The peak times in which women report sexual harassment or assaults on the subways are the late morning rush, roughly 8 to 10 a.m., followed by the early afternoon rush, 4 to 6 p.m.

One stretch of the subways  the crowded Nos. 4, 5 and 6 lines between Grand Central Terminal and Union Square  is a particular source of complaints.

And the average age of the men arrested this year for sexual offenses on the subways is 39.

These facts emerged Thursday during a joint hearing of three City Council committees  Transportation, Women’s Issues and Public Safety  and officials from the Police Department and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to discuss a problem that has struck a chord with many subway riders, who say they have been ogled, groped, flashed, harassed and even attacked.

“There is a clamor for more prevention and more enforcement,” said Councilman John C. Liu, a Queens Democrat, who is chairman of the Transportation Committee and the city’s comptroller-elect.