Review of the a and C Lines
Review of the A and C Lines ,. December 11, 2015 Page intentionally left blank AC Line Review Executive Summary Executive Summary The attached report provides a comprehensive review of operations on the A and C lines. Combined, the two lines serve 800,000 riders a day across three boroughs and connect to many of the most important intermodal hubs in New York City. The A differs from most other New York City Transit subway lines in that its route splits three ways at its southern end in eastern Queens. It is also exceptionally long, at 32 miles between 207 St and Far Rockaway-Mott Av. Like many other subway lines, it merges several times with other lines. The combination of these traits tends to reduce reliability. In contrast, the C is a shorter line scheduled to run less frequently than the A and many other lines. C service is relatively reliable, even though it has historically been assigned some of the oldest cars in the system. This review has been prepared within the context of NYC Transit’s service planning procedures, and all discussions of service levels take into account established guidelines for designing and scheduling service. NYC Transit determines how many trains run on a given line based on a number of factors, including line capacity, equipment availability, and the Rapid Transit Loading Guidelines. The Guidelines ensure that limited resources are equitably allocated throughout the system by establishing, by time of day, maximum passenger load levels and minimum service frequencies, where operationally feasible. The Guidelines are applied by evaluating average ridership levels at locations where trains are most heavily loaded (“peak load points”) to develop recommended service frequencies, where operationally feasible.
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