Politics & Government

Ridership on G Line Jumps—But Not Enough

Brooklyn-Queens line gained most riders between 2011 and 2012, but it may not be enough to bring more service to the route.

The G line had the greatest increase in ridership last year, but the increase doesn't appear to be enough to add service on the line. 

According to station-by-station ridership information for 2012 released by the MTA Tuesday.

Ridership jumped by 4.2 percent on the G line due to riders using the Fulton Street station to get to the Barclays Center, an increase in new apartment buildings along the line as well as all those people flocking from the hip activities in Carroll Gardens and Clinton Hill to the hip activities in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, according to the MTA.

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One day following the release of the numbers, politicians representing areas served by the G-train, as well as the advocacy group Riders Alliance, put out the call for more G-train service.

“The MTA’s new numbers show what G train riders already know.  These trains are overcrowded, and we need to run more of them,” John Raskin, executive director of the Riders Alliance, said in a joint press release with Sens. Daniel Squadron and Martin Dilan. 

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"The numbers add up: more G train riders mean we need more G train service. And there's good news. ... Working together in the past, we've made dramatic improvements throughout the system, including the first-of-their-kind Full Line Reviews that led to better F and L train service. Now this Full Line Review allows us to reapply that experience to the G -- and finally make it great," Squadron (D-Carroll Gardens) said in the release.

In February, the MTA agreed to launch a full-line review of the G train. 

On Tuesday, an MTA spokesman said that the authority would continue to review ridership levels and add trains if needed. But he noted that the decision to add service has more to do with peak ridership levels than overall ridership figures (so don't go expecting more frequent service late at night, for example). 

An MTA spokesman responded that the authority would continue to review ridership levels and add trains if needed. But he noted that the decision to add service has more to do with peak ridership levels than overall ridership figures (so don't go expecting more frequent service late at night, for example). 

"The last time we looked at ridership trends, the level of service on the G was sufficient, but we will continue to analyze," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said in a statement.

Other notable (though predictable) changes include a 7.5 percent increase of ridership at Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center  in 2012, moving the station to the honor of busiest in Brooklyn, ahead of Jay Street-Metro Tech and Court Street-Borough Hall.

Stations near Barclays also saw a hike in straphangers, with ridership at the Bergen St. 2/3 station going up 5.3 percent and ridership at the Fulton St. G station increasing by 8.6 percent, according the MTA.


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