Packed Trains (transferring to, calculation, bus)

[zdg]

Is there any place to find a list of the worst subway stops during rush hour and how long most people end up waiting?

I'll be taking the B/C from 86th to Times and then transferring to the R/W to 28th Street heading down to work and just trying to get an idea of how long it'll actually take.

[Green Irish Eyes]

I'm a big fan of HopStop.com, and it's fairly reliable in terms of approximate travel time. The MTA has a similar Trip Planner feature, which sometimes gives other options -- but it doesn't include walking time (to/from the bus stop or subway station) in its calculations.

You can also review the MTA's Rider Report Cards (http://mta.info/nyct/service/reports/rider_reports.htm - broken link) to see how your fellow riders rank the different trains.

[zdg]

Cool, and those times they give usually add in train-waiting-time?

[Platinum333]

Yes hopstop.com is ACCURATE for sure. From your doorstep to your destination the times are pretty close. Sometimes (once in a while) a train takes FOREVER to arrive..so you might have to add an extra 10 minutes to the estimate.

[zdg]

Wow, this is great! Thank you both very much.

[Blackbeauty212]

But it does not factor in Train Traffic (stopping inbetween stations) so make time for that as well, I say 20min grace time will keep you safe.

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by zdg

Is there any place to find a list of the worst subway stops during rush hour and how long most people end up waiting?

I'll give you a general rule of thumb (and you don't even need the internet!): the more crowded stations are the ones with transfers. More transfers available, larger crowds.

Also, there is no such thing as "worst." You might have to wait longer at one station because it's more crowded, perhaps at another because the trains aren't as frequent (not all lines operate with the same frequency, even during rush hour. There are more trains in service on the #7 line, for example, than there are on the M).

[zdg]

So am I better off going out of my way to not transfer at, say, Times Sq or Penn St?

[Green Irish Eyes]

Times Square -- ugh! It can take forever to get from one train to another, especially if you're transferring lines (e.g., changing from the "A" to the "1"). I don't have any complaint with Penn Station except that to transfer between Local and Express, you have to go under the tracks and then back up again -- no just dashing across the platform.

[zdg]

How about Herald Sq? As bad as Times?