NJ Transit got the second-highest grades in five years on its quarterly scorecard survey, but some commuters gave their rail lines poor grades.
NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor line may be the state's most-often delayed, but it's the worst, according to commuters.
That distinction goes to the Morris & Essex line, which was ranked last by commuters on NJ Transit's most recent Scorecard survey.
The best rail line? Passengers using the Atlantic City line say they are the most satisfied with their service.
Riders on the heavily-traveled Northeast Corridor line graded their service second-best of NJ Transit's eight rail lines. Last year, it was ranked worst.
"M&E service continues to get worse. A few issues I've noticed, beyond the usual unreliable service, are erosion of rush hour's already God-awful service, specifically trains at the front of rush hour that used to be reliable," said commuter Michael Conlon, who rides from Chatham.
That line also has scheduling issues and at least one car always has air conditioning that doesn't work, he said.
Overall, NJ Transit's commuters gave the agency a 6.3 on a scale of one to 10. That was up from a 6.2 ranking given earlier this year and the highest ranking since it received a 6.4 grade in early 2013.
Morris & Essex riders gave that route a 5.6, up from 5.3 in the last survey. The grades were given by 27,450 people, or slightly over 6 percent of NJ Transit's 442,790 daily riders, who took the survey in May and June.
"The M&E used to have better service. It used to run more frequently," said David Peter Alan, Lackawanna Commuter Coalition president. "Service isn't what it used to be. Connections between the M&E and other lines are a roll of the dice at best."
Which NJ Transit line is constantly late?
The Montclair-Boonton and Pascack Valley lines tied for second worst, even though commuters gave them a slightly higher grade compared to the last survey.
"Pascack Valley service is fine for the most part. ... The issue is that it is a single track (line), so when there's even the slightest issue with one train, it affects everyone behind them," said commuter Jared Moore.
Riders on the North Jersey Coast and Raritan Valley lines rated them third-worst, giving them a 5.9 in the survey. Commuters riding the Atlantic City Line gave it a 7.4.
NJ Transit officials said they use the survey to guide improvements.
"We're not satisfied with the status quo and we'll continue to utilize customer feedback," said James C. Finkle Jr., an NJ Transit board member.
One former Northeast Corridor line commuter who now rides the M&E disagreed with the rankings.
"Compared to my previous commute, the M&E is a dream," said Melissa Almeida, who rides from Orange. "On the Corridor, we considered it a great week if we made it over two total on-time arrivals (in a week)."
The rankings of NJ Transit's train lines (1-10):
1. Atlantic City: 7.4
2. Northeast Corridor: 6.3
3. Main/Bergen: 6.2
4. (tie) North Jersey Coast: 5.9
4. (tie) Raritan Valley: 5.9
6. (tie) Montclair-Boonton: 5.8
6. (tie) Pascack Valley: 5.8
8. Morris & Essex: 5.6
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.