The Most Problematic New York City Subway Lines Tourists Should Avoid, According To Government Reports

The New York City subway system runs through the metro area like veins, pumping over a billion riders (locals and travelers alike) from place to place below the streets (and sometimes above them) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even with stiff competition from high-tech transit systems like those in Tokyo and Seoul, the NYC subway is recognized as one of the best in the world — but that doesn't mean that there aren't issues. A report from the Office of the New York State Comptroller released on September 10, 2025, identified several causes of significant subway delays and noted that the most recent major incidents came from car issues on three main subway lines: E, F, and R.

This news was not particularly surprising to New Yorkers, as these lines are often unavoidable and somewhat notorious for delays. For visitors planning their routes through the city, it's worth noting that these subway lines are prone to breaking down from time to time, significantly impacting riders unfortunate enough to be taking the train when it happens.

Still, the truth is that the subway is the cheapest way to explore New York City and the best way to get around like a local. Unless you're planning to spend your entire trip going between Times Square and the 9/11 Memorial (don't), you're going to be hopping on and off different subways. If where you want to go is on the E, F, or R train, that just is what it is, as New Yorkers are fond of saying. That said, if you're already late for your flight, maybe avoid taking the E to the Airtrain.

The E, F, and R lines have decades-old subway cars. More than a third of them date back to the 1980s or earlier. It can be neat to step into one of these little time capsules, but they are a lot more likely to break down than modern subway cars. Recently, the number of breakdowns has increased by about 300%. But exactly how bad are delays?

While you may have heard of "a New York minute," there is a grace period for subways. If the train pulls into the station within five minutes of when it was supposed to, it's not considered late. If your train is delayed, that could mean you're only losing 10 minutes or so of your precious vacation time — if you're lucky. A line with a poor on-time performance (like this subway train New Yorkers agree is the one to avoid at all costs) still sees most of its trains pulling into the station on time, so you don't need to worry too much. When a train car breaks down, though, you can expect to wait significantly longer than five or 10 minutes, even if you're not on the actual train that malfunctioned.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) also has a category of delay called major incidents, which impact at least 50 trains at a time. Now more common than ever, these incidents occur most often on the E, F, and R lines. The MTA claims new train cars are coming and that repair shops will be renovated to make fixing and improving cars easier, but unlike the trains themselves, change comes slowly to the subway. So, you may be avoiding the E, F, and R for at least a few more years.