The N Train

The N train is my main train. I take it almost everyday.
For me, it’s great. There are only 5 stops in Queens and getting into Manhattan is a snap. And the train goes to many of the main neighborhoods in Manhattan: 5^th Ave/​Central Park (southern side), midtown, Times Square, Herald Square, Chelsea, the Village, Soho, Chinatown/​Little Italy and downtown.
The train cars are relatively new, and I’ve rarely been on an N train with no A/​C during the summer. They are pretty clean and well-​maintained.
As a Queens native, I’d give the N train 4 or 5 stars.
Brooklynites, however, would have a different opinion, and that opinion would be, unfortunately, well deserved. I once was meeting friends in Brooklyn, and I noticed that the N train went to the neighborhood. I thought, «Perfect!!! I won’t have to change trains!!» Once I got into Brooklyn, fast and convenient turned into excruciatingly slow. When I finally got out of the train station in Brooklyn, I discovered 3 «Joe, where are you?» voicemails on my cell phone.
Also, whenever I read about weekend track changes due to track work, it’s almost always in Brooklyn. So, I understand when my friends in Brooklyn complain about the N train.
Yes, the N train goes to Coney Island (last stop in Brooklyn), and I have taken it from one end to the other. It is much quicker to drive on the Brooklyn-​Queens Expressway (Expressway??? Yeah, right!!!) and Ocean Parkway than to take the N train. If you plan to take the N train to Coney Island, allow for a long train ride.
So, while the N train is great in Queens & Manhattan, I have to knock my review to 3 stars.

If I could give it 0 stars I would. I deal with this nightmare every morning at Queensboro Plaza. It’s the train that leaves me the closest to work so I have to take it. During the morning rush hour there’s one N train for every three 7 trains that stop at the station. Every 7 train pretty much empties at Queensboro Plaza so the station is always crowded. The N train seems to arrive at QBP every 10 minutes. There’s one at 9:47 and the next one is there at 9:57. Meanwhile while you wait for the Manhattan bound N train you see three of them going Queens bound and you just wait and wait and wait on the sweaty, crowded station. Once you’re on the train its always overcrowded and there’s the inevitable «train traffic ahead of us» slowness (which makes no sense since there run so far between each other) and the severe lack of AC, they’re set to the lowest possible running settings, so even on the train you’re still sweating your face off. I hate this train. And with the new construction happening in LIC on the daily it’s only going to get worse — that’s a given. You would think they would run more often to balance out the 7 train and the amount of passengers that converge at Queensboro Plaza, but the MTA seems hellbent on just sucking as hard as they can.

Love the N line — newer cars and they are always clean! They always ran on time and so frequently.

Besides the 7, I take the N on certain days during weekdays and weekends. on weekends, N is my main transport to Brooklyn and it can be stressful if MTA decided to do weekend work in BK. You know, the «N is running on the D line both ways» so it does not stop at my stop. And if that is not enough, be careful when you board the N late at night at Queensboro plaza. When the train came to the platform, it said «N to Coney Island». As soon as I stepped inside the car, the announcement changed «listen to the train crew for more information» and it changed all of a sudden to Q. What sucks was: I could not get out as they already shut the door.
And yes, why is there no announcement for N at Queensboro plaza and most of the stations in Brooklyn?! And why is it always takes FOREVER for the N to approach Queensboro plaza at certain times. Once I had to wait like 18 mins and five 7 trains passed by it literally transformed the platform into a mecca of people.
But yeah thanks to N it is a lifesaver if you want to go to Manhattan cause of the 7 weekend work that always occur (i mean it, always) during winter time.

The worst train ever lived here in Astoria for the last 22 years ! Almost everyday there is a problem.

This is unbelievable the n and q line in Brooklyn has got to be the worst for daily commuters. I just can’t believe how most of the people on here is praising the mta. This is one of the oldest form of transportation, in one of the richest cities in the world and you can’t send trains out in a timely fashion or weather proof your lines? Every day is something new, a 30 to 45 minute trip usually last an hour or more. and you’re raising fairs?

What gets me pissed off about this line and the Q is when returning to Manhattan from Ditmars Blvd in Queens. After 11:00 PM they send too many trains to the yard, sometimes 3 consecutive ones. They should wait until after midnight to do that, they are inconveniencing too many people. I don’t understand it, ridership is up which brings revenue, trains are less frequent which saves them money, yet these dickbreaths are going to raise the fare to $ 2.75 next month. WTF!

I like riding on the N train. They have the newer subway cars and some of the operators will hold the train in the station if you’re rushing to get on. Like with all other subway cars, you have your fair share of homeless people. I like the new design of the caras because it can hold more people and they have the subway stops listed electronically. Usually they are right, if not, the operator usually lets you know over the loud speaker. Only one thing to remember is that on the weekends, you can’t take Q to Astoria Blvd, you have to take the N. The Q stops at 57^th street. Overall it is a great subway line that I highly recommend living near its’ stops.

What the usually innocuous, plodding N train is famous for (at least in my mind, at least this year) are two traits happening now more so than ever before:
1) Because the N tracks are constantly undergoing repair, there are always train workers somewhere on the rails. What does this mean to you and I? Should signify nothing, except that when we’re standing on an underground platform and an N train trundles by – say, on the opposite track – the driver does the worst, most heinous, most evil fecking act imaginable – he SOUNDS THE TRAIN’S AIR-​HORN. Ka-​BLAMMM!!! Ka-​BLAMM!!! Ka-​BLAMMM!!! For the safety of track workers, naturally. But it is inhumanly, insanely ear-​splitting. Comes out of NOWHERE. How is this legal? How is this not outlawed? An air-​horn like you might find on a cargo freighter, being tooted… underground? In a tunnel? Can you even comprehend what this does to your eardrums? My friends, if your cerebellum has never been treated to this auditory blast, you may count yourself fortunate. Holy fecking God. It is loud enough to make you soil your underwear on your commute to work.
2) Is the recession getting worse? Because what is up lately – with almost every ride on the N train – commuters have to stand cheek-​by-​jowl with little old Asian ladies wheeling gargantuan plastic sacks filled with crumpled aluminum cans they’ve trash-​picked out of sidewalk garbage heaps. Enormous rolling hauls of metal cans, 6′ high and 4′ in diameter. How many cans are in there? 500? 600? 700 soda cans? 4, 5, 6 full plastic contractor’s bags stretched to bursting with ‘em; the size of a baby elephant, all lashed together onto a flimsy metal laundry cart. These rolling juggernauts take up the whole ‘end section’ of a train car, enough room for 8 people to ride. Why does the MTA allow these trash-​collectors –hauling dripping, bug-​infested garbage – on commuter trains?
This is what the N train is to me lately. Just to give you an idea. Otherwise its one of the more decent city trains.

i keep reading about the bed bugs on this train in the news. it freaks me out. i HATE that i MUST take this train.
does it run ok? yes. is it on time? MOSTLY. are there are not lots of homeless people using this train as their bed-​always a plus. that’s why I gave it there stars. it probably deserves 4, but because of the bed bug scare, it loses one star.

The N train is local in Queens, local in Manhattan, and express in Brooklyn. It used to be express before the W train was discontinued. Still a pretty good train but it does get crowded during rush hour.

According to BuzzFeed, the N is one of the top three subway lines for mass transit here in NYC (and yes, the top three do happen to be the Queens bound lines… just for me).
The N features some of the most up-​to-​date train cars among all transit lines, with automated signs and sounds that indicate that you have arrived at your station of choice; this feature is massively taken for granted, but you will miss it when you ride the good old fashioned 1, A, B, etc. Additionally, the cars also house some of the more eclectic showmen of the transit system, from b-​boys, to mariachi singers, to some fine guitarists; definitely a polarizing characteristic found in transit systems, but an undeniable charm can be found in them on some of your better days (especially if the performances are half decent with a full heart). A reason this line is a favorite of such interesting folks is probably the amount of train space. Heck, even NYC bums and late nite drunks have exploited this, taking whole rows of seats for themselves to stretch out, relax, and pass out.
Like all subway lines, the N is not immune to the harsh realities of construction; a fault of the construction and development departments of the City of NY, rather than the line itself… and also the fault of, I don’t know, people wanting things to be all fixed up maybe???
The beauty of this line also lies in accessibility. Most of the major ports of entry and exit (in addition to some of my personal favorites) can be accessed from this line. For example: Rockefeller Center, Times Square, K-​town, Union Square, and Chinatown. Additionally, some of the best vistas of NYC from a distance can be had at some of the stations located in Queens (looking at you Queensboro Plaza and Astoria Boulevard… speaking of which, how does the latter have only a two star average!!!).
So, care to tell me why your line is better than mine? You’re free to try, just know that this one is the best one: P

You made me late for my job interview once, and that was unacceptable!
On the other hand, you run express from time to time during the rush hours, but that’s still not good enough.
Also they coulda extended the N train along Ditmars Blvd all the way to LGA. Life could have been so much easier than taking crowded M60 bus! Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

This is a love and hate relationship.
I love it when I am running late to work and an N express shows up — all the way to 57 Street. I hate it when it goes local in the city and when its too crowded.

I guess you are just OK.
I was late because of you a lot of times, but sometimes you are super fast!
Hate how you skip stations sometimes. When you go express from Queensboro Plaza to Ditmars and I have to go out on 30^th ave.
I have to admit that few times it was all my fault. Well, after night shift it’s so easy to fell asleep while you’re taking me home… You probably laugh at me when I wake up at Ditmars Blvd all confused, and then mad!
I still use you few times a week. I guess our relationship status is: it’s complicated!

Super fast to get into the city. I like that, especially because I usually take the F train into the city. The only downside is finding parking in the area, which isn’t a problem if you live in the area because you wouldn’t need to drive to the station. It runs pretty frequent and that’s always a plus.
Train was pretty clean too, except for all the salt and dirt from the snow on the ground. The intercom was actually pretty loud and I could hear it over the murmur of people, which was nice because sometimes I don’t pay attention to when my stop is next. I like that there were trains running frequently on a Sunday night!

This is the smelliest train I’ve ever been on.
It skips stops.
Its way too crowded especially in Brooklyn.
It gets me to where I need to go.

N train is the shit.
It serves a lot of people including:
— NYU kids.
— Flushing bound Asians who get off at Queensboro by the hundreds to transfer to the 7.
— Smart people who bought cheap real estate in brooklyn before market became a one sided rage-​buying clusterf–
— ASTORIAAAA
protip-​that-​is-​borderline-​racist:
— If you are going queensbound, in the city, just stand next to sitting tourists. You know they getting their asses off before Queens.
— If above not found, stand next to the Chinese person. He’s transferring to the 7.
— But don’t mistake Japanese for Chinese. Because they’re taking it the whole way to Ditmars, yo.
other protip:
— N is the same as the Q in Queens. Except on the weekends when Q doesn’t go to Queens. Yeah, very intuitive, I know.
— If the N is too crowded to get on, just wait for a bit. Q usually follows soon after.
— If you don’t have Verizon, don’t start making phone calls as soon as you get above ground in Queens, since 39^th ave signal sucks and will just cut your convo.
— If you see an Asian kid on his cellphone playing some sort of bejeweled game, its best to let him sit down, cus its been 3 weeks since my high score.
pros:
— takes me home.
— didn’t run anyone over recently.
cons:
— MTA prices.

Food: n/​a
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Cleanliness: ³⁄₅
Décor & Style: ¹⁄₅
The N train runs more on time than most other trains I take (even post Frankenstorm). It also has the least construction of all other trains I take. Since it crosses Manhattan diagonally, it makes this train one of the more popular trains in the city. It also runs express through a few stops in the city which makes it very convenient for me to get into Brooklyn and it runs as the R during late nights in Brooklyn.
Typically, the N line carries the new trains (by new I mean the blue seated cars with electronic panels up top to see all the stops). Therefore it has less graffiti and less damage which brings the cleanliness up to a ³⁄₅ compared to other trains which are typically 0−1÷5 in NYC.
The décor and style in NYC is completely sub-​par compared to other train systems in the world and the US. ¹⁄₅
Overall 4/​5, especially when compared to other lines in the city.

I loved you more when you ran express in the city.
But I still love you for running local in the city, because lately, I’ve been finding myself getting on/​off at 23^rd street.
But there was twice where you did me wrong. I had to get off at Prince Street, but you ran express… no announcements to warn me and I ended up being late because of you.
However, I still think you are alright.