As noted in the press, NYC Transit has been passing out “rider report cards” on its subway lines to gauge customer satisfaction. Most TSTC staffers happen to be NYC Transit customers as well. So how satisfied are we? The third in a series of answers to that question comes from general counsel Kyle Wiswall, who gives the 2 train a grade of B.

Home: Eastern Parkway/Brooklyn Museum

Work: 34th Street/Penn Station

14 stops/ average 40 minutes

At the onset, I must say that my subway commute is relatively painless. Having read others accounts, in these virtual pages and elsewhere, I feel pretty fortunate. A couple of caveats: I bike to work nearly as often as I take the train and I’ve only lived on this line for 3 months. So, with grains of salt near at hand:

With startling regularity, I come down the stairs at Eastern Parkway to find a train arriving at the station. If the tracks are empty, or the train’s just pulling away (also a common occurrence – though I’ve noticed on the subway, everything seems like it happens all the time), I haven’t waited for more than 5 minutes on a weekday for another train. Weekends are another story – I can catch a nap, read a couple of chapters, and still have time to pace, stare down the dark tunnel and swear under my breath a few times before a train shows up. Time between trains on weekends can range from 10 minutes to a personal high of 25 minutes!

The trip is normally speedy, with few delays thus far. The 2 is called “express,” but I only enjoy that eponymous function for my final two morning stops. Before that, the 2 is painfully local. One particular section never fails to metaphorically chap my hide: from Wall Street to Chambers the 2 and 3 make four, count ’em, four stops. Between Park Place and Chambers, it seems the front end of the train is pulling in to one stop before the back has left the last.

The stations along my route are generally kept clean and the trains themselves are normally tidy and well marked with system and route maps. While a seat isn’t always available, I’ve rarely encountered the compression chamber conditions of the 4 or L. The announcements on train are audible, though we on the 2 seem to lack the more charismatic conductors – not always a curse, in my mind. The messages are simple and straightforward, enough for a B from me. Why not an A? Well, the announcements are clear when they are made; from time to time, we are given the silent treatment and are left to fend for ourselves and pay vigilant attention to the stations and stops – what a chore! And for the record, I don’t think I’ve heard a station announcement anywhere I could understand, though they are routinely loud enough to flush out any Branch Davidians that may hole up in the train tunnels.

One troubling shortcoming: at the Eastern Parkway station, there is no elevator or escalator and exiting requires climbing two flights of stairs. Many evenings there is an elderly or injured person standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring up in dismay, then resignation. System-wide, the MTA needs to improve upon its lagging accessibility conditions.

There you have it: Overall: a B! Well played MTA!