 22 stops). The 7 train is majestic, like a shiny, sparkling butterfly, fluttering across the map. Next time you ride the 7, think “I am riding on the most efficient subway line.”

If you have any questions about the breakdown of the rankings, you can contact me.