Been doing this commute long enough to know 'we'll be moving shortly' can mean ninety seconds or fifteen minutes. Today the 6 sat at 125th for what had to be nine minutes. Doors open, no air moving, conductor checking in with the same nothing update. I finally hopped off and grabbed the M15 down Second Ave, and I ended up downtown maybe five minutes later than usual — but not as bad as if I’d stayed.

I usually give it until I start seeing the platform fill with people who weren't there when I arrived. That’s my unofficial tell. What’s yours? Do you set a timer? Wait for a second announcement? Or do you refuse to bail no matter what once you’ve got a seat?

Your platform-fill tell is okay at smaller stops, but at somewhere like Atlantic Ave or Jackson Heights the platform never empties, so it’s easy to misread.

My cutoff is three minutes with no announcement and doors open, unless I’m in an air-conditioned car with a seat and no pressing appointment. If doors are closed and we’re between stations, I don’t consider walking, for obvious reasons. If we’re at a station and the conductor has gone silent after an initial 'train with a mechanical problem ahead of us,' I start checking the MTA app and looking at the opposite platform. Two empty trains on the opposite track in a row usually means I’ll leave.

On the Astoria line, I always walk from Queensboro Plaza to the 7 if an N/W sits there more than five minutes and I see no movement north or south. I’ve won that bet far more than I’ve lost. On the 6 at 125th, though, the M15 is a decent fallback, but only if you’re not headed to the east side below 59th. After that, bus lane or not, you’re in crosstown traffic.

One caveat: don’t bail just because the person next to you does. I’ve watched half a car empty out at Union Square only for the train to leave ninety seconds later. Make your own call, and if you’re going to leave, leave quickly — hanging in the doorway or turning around on the platform is how you get caught.

Two unanswered 'we'll be moving shortly' announcements is my line. If I hear the same phrase twice with no new info, I’m out. Seat or no seat. I used to stick around 20-plus minutes when I was younger. Now I’d rather walk 10 blocks and keep my sanity.

The R at 4th Ave-9th has burned me enough that I don’t even sit down there anymore. EastHarlem_E, the platform-fill rule is real. I use it at Union Square too.

For me the exception is if I see crews walking by the train or a work train up ahead. That usually means it’s not a quick fix, but at least something’s happening.

astoria_arch, that point about major transfer stops is fair. 125th p.m. rush is the same — the platform never really clears, so I have to watch whether people are actually boarding or just standing around holding the doors.

Gowanus_G, two unanswered updates is a better timer than mine. I’m stealing that. I’m not doing 20 minutes anymore either. Last time I did that on the 4 at 149th I showed up to work fuming for no reason.

Okay this is the thread I needed. I’m still fairly new to all this and I always freeze when a train just sits at the station. Last week I was on the F at York Street for about eight minutes. The doors were open but I was too nervous to get off because I thought it would leave the second I stepped onto the platform. Then I also didn’t know if leaving meant I’d have to pay again.

So do you just walk through the open doors and leave? And if you do, do you have to pay a second fare when you go to another line? Sorry if that’s a basic question.

DykerNewbie, yes — if the doors are open at the platform, you can just get off. But unless the station agent lets you back through or you're transferring outside the system to a different line, you usually will pay again. So don't bail unless you know where you’re headed.

At York Street, the High Street A/C is close enough to walk, but only if you don't mind the hill. I've done it once and it was quicker than waiting for the F to creep through the Rutgers tube.

My own rule: if I can't get a signal or the A/C is dead, I'm much more likely to walk. If I have a seat, a phone, and cold air, I'll let them mumble.