Since January, I’ve collected data on my commute from my apartment in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to my work in Columbus Circle, Manhattan: I log the time I leave my home, and I log the time when I enter the door to my office.

When I first moved to my new place in August 2017, I was amazed that it took 30 to 35 minutes to get to work; back at my old apartment in Crown Heights, it took almost an hour to get to Columbus Circle via the 2/3 express trains and transferring to the 1. Riding the A or C train from Bed-Stuy without transferring (and with the subway stations less than a 5-minute walk away), I was finally happy to see that my commute would now be much simpler.

Sometime during the winter, though, I noticed a combination of delayed arrivals and packed trains. If the A train arrived on time, all the subway cars would be so packed, passengers would have to wait for the next train (and in frequent cases, the train after that or even a fourth train). The C train — which runs locally — has a bad habit of arriving 10 minutes apart even during the morning rush hour (I find it acceptable to wait a maximum of 6 minutes for a train on a weekday morning, during the peak hours of 7:30 to 9:30).

It was during one January morning that it took me 2 hours (and transferring between 4 trains) to get to work that I decided to start documenting my commute times. As of writing this post, the express A train (in conjunction with delayed times and packed trains) has been running every 14 minutes during rush hour every morning. If I’m lucky to catch an arriving train, it still takes me almost an hour to get to work as opposed to 35 minutes. On the other hand, if I miss a train, I’m now waiting anywhere from 6 minutes to even 17 minutes for the next train to arrive. Just imagine that, as people who miss a train or simply can’t fit into a subway car, will have to wait for the next train for a long-ass time — only to have more people enter the station and clog up the waiting areas. The congestion that builds up in each of the stations has been unforgivable, and I can tell that my fellow passengers in Brooklyn are getting testy.

Here’s the data I’ve collected so far, bolded times were the typical commute for me back in the summer of 2017:

2018.01.10: 1 Hour, 53 Minutes — A to C to 2 to 1
2018.01.11: 55 Minutes — A
2018.01.12: 35 Minutes — A
2018.01.16: 55 Minutes — C
2018.01.17: 55 Minutes — A
2018.01.18: 53 Minutes — C to A
2018.01.22: 52 Minutes — A to F to B
2018.01.23: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes — A
2018.01.24: 34 Minutes — A
2018.01.25: 54 Minutes —  C
2018.01.26: 51 Minutes — C to A
2018.01.29: 55 Minutes — C
2018.01.31: 52 Minutes — A
2018.02.01: 56 Minutes — A
2018.02.02: 50 Minutes — C
2018.02.05: 51 Minutes — A
2018.02.06: 46 Minutes — A
2018.02.07: 58 Minutes — A
2018.02.08: 55 Minutes — C to A
2018.02.12: 56 Minutes — A
2018.02.13: 43 Minutes — A
2018.02.14: 44 Minutes — C
2018.02.15: 50 Minutes — A
2018.02.16: 44 Minutes — A
2018.02.20: 47 Minutes — A
2018.02.21: 43 Minutes — A
2018.02.22: 50 Minutes — A
2018.02.23: 55 Minutes — C
2018.02.26: 1 Hour, 2 Minutes — A
2018.02.27: 46 Minutes — A
2018.02.28: 52 Minutes — A
2018.03.01: 38 Minutes — A
2018.03.02: 50 Minutes — A
2018.03.05: 1 Hour — A
2018.03.06: 42 Minutes — A
2018.03.08: 47 Minutes — A
2018.03.09: 47 Minutes — C
2018.03.12: 50 Minutes — A
2018.03.13: 51 Minutes — A
2018.04.17: 59 Minutes — A
2018.04.18: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes — A
2018.04.19: 52 Minutes — C
2018.04.20: 39 Minutes — A
2018.04.23: 1 Hour, 2 Minutes — A
2018.04.24: 59 Minutes — A
2018.04.25: 54 Minutes — C
2018.04.26: 55 Minutes — A to C
2018.04.27: 32 Minutes — C
2018.04.30: 49 Minutes — A
2018.05.01: 59 Minutes — A
2018.05.02: 27 Minutes — C
2018.05.03: 40 Minutes — A
2018.05.04: 30 Minutes — A
2018.05.07: 53 Minutes — A
2018.05.08: 47 Minutes — A
2018.05.09: 45 Minutes — A
2018.05.10: 50 Minutes — A
2018.05.14: 50 Minutes — A
2018.05.15: 52 Minutes — A
2018.05.16: 50 Minutes — A
2018.05.18: 50 Minutes — A

I find that these delayed times and packed trains are a combination of a lot of things. First of all, the MTA (and the New York Governor who controls MTA funding) has reduced the number of trains. Top that with the increased number of people moving to the outer boroughs (I’ll save the rant of new high rises, urban displacement, and gentrification for later), there are simply not enough trains and money to accommodate suitable transportation in Brooklyn. God knows I don’t enjoy the yearly subway fare hikes, but that money seems misused if they decide to reduce the number of trains running throughout New York.

I’ve also noticed that the MTA relies on a century-old transit system. The express A train merges with the local C train after three stations and continues to be on one track for about 40% of my commute (I don’t get how the A train from Nostrand Avenue to 59th Street-Columbus Circle is “express” if it’s only 5 less stops than the C train). Once I get past 42 Street in Manhattan, the A then merges with the same track as the D train. Usually, I’ve noticed, it takes me 15 minutes to get from 42nd Street to Columbus Circle; the A train just stops between the 17 blocks between 42nd and 59th, and I see two to three local trains whiz by on the adjacent track. The way I see it: the A train shares the same track as the C train (and the C train later shares the same track as the E train and B train). The D train shares the same set of tracks as the F, B, and M trains. If there’s one problem (say a signal malfunction, stalled train, or sick passenger) on any of these trains, my commute is affected. It’s train traffic at its worst.

Lastly, and I think this is the bane of every New Yorker’s existence: signal problems. All of the MTA’s train traffic runs on a signal system implemented in the 90’s, as a result of this train crash. Although it’s meant to protect the safety of commuters, the signal system has been plagued with numerous problems lately. It’s a system almost 3o years old now, and if there’s a minor problem with a signal (which nowadays is prone to malfunctions), then all train traffic along the affected line stands to a halt.

I’m not too certain if there’s an immediate solution to these problems, but if the New York State is going to annually increase my subway fare and extend my commute to double its time, I’d like the MTA to be less vague about subway delays and more transparent with what they’re doing with our money. Otherwise, I’ll just be continue to be habitually stressed out and rant about it.