I've been doing a new reverse-ish commute from the Upper West Side to Bushwick, which means getting off the downtown 1 at 14th St and switching to the L around 8:25 a.m. I usually ride in one of the middle cars, get off near the big stairwell that feeds into the long underground passage toward 6th Ave. It's been a slow crawl every single morning. The backup starts maybe four steps down: people pause at the first landing, then there's another choke point near the L entrance where everyone fans out and stops to look at the platform signs. That stretch can add three minutes or more.

On Tuesday I got off at the far south/west end of the 1 platform and used the exit that pops out on 14th St near the northwest corner. It was almost empty, but I had to deal with crossing at the light and then re-entering on the 6th Ave side. It felt quicker overall, but I'm not sure if I just caught a gap in L service or if that's actually a reliable workaround.

Does anyone who does this transfer daily have a preferred stairwell or platform position? Is it worth positioning for a specific car on the 1 when you're heading to the L, or is the time saved on the stairs just lost waiting for the signal? Also curious if anyone uses the 13th St exit and walks a block instead of dealing with the underground tunnel.

Yeah I do this transfer when I'm not taking the M14 bus. The underground tunnel is beat. I usually just stay in the tunnel and shove through because the street exit involves that light at 14th and the tourists outside the pharmacy area. If you're riding in the rear of the 1, the far exit is less of a detour but you still have to cross. On rainy days I'd rather be underground even if it's slower. Key is, don't stop at the bottom of the first set of stairs.

Oh! I LOVE this station! I have tried EVERY possible position on the 1 platform for the L transfer. Have you tried getting into the last car on the 1? The stairs at that end are not technically the same tunnel, it's a separate exit that goes up and then you walk along the sidewalk. But if you need the front of the L for a fast exit at Bushwick? That changes things! The main tunnel lets you out at the center of the L platform? The street exit drops you at the east end near the 1st Ave? Anyway, I keep a note on my phone with exact door positions. Ask me a time and I'll tell you which stairwell.

Wait, there's more than one exit from the 1 platform? I did this transfer for the first time last week and just followed the crowd. I didn't see any signs for a different route. Is the far exit the one labeled 13th Street? I ended up on the L platform somehow but it took forever because a guy with a huge backpack stopped right in the tunnel to check his phone. If there's a street route, do you have to swipe again or is it a free transfer? Sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm still learning the subway.

Firstwinter, you're right to ask because if the stairwell says street only, you will lose the free transfer if you tap out and tap back in. The one I used on Tuesday is still inside the paid area at the far west end and lets you out onto the sidewalk near 14th and 7th? The reason it felt faster is it bypasses the initial 1 platform bottleneck but adds a street crossing.

I ran a rough test over three mornings: middle car plus main tunnel took about four minutes from the 1 door opening to the L platform with normal crowd. Last car plus far west stair to street took about three minutes, but that included waiting for a light. Front car plus main tunnel took about three and a half minutes. Small sample size, so I'd take those with a grain of salt. The biggest variable wasn't the stairwell; it was whether an L train was just leaving. I got to the platform once as the L pulled out and then waited five headway minutes, so the time difference can be erased by bad timing.

InwoodHillGirl, I'd actually love to know the door-position notes for the 1 if you're willing to share. I'm usually in the front half of the train.

I think y'all doing too much. Just walk through the tunnel and don't stop. The only thing that saves real time at 14th is knowing if an L train is already in the station before you leave the 1. Check the countdown clock on the 1 platform or use the MTA app if it's actually loading. If an L is arriving now, main tunnel and hustle. If the next L is six minutes, take the street, grab coffee, no rush. Also last car on the 1 has less people but those stairs are narrow. I'd rather be in the middle and deal.

YES! I have strong feelings about this transfer! Have you tried the staircase at the east end of the L platform once you get through the tunnel? Wait, no, the L platform is under 6th Ave. But when you come from the 1, the tunnel lets you in at the western end of the L platform? I think. The secret is that there are two separate mezzanines. If you enter the L platform from the south side, you can go up and over to the other entrance by Trader Joe's? There's a whole empty stairwell there that no one uses in the morning because everyone stays in the first entrance. It also connects to the F? Have you tried going to the northwest exit on 14th and 7th and then walking half a block to the other stairs? It feels counterintuitive but it dumps you right by the front of the L, which is the best car for the Bushwick/Jefferson stop? No elevators though.

Okay I tried what I think was the far west exit this morning and I didn't have to pay again, so I guess it was inside the paid area? It was still confusing. I followed someone else who looked like a regular through the gate and ended up on the same platform. I did get to the L faster but then stood next to a puddle. Is that station always damp? Also I learned to check the countdown clock, thank you EastHarlem_E. I have no idea which car I was in. How do you tell which car is front on the 1? Sorry, this is a lot.

Front car is the one going downtown? Actually the front is the south end. Coming downtown on the 1, the exit to the L is somewhere in the middle? Hard to remember. On the 2/3 it's easier. For firstwinter, look at the signs above your head when you get off, not the platform edge. The front is where the first car going south is, but the transfer stairs might be at the rear of the train depending on which direction. Just look for the sign with 6th Ave, L, F, M. That's the one. The main tunnel is marked but not super clear if you're in the wrong car. I just follow people with headphones, they always know.

Just wanted to close the loop after another week of testing. My conclusion: for my commute, the far west exit is not reliably faster unless I'm already riding in the last car and the weather is decent. The main tunnel is consistent and keeps me inside; the street alternative trades a known indoor bottleneck for an outdoor crossing and a second bottleneck at the L entrance near the corner.

The real game-changer is which L train is arriving, as EastHarlem_E said. I now check the arrival countdown before I decide whether to walk fast or slow. If the next L is five plus minutes, I use the street exit and grab coffee at the cart outside. If the L is due, I take the tunnel and skip the cart. That alone has made the transfer less aggravating.

For firstwinter: the easiest way to tell the front of a downtown 1 train is that front means the south end of the platform. At 14th St, the main transfer stairs are roughly at the center, not the very front. If you want to start with that, get in the middle of the platform before boarding at your home stop. Give it a week and you'll internalize it.

Thanks everyone, this thread saved me from just accepting the daily tunnel standstill.