New York City's Best And Worst Subway Lines Of 2026, According To Locals

New York City's subway lines may look like equal players on the map, but riders have their favorites (and least favorites). Nearly 93,000 riders gave responses to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for its Spring 2026 Customers Count Survey. The survey, which was conducted between April 13 and May 2 of 2026, found that the 7 (which travels through Manhattan and Queens) and L (which travels through Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn) trains are New York's highest-rated subway lines, with a 72% satisfaction score each. The 5 and D lines had the lowest satisfaction rates, tied at 59%. For visitors, the results offer a useful bit of local intel. It might help you pick one line over another, or find which line to book your hotel along, if you want to minimize the chance of delays, route changes, or safety concerns when moving between neighborhoods.

The MTA survey respondents were people who used the subways in the previous six months, and they voted on overall satisfaction out of 10 for each line. Technically, the S and Staten Island Railway (SIR) lines scored highest, but the S only designates shuttle trains, while the SIR isn't directly connected to the rest of the system. Riders were also surveyed on the most important factors for their satisfaction. The three most important factors, in order, were service reliability, safety from crime or harassment, and cleanliness on the trains. In a press release, the MTA noted that safety from crime or harassment had been the number one factor up until fall 2025, and that safety satisfaction rates are at their highest since 2022 (the first year the survey happened). Safety still matters, but service reliability — trains arriving when they're supposed to and getting passengers where they're headed — has become the major factor in how riders judge New York City's chaotic subway system.

At the lowest satisfaction rates, the 5 and D trains are hardly obscure. The 5 connects from major stations like Grand Central and Union Square to the Upper East Side, Lower East Side, and the East Bronx. While many of its stops overlap with the 4 train, you aren't necessarily getting a huge improvement by taking the 4 instead — the 4 got 61% satisfaction, just two percentage points ahead of the 5 train. Riders discussing the 5 in an April 2026 Reddit thread praised its express service, with the main complaints being about limited service and disruptions. One user said that, despite limited night service, "on regular weekdays it's a very good train."

The D, meanwhile, runs through Midtown and Upper Manhattan before heading into the Bronx (including to Yankee Stadium) or south to Coney Island, one of New York's must-visit entertainment hubs for families. A few Reddit threads from the past two years have noted delays being a consistent headache with the D train. The MTA's own journey time data shows that the D train was late over 21% of the time in May 2026. Still, the F and B lines had higher delay rates.

For all its delays and potential disruptions, the New York subway system is still one of the cheapest ways to get around NYC on a vacation — it can get you to airports, museums, and parks all for a flat fare of $3, as of this writing. Trains run 24-7, and, as of 2025, crime on the subways is at its lowest in 16 years, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul's office. One tip to plan for delays and service changes: You can check your train's status on the MTA info site.