Sandy Blows Away Subway Rankings For 2013

In light of the huge impact that Superstorm Sandy had on the MTA last fall, the Straphangers Campaign will not be releasing its annual subway line rankings in 2013.

For 14 years since 1997, the group has given each subway line in the city a "MetroCard Rating," evaluating its value as compared to the fare. 

The plan, according to Straphangers staff attorney Gene Russianoff, was to release ratings in July, based on subway performance in the last half of 2012.

But because of the damage caused by last year's mega-storm, Russianoff said the group felt many train lines would have the deck stacked against them.

"We felt it would not be fair to issue a report comparing the performance of 20 subway lines in the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy," Russianoff said.

Two evaluating factors in particular had been hit hard by the storm but not on every line. The factors in question were train breakdown rate and "wait assessment," which is an evaluation based on whether trains arrived evenly spaced out or in bunches. 

The last time the Straphangers held back on rating the subway was in 2002, after the September 11 attacks impacted train service.