How bad is the Q?

The Q, the golden express

The Q is the bright-yellow express that runs from 96th Street on the Upper East Side, down through Manhattan's Broadway and Sixth Avenue trunks, and out to Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn. It's the newest of the Broadway lines in its modern form and the one that feels the most deliberate.

The Q is famous for two things: the Second Avenue segment of its Upper East Side end — a brand-new, gleaming, deep-tunnel stretch that opened in 2017 — and the express run to Coney Island that makes it a genuine destination line. Riders on the Upper East Side love the Q because it's a rare modern addition: wide platforms, bright lights, and no ancient rattling.

Rider well-knowns: the Q's new Upper East Side stations have become a point of pride — they're the only genuinely modern stations many riders will ever use, wall-to-wall with artsy tiling and elevator access. South of Midtown the Q turns express to catch the Manhattan Bridge to Brooklyn, then cruises to Coney Island. Its 96th Street terminal is a modern cathedral compared to the grimy old-platform era.

The Q feels like the future of the subway — a line that got a second chance in the 21st century and runs like it. It's not as old or as storied as the A or the 4, but it doesn't need to be; when your train waits in a clean, bright station and then sails express to the beach, that's a genuinely great score.