The No. 4 Lexington Avenue so-called express is the slowest line in the subway system with a pathetic 79.7 percent on-time average, according to a new survey by New York City Transit.
The second-latest line in the system was another express, the No. 2, with an on-time performance of 81.1 percent.
The entire system scores a 92 percent on-time record for the year ending in May.
“It’s so damn hot waiting, and then it’s so crowded, you’re completely stressed out when you get to work,” said No. 4 train commuter Henry Richardson, 48, from The Bronx.
NYC Transit is still studying the causes for the 4’s rapidly declining on-time performance.
But it will consider a number of remedies to get back on track – including creating a “skip-stop” system.
Skip-stop, which is already working on the J/Z line, schedules alternate trains to leapfrog stations.
“We’re going to look at everything . . . and skip-stop is something that people do in other systems,” said NYC Transit President Howard Roberts at an MTA board meeting yesterday.
“We’ll be looking at that as well.”
Board member Mark Lebow told Roberts, “I encourage you to think up something and do it.”
No. 2 line commuter Jeff Marshall, 42, of Brooklyn, described his daily ride as “a complete nightmare.”
“I have to take the train every day, and it’s always late,” he said.
The third-tardiest train was yet another express, the No. 5, which pulled into stations on schedule an average of 84.8 percent of the time.
The Franklin Avenue shuttle in Brooklyn and the Rockaway Park shuttle in Queens were the most prompt trains at 99.7 percent and 99.2 percent averages, respectively.
But the Franklin shuttle serves only four stations and the Rockaway Park shuttle serves only seven.
The J/Z was on time 98.8 percent of the time. And the M, which shares part of the J/Z route, scored 98.7.
The No. 7 line averaged a 91.8 percent on-time performance. It also will start running morning express trains one hour earlier.