Unlucky Subway

How does your wait compare?

Pick your line. Find your next train.

Choose your line

Wait distributions

Choose a line to explore its wait distribution.

The same line, similar times of day, real train observations.

How does this work?

Imagine arriving at your platform at a random moment. How long until the next train? That is the wait we compare with your live estimate.

By default, we use the previous 30 complete days, within one hour of the current New York time. Weekdays, Saturdays, and Sundays are kept separate. Today is excluded.

The graph shows how common each remaining wait is. Every observed moment has equal weight. The 30+ minute bar includes all longer waits.

“This platform” matches your line, station, and direction. “Whole line” pools reliable observations across that line’s platforms and both directions. Platforms with more observed time contribute more; it is not weighted by ridership. Your personal percentile always uses your selected platform.

History is reconstructed from MTA real-time updates, not schedules or exact door-opening times. Gaps and uncertain observations are excluded. By default, a platform needs at least three matching dates, 20 usable train intervals, and three observed hours before it contributes to a graph or percentile.

Data from MTA real-time feeds and Subway Data NYC.