How bad is the 3?

The 3, the express that redefines long

The 3 is the express tail of the IRT system, running from Harlem–148th Street in Manhattan (the northernmost subway station in Manhattan before the 125th Street–Lexington corridor) down to New Lots Avenue in Brooklyn, passing through downtown Brooklyn on the way. It's a shorter train than the 2 in many places and a full express elsewhere, and it has the distinction of being the only full-time branch carrying the IRT's red roundel into Brooklyn.

What riders know: the 3 in Manhattan is express track territory for much of its run, which makes it deceptively quick when it's behaving — 137th, 125th, 72nd... it skips the local stops the 1 still makes. The catch is that the 3 shares its corridor with the 2 north of Times Square, so whatever the 2 is doing, the 3 is usually doing too.

South of Midtown the 3 becomes the only express service across the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, landing at Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center before turning east. That makes it a favorite for anyone living flat-out east in Crown Heights, Utica Avenue, and Brownsville — neighborhoods where the express is the fastest thing on rails.

The 3 is not a line for tourists, and it doesn't try to be. It's a working express line that moves working people across two boroughs, and when it runs, it runs properly. The reason it ranks mid-pack on most "how bad" lists is consistency: it rarely surprises you, for better or worse.