Brooklyn Is Bad at Trains

The F line at the Smith-9th Street Station in Red Hook, Brooklyn. (Lyon Hyams)

Brooklyn has a big problem; the way the MTA designed the subway system there is counterintuitive and confusing. Getting to Manhattan is the main purpose of the Brooklyn subway system, and this Manhattan-centric design causes many residents to be restricted to their own neighborhoods. Unless you live in one of Brooklyn’s centers, like Downtown or Dumbo, you’re screwed in the transportation department.

I live in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which borders the East River and Gowanus Bay. It’s a very unique neighborhood that has the charm of a seaside town with a lot of space and good parks; however, the nearest train (F line) is a mile away. If I want to get to Williamsburg from Red Hook—neighborhoods which are only 4 miles away from each other—it’ll be a 45-minute trip. To put that in perspective, in Manhattan, you can get to Washington Heights from the Financial District via the A train in that same amount of time, even though it’s 3 times the distance. That is ridiculous.

Brooklyn subway map

Service issues are a big problem as well. I asked Elijah Forbes, a resident of Bed-Stuy, how his experience has been. He said, “My personal experience with the MTA in Brooklyn has been terrible MY WHOLE LIFE. The J and M lines are ALWAYS delayed, there is always a problem on the Williamsburg bridge or a problem with another train." In Manhattan, if your train is having problems, you can very easily walk a couple of blocks to a different line and get to where you’re going. Brooklyn doesn’t work like that, and a delay on one line can ruin your whole day. Trains like the G line are especially bad, with the Greenpointers Blog calling it “a forgotten middle child” of the MTA.

Some residents believe that the Brooklyn subway system is actually beneficial for the borough. Many people say that it keeps neighborhoods isolated and limits gentrification. While I understand this perspective, I think the fact that it limits the freedom of travel outweighs those positives. Brooklynites cannot see many of the borough's gems because the train system isn’t working for them, and that needs to be changed.