Where Subway Service Improved in New York City

Some trains are running faster in New York City. The New York Times created a series of infographics to show which lines have sped up, and by how much.

1 minute read

June 25, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Kind on the subway

Jim Pennucci / Flickr

"Transit leaders say the subway is getting better as they work to overhaul the system, but riders are more likely to have felt the improvements on some lines than on others," reports Sergio Peçanha.

"Passengers of the E line saw their rides get faster by one minute and 14 seconds on average in May, compared with the same month last year. Riders of the L, J, Z and W lines, however, saw their average ride get a few seconds slower."

Peçanha is sharing the latest data from "additional train time" metric tracked by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. To illustrate the findings described above, Peçanha presents a series of infographics.

The improvements are the result of hundreds of millions of dollars spent on repairs, "raising speed limits and fixing faulty signals." Subway officials also credit "changes in schedule, which the agency said allow trains to run more efficiently," for the improvements.

Sunday, June 23, 2019 in The New York Times

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

1 hour ago - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

2 hours ago - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

3 hours ago - KOMO News