Ever wonder what the optimal strategy for waiting for a subway train in New York is? Using real time data made available to the public through the MTA’s Google Transit Feed, Erik Bernhardsson attempted to answer that question.  If you’re interested in math, statistics, or just managing to arrive at the subway station as your train does, this is worth a read.  At this time, the MTA only collects this data on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, L, Grand Central-Times Square Shuttle, and the Staten Island Railway, but I’d imagine the results for the other lines would be similar once that data is available.  Are you surprised by any of the the graphs and data results?

Update:  This accidentally got posted without the link to the article, you can find the article here.

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.