OPINION: The R train sucks. But it’s not just a Bay Ridge problem
Complaints about the R train from Bay Ridge officials and residents is old news to regular readers of this newspaper. In July 2017, to cite just one instance, then-Councilmember Vincent Gentile said R train riders that year suffered a “summer from hell” that included excessive lateness, overcrowded trains, unkept stations, inadequate audio systems and the use of older subway cars.
“Even since they put the countdown clock on, all it does is show you that sometimes have to wait 15 minutes for a train,” said one longtime Bay Ridge resident. “At 95th Street [the line’s southern terminal] you sometimes have to wait a long time for the train to pull out, and the trains tend to be the older models. There are really no audible announcements telling you what stops are going to be made.”
At the same time, however, we must remember that Bay Ridge is not the only area that the R train passes through, and the R’s reputation for problem service affects its widely different neighborhoods in different ways.
The R train is one of the longest local routes in New York. In addition to Bay Ridge, it traverses Sunset Park, Park Slope, Downtown Brooklyn, the Financial District, Midtown Manhattan, Long Island City, Jackson Heights, Rego Park and Forest Hills.