August 8, 2006
G is For "Get Me Another Way Out of Here"
Or, as in the amNew York cover story, it's G for "Good Grief," but we think it's also G for "Gosh Darn It" or "Godawful" or "Give Me a Freaking Break." The article lists a litany of the sadness that is the G line:
- Only 4 carsAnd a major problem, politicians note, is that the city wants to really ramp up development in Greenpoint, so it would make sense for the MTA to improve service. Well, you see, the MTA is interested in expanding service in Manhattan - 7 line, Second Avenue line... - so G is for "Good Luck." There's been talk of expanding the G's line in Brooklyn, but that's probably all it is - just "talk." What the G line is good for is the G line sprint, though OPTO-ization makes that slightly harder at times.
- "Only runs its full route after sunset and on weekends"
- Lots of track work on the weekends, further screwing up service
- Smells like sewage
As always, Save the G is G resource. amNY also lists work issues on other lines - what makes us laugh and cry at the same time is the lack of service below Chambers to South Ferry, because we doubt people in Battery Park City rented those places so they could transfer to the bus.
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I was so surprised to read that the G's ridership increased by less than a million between 2001 and 2005. I thought the increased demand would account for far more than that.
the G should stop at 9th St & 4th Ave
outside of the known issues with this line, it's one of my favorites. it's got a nice chilled out style.
Ah, the G. You've taken me from Hoyt-Schermerhorn all the way to heaven.
There's still a G train? I haven't seen one in over a year, and my home train station is a stop on the G line!
> the G should stop at 9th St & 4th Ave
Yes, right now it sucks for those who transfer to/from the R and have to wait for the F just to ride one stop. Not to mention how the Brooklyn-bound F is often delayed before Smith/9th, waiting as a G that has completed its run is taken out of service.
The G should be extended to at least 7th Street, since that station is an express stop (and the express tracks aren't used).
The G has always been the bastard stepchild of the subway system for the main fact it doesn't go into Manhattan. However, I have on one occasion taken a G train in Manhattan due to some MTA f*ckup. Something really needs to be done to improve the G and to have more intra-outer borough services.
F the G train...that burned cat picture makes me sad.
I don't understand why they keep the dumpster right by the southbound Nassau entrance/exit, especially since it stops in the middle of the platform. I have been chased by rats on more than one occasion, and don't fucking appreciate being having to run an arc around this area with the possibility of a train enterting the station immediately to the left of me. At this point, I just go to the other entrance, but that often means missing a train in the process. Assholes.
I don't see what makes this news?
What makes it news is the speculation that the Queens section of the G might be getting the axe, and they might be extending the G service by 4 stops at the Brooklyn end since it has to go through those 4 stations to turn around. And it is news -- to people who take the G daily.
Neither end of the G offers decent transfers. It's ridiculous that you can't get the R on EITHER side, let alone any 4th Ave trains... the whole Queens Plaza area is just impossible, no matter how you approach it. Would it be so hard to add more reasonable transfers, or run the G a couple more stops on either end?
I don't understand why people want it to run out to Forest Hills. There are plenty of other trains along that exact route, namely the R and F. Have it go one stop further into Queens to Queensboro Plaza so there are more useful transfers and also extend it down to Church Ave. Then the G would be better.
Oh, and have the cars cleaned more frequently. And clearly mark where on the platform the 4 cars are going to stop so that newbies don't miss the G because they are assuming the train will take up the whole platform.
I take the G every damn day from Nassau to Court Square, and here is my 2 cents on the train:
1.) why the eff does it not hit any of the transfer stations in southern brooklyn?? It's like they specifically don't want you to be able to stop and transfer down there. People get freaked out when I tell them they'll actually have to get out at a stop, walk like 6 blocks, and then tak e the G from there (IE transfering from the Nevis street 2345 to the Fulton St G)
2.) why not just run it into Prospect Park? I love prospect park and I would go there more often if the G could drop me right off.
3.) the V train sucks super hard. On my way home at evening rush hour it is probably out of comission 3 times a month at least. Sometimes the F train randomly ends up on the G track. Sometimes an F train is actually a V train. When you confusedly ask an MTA employee what is going on they will likely curse and yell at you like this is all common sense.
I'm with you Devin - Flushing to Court Square. Why isn't there a walkway from Fulton to all the trains at Atlantic/Pacific? Why is the Hoyt-Schemerhorn station so scary?
I too would take it much more often if it went to Prospect Park. People always say that it's the only train that doesn't go into Manhattan. Well it's also the only train that goes between some of the most popular neighborhoods in Brooklyn, i.e. Park Slope/the Heights to Williamsburg and Greentpoint. And don't forget Bed-Stuy and Long Island City. The whole G corridor is filled with people who need a dependable way not just to get to Manhattan, but also to get around in their own borough.
The V does suck. Would it be impossible to clearly and permanently post important facts about trains in their stations. Like how the V doesn't run on the weekends?
the reason that the ridership hasn't increased is because Everyone knows how unreliable the G train is. You have to allot more time to "be safe" than it would take to just walk 15 blocks to another train (in my case the L).
It's ridiculous.
yeah, the garbage at the north end of the nassau end is nasty. at least it's better than it used to be as they now have it in (or on) a container (not that the rats probably don't live in it). they used to just pile it at the very end of the station and rats would be all over that entrance. they even put metal over the drains where the rats would come in and out of. that's what i call progress!
Yeah, it is amazing it doesn't stop at 4th & 9th. It just passes right by on the track and everyone is left scratching their heads as to why they have to take the R to 9th street, and then take the F one stop to Smith & 9th just to catch the G. It makes absolutely no sense at all.
All I want is a nice reliable way to go over to friends' places in Prospect Park/Bed Stuy/park Slope (and to get them to come to me)without having to take 2 hours and swing through Manhattan on the way.
On a similar note- how come when the MTA puts a train on a track that it normally isn't (like I mention above, the F on the g track happens on occasion) they refer to it as "an F train on the G track making all local stops." Why not call it a G train? I mean, if its on the G track, and making all G stops, isn't it therefore a G train that is mismarked? How could that description not cause some confusion?
Yeah, Devin, I've never understood that logic/terminology for trains that are mismarked. If it behaves like an G, then it is a G.
sarah, you're right that a lot of people in W'burg might take the L instead, but for people like me in Clinton Hill, my only other option is the B38 bus to the DeKalb BMQR or the Jay AC. The G is the closest and most viable option I've got. Except on weekends, when I patently refuse to take it unless I'm going to W'burg or forced to come home via the L (Whole Foods/Trader Joe's runs).
I agree with Sarah - As a Greenpoint resident I would ride the G a lot more if it wasn't so unreliable. I too either walk 15 minutes to the L or wait for the bus - either is likely to be less time than waiting to take the G for 1 or 2 stops! And the G should definitely run to Queens Plaza. It's ridiculous for it to stop at Court Square when it could run one more stop (on its own line!) and allow transfer to so many other lines. Again, maybe G ridership would be higher if they'd make it easy to get anywhere on the G!