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I’ve ridden dozens of transit systems across four continents (I happen to collect transit means of payment as a weird hobby). Smelling urine is not a regular occurrence for me on the L or 4/5/6. Which lines do you usually ride? There are a lot of them and I know the experience varies.

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I rode the A and the 2/3/4 lines usually. Try standing near the edge of the track. You'll get a whiff. It's not just that either, there's also a ton of litter and way more homeless people in the system than I've seen anywhere else. It's unhygienic to the point that it's a joke to New Yorkers not to get on a train car that's empty. Never seen that elsewhere.

Of course the state of the subway is a reflection of the city as a whole rather than an isolated issue, and that's true everywhere in my experience.

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