Agree that service in NYC these days is worse than it was about 15–20 years ago. At the time I didnt know that the MTA was the center of a political power play between city and state, depending on whimsical politicians in two centers to cooperate to get anything done. The main improvement in the last 20 years have been the time tables and the linkage to maps on the phone, which at least make the pain predictable at most times, even if not always explainable. I hope service can improve soon and more trains thrown at peak times. The current situation is borderline dangerous at crowded stations during my commute peak hours and if more people yet use the subways without improved service things will turns worse yet.