Home · Maps · About

[ Read Responses | Post a New Response | Return to the Index ]
[ First in Thread | Next in Thread ]

view flat

Re: The (V) Still Looking For Love And Respect - TEXT

Posted by Terrapin Station on Mon Jul 2 12:59:15 2007, in response to The (V) Still Looking For Love And Respect, posted by E Line Fan on Mon Jul 2 11:15:51 2007.

How do straphangers spell relief? With a V

BY ADAM EDELMAN, JOE GOULD and PETE DONOHUE
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

Monday, July 2nd 2007, 4:00 AM


NYC transit conceded last week that city subways are jam-packed and getting worse, but riders heading from Queens to the lower East Side can still find an orange-colored oasis.

It's the V train, an unloved but uncrowded route launched in 2001 that is only half full even at rush hour - making it the least crowded of the subway's 22 lines, NYC Transit statistics show.

"The only line I get on is the V," Diana Fragmito said. "It's not as crowded as the other trains."

Sure, the V makes only local stops and runs only 17 hours a day, weekdays only. And its last stop in Manhattan is Houston St. and Second Ave., making it useless for anyone trying to get to Brooklyn.

But for weekday commuters between downtown Manhattan and Forest Hills, the V is a train with plenty of seats, strong air conditioning and no sweaty straphangers raising their armpits as they grip the poles.

"You're not like a sardine," said Tom Nguyen, 34, who noted he almost always gets to sit back and relax on the V. "Of all the Queens lines, I think the V is the best."

Not everyone agrees. Critics predicted no one would ride the local V when it was created in December 2001 to relieve overcrowding on the express E and F trains along Queens Blvd. Transit officials tried hard to popularize the route; it didn't work.

"I think it's worthless," commuter Victoria Carlucci said. "The stops are not helpful stops."

NYC Transit says the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, E and L trains are the most crowded, with nearly all of them at or above capacity.

Transit boss Howard Roberts said last week there's no room for new commuters on many lines, especially if congestion pricing gets them out of their cars, but Mayor Bloomberg said crowded trains are just part of New York life.