The MTA released new data Tuesday on subway ridership for 2012, including the busiest stations in metro New York. Times Square remains the most heavily trafficked, with 62+ million trips—up 1.5 million from 2011—followed by Grand Central, Herald Square, Union Square and Penn Station.
For stations serving Brooklyn Heights, MTA rankings are as follows:
Clark Street 2/3: #249, ridership up 5.8% over 2011
Court Street R/Borough Hall 2/3 4/5: #28, -1.1%
High Street A/C: #207 +5.5%
Jay Street/Metrotech A/C/F/R: #26, +3.1%
In Brooklyn overall, the Barclays Center helped make Atlantic Avenue the busiest station in total annual ridership, although Jay Street-MetroTech and Court Street /Borough Hall—serving Brooklyn Heights and Downtown BK—both served more weekday riders.
Other highlights, according to AM New York and ABC News:
* Despite the battering from Superstorm Sandy that shut down the entire subway system for days, subway ridership hit its highest point since 1950. A mild early winter and a slowly improving economy helped to offset Sandy, MTA says, and weekend service matched an all-time high set in 1946.
* The station with the biggest yearly increase in ridership is Aqueduct-North Conduit Avenue in Queens. Thanks to the new casino there, ridership jumped more than 87%.
* The station with the biggest drop in riders was City Hall, down 20%.
* The Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center station had a 7.6% weekday increase, thanks to the opening of the Barclays Center in September 2012. Ridership at the nearby Fulton Street station increased 6.9%.
10 busiest subway stations in 2012
10. Lexington Ave-53 Street/51st Street
9. 86th Street (4/5/6)
8. Lexington Ave/59th Street
7. 59th Street-Columbus Circle
6. Penn Station (A/C/E)
5. Penn Station (1/2/3)
4. Union Square
3. Herald Square
2. Grand Central
1. Times Square
3 busiest stations in Brooklyn:
3. Court Street/Borough Hall (28th overall)
2. Jay Street-MetroTech (26th overall)
1. Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center (25th overall)
5 least-busy stations:
5. Atlantic Ave (L train)
4. Bushwick Ave-Aberdeen Street (L train)
3. Cypress Hills (J train)
2. East 143 Street-St Mary’s Street (6 train)
1. Broad Channel (A train/shuttle)
