What are the worst subway stations?

Is there much to pick between any of them? The whole system is a rundown disgrace. It is hard to believe you are in a major world city when you travel on the NYC subway. Compared to the systems in London, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo etc. it is like something you would expect to find in New Delhi.

I've been riding the subway here for 30 years, and while it's not as miserable as it used to be, it's definitely on the down cycle. For me quality of stations & trains peaked just before Storm Sandy.

Sometimes I stand on the platforms and look at the missing wall tiles, the rain penetration, the garage and the rats and I can't quite comprehend the lack of investment in a city as wealthy as NY. Is it because rich people and those in power don't use the subway much?

Actually, the metro in Delhi is significantly nicer than the subway. It gets less use, though.

The C platform at Penn Station is sad. Not only in poor condition but to try and catch the A express you have to wait near the staircase to see whether the A or C comes first and then race down, under and back up to the A platform. Announcements of arriving trains are worthless as they can't tell the difference between a C and a E - "an uptown train is now arriving on the local track". The overall system remains in the stone age even after all the cosmetic changes.

One of the biggest mistakes the City made was not requiring subway station improvements in exchange for zoning variance approvals. Better now maybe than it was 20-30 years ago but when I wait at ridiculously overcrowded platforms such as 72nd/Broadway, E53rd/Lex and East Broadway, I always wonder how we got to this point.

I think we badly missed the boat during middle Bloomberg years. When real estate was exploding I kept saying to myself, why dont we upgrade our infrastructure. And he was the guy to put it in play. Instead we got a ban on extra large sugary drinks....at least the bodegas did not 7-11.
But in the meantime, as i travel thru any station I always wonder when's the last time a tile or floor saw a powerwasher.

The best and cleanest Ive ever experienced was in Seoul.
Hong Kong is pretty good too, I imagine Tokyo is as good.

Beijing and Shanghai subways are new and beautiful. Plus they have enclosed platforms so no one can accidentally fall onto tracks. New York is far less civilized and my Chinese friends think the subways are disgusting and dangerous. They are right. Wonder how much the MTA pays out in death settlements for the 50+/- people that die each year after falling into path of an oncoming subway car. Not enough apparently to install any safely measures.

72nd is bad even with the upgrades. It's shameful how many tiles are gone after the recent remodels. At least the old tiles stayed put.

truthskr10-
In a lot of places developers are required to make capital contributions towards infrastructure in order to build.

And then there is the Union Square station where the squeal of cars entering the curved platforms is a serious health hazard that can cause permanent hearing damage.

30yrs, I know but it never seems enough.
Personally I'd like to see a above ground glass tram that goes the entire perimeter of manhattan island. Add maybe 3 or 4 crosstown tram routes with one mid island stop to get people able to transfer to subways , say one across 34th st, 79th street right thru the park, and 125th st. Aside from getting everyone on the far west and east sides some better access to mass transit, tourists will flock to a land version of a circle line. Our subway system is 100 years old, no surprise every other city's system is nicer. We need a new one. The tram system would ease pressure on the subway, and allow for more in depth refurbishment of the subway which is hampered by needing too much down time for proper repairs/upgrades.

@truthskr10: Clever idea! Add one down Fifth Avenue and you'd have pretty good coverage.

I find Union Square to be the worst station because of the curved platforms and associated noise and delays.

The 4/5/6 Brooklyn Bridge platform is one of the hottest, so I'd throw that into the running for worst one. Some days in the summer it feels downright dangerous. West 4th is pretty bad, too. Any J/Z station is also bad for the additional reason that those trains never seem to come; I'm sure the G line stations have a similar issue.

Thuthskr10, Moscow's system is gorgeous and runs well and it dates back to 1935. I don't think age alone is the problem. Of course they close theirs late at night so they can do maintenance and clean it, which certainly helps.

ximon, i'd love to see your cost benefit analysis of enclosed platforms. thanks in advance.

Ida, would love to see that system one day.

Aaron, 5th ave would be impossible, there would already be plenty to contend with on the perimeter and the crosstown hubs with eminent domain type issues, 5th ave would be impossible.
But for the rest of the system, Ive given it more thought and research. It appears a monorail would cost between 100 and 200 million per mile. That's pricey for a 32 mile system. I'd propose an advertising slot for the top companies in the world "owning" (but really leasing) , say for 20 years exclusive advertising rights for that mile of rail. If a fortune 500 company will pay 5 million for a 30 second ad during the superbowl, Id have to believe they'd pay 100 to 200 million dollars for exclusive advertising that entire mile for 20 years. And im sure downtown would be more desirable, it could be just a starting bid at 100 million. THe financial district mile alone would get bidders from AIG to Zurich Bank. It cant look any worse than a beach full of cinzano umbrellas.

Do we have a modern day Robert Moses to take this on?

1st-Times, I don't think the City will want to share their financial settlement information with me but if you know a courageous reporter, let me know. In any case, what do you think the cost benefit analysis is for policing, fire fighting, building inspecting and other measures we use that are intended to save lives. Trust me. Some day we will gasp when we remember how so many people died unnecessarily. It completely preventable. Can't say that about many other issues.

ximon,

i think you're overstating the risk. in 2016, out of over 1.7 billion subway trips only 48 people died as a result of being struck by subway cars. so the risk is less than 1 in 36 million. and that's overstated because the risk can be further reduced by not standing too close to the edge of the platform.

https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20170112/civic-center/hit-by-train-subway-mta-2016-year
http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffsubway.htm

There are far better ways to spend money on the subway than platform doors.

63rd Street F station is one of the worst because of it's horrible design. You need to go down escalators for at least 10 minutes before you reach the platform. Why not install mass elevators like they do in London's deeper Tube stations?