Watch a Video That Asks People: Why Does the G Train Suck So Much?

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We get a lot of questions about the G train, but usually whether the Bedford-Nostrand and Clinton-Washington Avenue G train stops are safe at night, or how to take the G train to Williamsburg. Now we have a question for you: does the G Train really suck more than other subway lines? Or does it just get unfairly dumped on?

During the day, there’s not much to complain about the G train. But at night, it’s a different story at night: wait times are awful, and the train seems to be prone to mechanical failures. Regular G-train commuters seem to universally complain about the weekend service, the shorter cars, and limited stops in Queens. It doesn’t go anywhere, really (definitely not to Manhattan), and if you live along the G, you’re on the G because there’s no other option.

“How tragic that the G, so elegantly conceived, has become what it is today,” says a Brooklyn Rail article cataloging the hatred of the train. “Disparaged to no end, shorter (four cars) and stopping at fewer stations (21) than your average train, and consistently ranked first in mechanical failures.”

Some say the G Train gets a bad rap. We asked Boygabriel, a self-described “G Train appreciator,” if the G is any worse than any other line

“In unscientific opinion? No,” he says. “The only caveat is when the G Train is running in sections. But otherwise, I’d much prefer the G to other local trains like the C or the R.”

“People rip on the G Train b/c it’s only 4 cars, less well known, and doesn’t go to Manhattan. But for those of us who live in certain parts of BK, it’s actually an extremely good train.”

Check out this short video about the G-Train, which includes interviews with daily riders. Many commuters are frustrated with the G train, which is unreliabile, and the annoying wait times. “It’s no wonder in the 80s they called it the GG, because if you rode this line, you were good as gone,” says Dae Choi, part of the group that made the video.