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Ask 10 New Yorkers to name the city's best subway line and you'll probably hear 10 different answers. But according to the MTA's latest customer satisfaction survey, there's a tie at the top—and one of the winners might come as a genuine surprise.
The MTA released the results of its Spring 2026 Customers Count survey this week, following feedback from nearly 94,000 riders collected between April 13 and May 2. Overall subway satisfaction held steady at 63-percent, up from 57-percent during the same survey last year, with riders reporting better experiences around reliability and safety.
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When it comes to individual subway lines, two routes stand above the rest: the L and the 7, with 72-percent of customers saying they're satisfied with each line.
The L's strong showing probably won't shock many commuters. Ever since the line received communications-based train control, it's earned a reputation for frequent service and relatively short waits. The 7 has benefited from the same technology, helping it deliver some of the system's most reliable service despite carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers every day.
But the rest of the leaderboard is where things get interesting: the G and Q also ranked among the system's highest-rated lines. The MTA credits the G's improved scores in part to the arrival of new subway cars, which boosted onboard cleanliness ratings. Both the G and Q also received particularly strong marks for safety, another factor driving overall satisfaction.
If you've spent years hearing the G described as the city's most unpredictable subway line, this turnaround might be the biggest surprise in the entire report. While the line endured months of partial shutdowns during signal modernization work in 2025, riders now appear to be enjoying the payoff.
The survey also shows a change in what New Yorkers care about underground. For years, safety was the biggest factor influencing how riders rated the subway. But now, reliability has taken over as the top driver of satisfaction, suggesting riders increasingly expect trains to simply show up when they're supposed to.
That doesn't mean safety concerns have disappeared, though. Customer perceptions continue to improve, with 62-percent of riders saying they feel safe on trains, 60-percent feel safe in stations and 54-percent feel safe on subway platforms. (Those are actually the highest levels recorded since the MTA began conducting its online surveys in 2022.)
"The data shows that service enhancements are making a meaningful difference and that the customers are taking notice," NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement.
As for the lines that still inspire eye rolls, the MTA didn't include a ranking of the system's lowest-rated routes. So, for now, the debate over New York's most frustrating train will have to stay exactly where it belongs: on the platform while everyone waits for the next one.