Those ridership figures are over ten years old. Ridership has gone up systemwide since then, and there is no reason to believe that Queens Boulevard and Astoria have been excluded from this growth. Service has increased in the intervening years, but it is unknown based on the information presented thus far what the current loading factors are.
If you have more current figures for the peak AM period load levels, I'd be happy to adjust my figures.
By the way, 17 E trains plus 17 F trains equals 34 trains, which indeed was scheduled at one time in the system's history, but I have yet to see any document that proves it was ever actually achieved with any degree of regularity or reliability.
I have not come across any documentation regarding individual lines during the period of 34 tph operation. The overall On Time Performance for the IND system was greater than 99% during that time. Also, the on time criterion was arriving not more than 3 minutes late at the terminal. What is the present criterion for "on time" performance and what is the TA's record for regularity or reliablility?
I was a regular AM rush hour rider of the Queens Blvd line during part of that operation (1955-1958). My recollection is that the service was fast and reliable. It was rare for an E to be delayed at the merge at 75th Ave or with the A at 42nd St. The F barreled though 75th Ave. The signals were usually green or would turn to green about 5 seconds before the train approached. I never noticed any keyby incidents, the times that I looked out the front window nor any stops between stations at other times. When a station was entered, I'd usually see the signal for leaving the station turn from red to yellow before the train stopped. My computer simulations, based on acceleration, deceleration, dwell time and station location confirm such behavior.
If it were shown that past 34 tph operation and 36 tph operation on the Flushing Line provided the same or better OTP as today, would it make any difference to the TA's policy planners?
BTW, I have come across some OTP figures for the Brooklyn Bridge Cable Railway. They averaged 45 tph over a 24 hour period. My guess is that it took more time to record the arrival and departure than it took to turn the train around. :-)