Archive for July, 2010
Jul
14
The understated improvement to the subway map
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the MTA unveiled its redesigned subway map last month, I spent a lot of time focusing on the inside. In light of the new design of the schematic presentation of the subway system, I explored what purpose a subway map should serve and wondered if The Map was the best representation of subway service.
Lost in the hullabaloo over the inside was the new look for the outside. Check it out:
To me, the outside cover of The Map is the best part of the redesign. Gone is some skewed view of New York City with an arrow that’s far too big and intrusive. Gone are the connotations that somehow, the subway extends beyond the borders of the City of New York.
Instead, the MTA has chosen an artistic approach while highlighting the fact that you have a subway map in your hands. The route bullets are all on the front for the first time since early 1995, and the colorful lines are evocative of subway strip maps. A larger version of the image could be hanging on the wall at MoMA, and that is the sign of a design that deserves to be seen.
Jul
14
A lower pay-per-ride discount among fare hike proposals
Posted by: | CommentsAs the date of the MTA’s board-oriented board meeting draws closer, details of the 2011 fare hike proposal are beginning to emerge. Yesterday, we heard how unlimited cards will become limited, and today, we know more about the authority’s plans for single-ride and pay-per-ride users. According to The Daily News, the MTA is going to raise the fares for the single-ride paper tickets from $2.25 to $2.50 and will drop the pay-per-ride discount from 15 percent to 10 percent.
According to Pete Donohue, this plan is apparently designed to have a smaller impact than the unlimited-ride increases. Only 2.1 percent of subway riders use the one-way paper tickets, and the base fare would remain $2.25 for pay-per-ride card users and those paying for bus rides in coins. The 10 percent fare discount will impact the 36 percent of riders who use the pay-per-ride cards, and instead of getting 10.35 rides for the price of nine, these riders will now get 11 rides for the price of 10. The average cost per swipe will increase by approximately four percent from $1.96 to $2.05.
For the MTA, their overall goal is a 7.5 percent fare hike, and unlimited card users are going to be hit the worst. In reality, the average fare across all payment systems remains lower than it did in 1996, and the authority is trying to at least keep pace with inflation. Come January, we’ll all be paying more for our subway rides with less service than we had three weeks ago.
Jul
14
Paying tomorrow for a hamburger today
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When it comes to problems plaguing the MTA, billions of dollars of debt isn’t exactly a sexy topic. On the surface, it doesn’t impact people’s lives as service cuts do, and it has little to do with the public mistrust of MTA management. Yet, whether riders realize it or not, the price we pay today in fare hikes and service cuts all comes back to debt.
Recently, as part of Albany’s inspired public authorities oversight law — one of the few pieces of worthwhile legislation to emerge from the state legislature in a while — the state’s new Authorities Budget Office released a report on New York’s public authorities. The report (available here as a PDF) doesn’t make too many sweeping statements or offer up any broad conclusions. Some authorities are more accountable than others, and some are more transparent than others. Not too surprisingly to anyone who has been following along, the MTA appears to fall on the “more” side of that divide.
What the report does offer is a glimpse of the crushing debt that New York State authorities have taken on. Since these authorities are outside the realm of any constitutionally-mandated debt limits, these entities can just accrue loans as long as they have the collateral to do so. For the MTA, that collateral has come in the form of fare revenue and valuation on other physical holdings. As long as people keep riding, the MTA can continue to take out loans.
For 2009, then, the totals are stunning. New York State authorities reported $133 billion in outstanding debt last year, and $28.8 billion of that — or 21.59 percent of the total — belongs to the MTA. Only the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York has more outstanding debt.
Meanwhile, the future picture looks worse. Recently, the state granted the MTA the ability to borrow more money, and the authority will have to do so to continue its ambitious capital project. Bond issues for multi-billion-dollar projects are underway, and the debt level will just continue to climb.
As the MTA accrues debt, outstanding obligations are coming due. In 2009, the MTA had to pay out $1.9 billion in debt service. That total was the third highest expense category in the MTA’s budget, outpaced only by payroll and non-labor spending. That total is set to rise over the next few years unless the MTA again restructures its debt.
So why does all of this matter? Debt service, debt obligations, they’re all just boring economics terms, right? Wrong. The MTA’s debt matters because we’re paying today for things built years ago, and we’re paying through reduced service, higher fares that will continue to increase and strained labor relations. Since the debt on capital expenditures is carried over to the operations budgets, the debt bills are coming due, and that’s bad news for everyone.
A few months ago, the MTA had a deficit of $800 million that needed closing. That total is less than half of the MTA’s debt service obligations for the year, and without that debt, the authority wouldn’t be facing extreme service cuts and a significant fare hike across the board. Twenty years ago, when the state had to find a way to maintain its transit system, the powers-that-be decided that fare-backed bonds were the way to go, and now, we in 2010 are paying for something built in the early 1990s. Had Albany properly funded the capital plan then, as it used to in the 1980s, we wouldn’t be suffering through service cuts and budget crises today.
Despite this from the ABO, there is no end in sight. The authority is still planning on funding its capital projects through debt-generating sources, and the state hasn’t expressed any willingness to help the debt-ridden authorities pare back their spending ways. In 15 years from now, we’ll still be paying for Phase 1 of the Second Ave. Subway, and that is no way to run a transit authority.
Jul
13
14th St. Sign Sagas
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The above image comes via Curbed and Gothamist. It is a composite photo of two signs that were, as of yesterday, hanging up at the 14th St. subway station at 6th Ave. Apparently, replacing a bunch of stickers has become a challenge.
This station, as avid readers will know, has been in the news for the better part of a month now. In mid-June, as New York City Transit prepped for service changes, the agency accidentally displayed an Internet meme on the new FML signs. A day later, the less vulgar LFM took its turn atop the signs, but not all of them have been properly stickered.
Gothamist’s Katie Sokoler found the poorly labeled signs yesterday. She discussed them for the news site: “One is a sign on the L platform that leads you to the L, M, M train. And the other is on the stairs and directs you to the L, F, L train. Which makes it more confusing is that those are the stairs that lead you to the 1,2,3 train. So not only is the sign wrong because it says L,F,L but it’s wrong because it should actually be 1,2,3. There were tons of people that were confused and kept walking up and down the stairs trying to figure out which train is where.”
For now, I’m just being LOL at the MTA while SMH. One day, these signs will be right. One day, the trains might even run on time.
Jul
13
Making the unlimited MetroCards limited
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When details of a fare hike emerged on Friday, straphangers long used to unlimited ride MetroCards gasped. In addition to raising the costs of cards across the board, the MTA, said the reports, planned to cap the number of rides available on the so-called unlimited ride cards.
Today, the Daily News has the details: A 30-day unlimited ride card would allow the user take 90 trips, and the authority may cap the 7-days at 21 rides. Under the current rates of $89 and $27 respectively, this move would cap the minimum cost of a ride at $0.99 for the monthly and $1.26 for the weekly. If the rates go up as expected, the lowest possible cost per ride would be approximately $1.11 for the 30-day cards and $1.33 for the weeklies.
According to the News, the MTA alleges that the vast majority of riders do not average three swipes per day for their unlimited ride cards. Thus, this cap would impact those people who are abnormally heavy subway users and those subway scammers who try to sell unlimited ride swipes at the turnstile for $2.25 to unsuspecting customers. Despite these intentions, riders are wary of the proposal, and advocate groups believe the MTA’s approach is misguided. “The MTA’s financial problems are real, but I’m very concerned they’re going to sock it to the riding public to the exclusion of other groups [that] benefit from transit, like drivers and businesses,” Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign said.
For what it’s worth, during my personal experiments, I’ve found my monthly usage to be less than the MTA’s rumored caps. In my November 2007 MetroCard challenge, I rode 74 times while working a regular job, and in my November 2008 challenge, I rode 73 times while commuting as a student. In October 2009, while commuting as a student and working a part time job, I swiped in 88 times. Reporters and messengers, among others, will far exceed the 90-swipe limit.
The fare hike, which the MTA will debate over the next few months, is set to go into effect on January 1, 2011. Among the other parts of the proposals is a planned $1 surcharge for all MetroCards, and the MTA will, in all likelihood, make unlimited cards refillable at the same time. Soon enough, those unlimited cards won’t be so unlimited after all.
Jul
13
Unnecessarily unto the public hearing breach
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Later this evening, MTA Board members and angry union members will square off in a pair of public hearings. Despite voting to cut the station agents in early 2010 and holding hearings on a nearly identical proposal a year ago, the MTA had to host these public open houses to placate a Manhattan Supreme Court judge who found that the MTA’s dismissals this year for plans approved last year violated the law. What the hearings tonight will accomplish is very little.
We’ve been down this path before with public hearings, and every time the MTA opens itself up to hearing from its constituents, politicians and interest groups grab the microphones. Instead of allowing people to speak in the order in which they’ve signed up, our elected officials often jump to the front of the line to get in their shots and go home. That’s what happened in March when the authority heard from the public on the planned slate of service cuts.
This week’s hearings should be even worse. The TWU organizers have engaged in a blitz via Twitter, Facebook, phone-banking and old fashioned union round-ups to, as one release put it, “pack these hearings and deliver a strong message” to the MTA Board members. At locations in Manhattan and Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx, MTA employees will come out in force to yell at those who sign their checks.
In all likelihood, tempers will flare as they did in March. When job cuts are on the line, labor leaders tend to be ruthless, and anyone who dares speak out in favor of the plan to shutter token booths and fire station agents will be, at the very least, mocked and probably threatened by the union supporters in the crowd. With jobs on the line, after all, the TWU members are very motivated to attend these hearings and make themselves known.
On the one hand, I can’t hold the TWU’s actions against them. As a labor union, those in charge have to protect their jobs, and right now, the TWU is fighting against an MTA Board that has already made up its mind in a day and age very hostile to labor interests. Many New Yorkers have come to see station agents as superfluous, and while these workers put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis, the media coverage often focuses around those who don’t do their jobs well rather than those who do.
But on the other hand, I still have to wonder about the union’s lackluster support for the MTA in Albany and at home. Instead of talking about the way pension obligations represent nine percent of the MTA’s annual expenditures, former union members focus on debt service which accounts for 16 percent of the MTA’s spending pie. Do two spending wrongs make an economic right?
The TWU has never embraced congestion pricing, claiming to me once via Twitter that it was “too complicated” to get into the debate through that media and voicing concerns about the impact a charge would have on the middle class. This argument completely ignores the fact that middle class New Yorkers don’t spend their days driving to and from Manhattan’s Central Business District and would, in fact, benefit more from a more fully funded subway system. Such are the way of unions today.
So tonight we get a political governmental farce. On the stage will be MTA Board members who are there because a judge told them to be. They’ll hear the crowd; they’ll vote to close the booths and fire the station agents. At the microphone, we’ll see an increasingly belligerent audience using the time to bash the MTA for all of its many short-comings. No matter who wins, those paying the fare and riding the subways will lose.
Jul
12
Building a better weekend service mouse trap
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When it comes to weekend service changes, the MTA has been laying it on hot and heavy for the past few years. The work is all part of a significant capital investment that keeps trains moving smoothly and frequently during peak hours, and the authority has opted to accomplish most of the work during the weekend when it is less disruptive to those who need the subway system. What they often don’t do is thoroughly inform the public of the changes.
Posters proclaiming the various weekend service changes have long vexed the MTA. Once upon a time, the posters were a stark of black, white and red with some information tossed all over the place. In mid-2007, the authority redesigned the signs to better present the information.
The results were something of a mixed bag. With no visual component outlining the service changes in map form, riders were left with signs, such as the one at right, with too many words and confusing information. What does it mean for one train to “run on the F” from one stop to another? Veteran straphangers might understand MTA shorthand for a reroute, but casual subway riders won’t be able to picture the diversion or know where the train goes.
The current signs also contain too much useless information. when the MTA rhetorically asks “Why is my service being changed?” the answer is usually always the same: “We are performing XXX work to make sure that subways continue to operate safely along the X line.” That the MTA is ensuring that subways continue to operate safely adds nothing to the informational value of the posters nor does it help riders know what to do.
A few months ago, I came across a posting on the blog featuring work of students who are in the MFA program at the School of Visual Arts. Those working Interaction Design had tackled the subways, and one designer — Russ Maschmeyer — came up with the sign atop this post as a better way to present weekend service information. He writes about his design:
For any transit system experiencing redirects, there are four key messages that need to be conveyed: alert the riders to a change, provide a quick overview of that change, course correct any wayward travelers, and finally, guide riders through the hallways to the proper platforms. If done right, no one should have to stop to study a sign, but study them we do. Currently, the MTA employs a single, densely packed sheet of 8.5×11” paper to convey an entire set of messaging. This is a problem worth solving.
I approached this problem with the aim to stretch out that messaging over the rider’s entire subway experience, from entering the station, to the turnstiles, to the platform and then onto the train itself. I devised a simple hack to the current station entrance and turnstile signage involving LEDs surrounding the train symbols, as well as the LED route boards on the new R160 trains, which would alert riders to service changes and cancellations. Once inside the station or on the platform during a transfer, riders would find redesigned fliers, which would include iconography, a strong information hierarchy, and a map of the service change. This is of course just a beginning, but hopefully these small changes would go a long way to making these changes a bit more digestible.
I’ve written recently about the MTA’s customer service woes, and these signs along with Maschmeyer’s resdesign show the MTA could better inform its customers. The agency should, at the least, make a map with the service changes available on its website as Subway Weekender does, and the in-house design team should consider a more visual approach to the service changes. Little upgrades such as these would make the subway system more user-friendly, and maybe New Yorkers wouldn’t be so begrudging of their subway system.
Photo above via SVA Interaction Design on flickr.
Jul
12
With station agent hearings on tap, mediation looms for TWU
Posted by: | CommentsAs the MTA and TWU continue to square off over station agent dismissals and other cost-savings proposals that would impact labor, the two sides have reportedly agreed to go to mediation to attempt to settle their disputes. While TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen continues to remain firm in his call for a no-layoffs provision, MTA CEO and Chairman Jay Walder believes mediation could help lower the MTA’s budget deficit without resorting to further service cuts. “Labor represents a large portion of the cost of doing business here, about two-thirds of the cost of doing business at the MTA. My hope is that we can work together in partnership,” he said.
This news breaks on the eve of the public hearings the MTA must hold before it can shutter more token booths and fire station agents. The hearings are set for Tuesday and Wednesday with two per evening, and Streetsblog has the details: Manhattan and Queens tomorrow; Brooklyn and the Bronx on Wednesday. These hearings come after a state judge deemed the initial layoffs illegal without public comment, but I have to wonder how useful this political charade will be.
For weeks, the TWU has planned to turn the hearings into a labor rally. As a recent release on the union’s Facebook page noted, labor organizers hope to “pack these hearings and deliver a strong message that we’ve had enough.” As the TWU is also alleging that these hearings are illegal, I can’t imagine anything other than animosity tomorrow night. Will TWU officials propose funding mechanisms to keep their jobs? Will they support congestion pricing or bridge tolls? Or should the riders have to pay for jobs that are largely unnecessary?
Jul
12
The MTA’s days of wine and roses
Posted by: | Comments When details of the 2011 fare hike got out on Friday, to many New Yorkers, threats of increased unlimited ride fares and a MetroCard surcharge came as no great surprise. The MTA had, after all, raised fares in both 2008 and 2009, and the authority has spent nearly all of 2010 pleading poverty. That the fares aren’t going up in 2010 is only a matter of semantics; due to the payroll tax funding package, the MTA can and will raise fares on January 1, 2011.
Yet, life wasn’t always all about fare hikes for New York City subway riders. Although the MTA raised the fares regularly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, straphangers could take solace in the fact that these hikes were often little more than cost-of-living adjustments. The MTA then didn’t have to live fare hike-to-fare hike as it does today, and once upon a not-so-long-ago time, the authority had enough money in its coffers to grant its riders a holiday reprieve from the full fare.
Our story starts on October 18, 2005. On that day, the MTA announced plans to offer a fare discount between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. Since the MTA had a balance sheet that was, at the time, projected a surplus that could have reached $900 million, the authority wanted to give something back to its riders. “It’s unprecedented,” Gene Russianoff said at the time. “I’ve never seen any holiday-related discounts for riders. I think it will encourage people to use transit during the holiday season at a time when gas prices are going through the roof. It’s a smart way to reward customers.”
The discounts included relief for everyone. The base fare was to be $1 while bonus days were to be added to unlimited ride MetroCards and commuter rail passes. The MTA estimated that the giveaway would cost $50 million overall with an expected increase in ridership covering from the lost fare revenue. The rest of the budget surplus was to go pension relief, security projects and service improvements, and because the MTA had to have a $0 balance at the end of the year, the money had to be spent.
The next day, the headlines were decidedly less friendly. New York’s liberal and conservative political groups called the fare giveaway an irresponsible marketing gimmick. Because the MTA had been anticipated budget deficits in both 2007 and 2008 — deficits that came to pass — for some time, fiscal experts, such as James A. Parrott of the liberal Fiscal Policy Institute, wanted the authority to plan for long-term budget stability and a source of revenue flow for capital projects. Others, such as the Manhattan Institute’s Ed McMahon, wanted the dollars to cover the MTA’s pension obligations. Then-Governor George Pataki called for the MTA to use the money to cover construction costs at South Ferry or the Fulton St. transit center.
Most commentators figured the good will earned by the temporary fare relief would be short lived. “Whom does this actually benefit?” Preston Niblack, from the city’s Independent Budget Office, said. “It does not really solve any structural issues. It’s great from a public relations point of view, but it does not address long-term needs.”
When the MTA Board held its October meeting, the fare holiday garnered approval amidst a contentious debate. A vocal minority of board members paid heed to the looming financial crisis, and they urged the MTA to, in the words of Andrew Saul, “bank the money” to lessen the pain of future deficits. “I’m not sure in the long term that this is really in the interest of the riders,” Saul said. “This agency is facing tremendous financial stress going forward.”
In November, as the MTA’s surplus ballooned to $1 billion, the discount December was a foregone conclusion. Even as the MTA tried to pare down its future debt, the authority went forward with a plan that many figured was nothing less than bribery and nothing more than a public relations move gone bad. If New Yorkers saw the discount fares and assumed the MTA could afford such a program, these New Yorkers would forever be skeptical of the MTA’s claims of poverty and deficits.
In the end, the program was neither a success nor a failure. The MTA lost approximately $46 million in lost revenue, but few people had changed their fare-buying or ticket-purchasing behavior. As 77 percent of customers said the program saved them money, the MTA even budgeted $50 million for another fare holiday in 2006, but it was not to be as the MTA canceled the 2006 discount in order to postpone an impending fare hike.
Today, the fare discount lives on in memory only. Instead of a holiday reprieve this year, we’ll be preparing for another fare hike as the MTA looks to close a budget deficit nearly as large as the surplus from five years ago. The $46 million the MTA gave up to provide that discount fare wouldn’t have made a huge discount today, but it served as a portent of bad times to come. From now until the real estate market recovers, we’ll be suffering through fare hikes and not holidays.
Jul
10
July 10-July 12 weekend service advisories
Posted by: | CommentsNew York City might have enjoyed a short, four-day work week, but we had a busy one around these parts. The week ended with details of a dismaying fare hike and more delays along Second Ave. It seems as though 2010 has brought nothing but bad news for the MTA.
Anyway, with a weekend upon us, it’s time again for the service changes. Subway Weekender has the map. The details are below, and one of the changes has a priceless typo. These come to me via the MTA and are subject to change without notice. Listen to announcements on board your train and pay attention to signs in your local station.
From 4 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 11, downtown 1 trains run express from 137th Street to 96th Street due to track panel installation north of 125th Street.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Saturday, July 10, from 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10 to 7 a.m. Sunday, July 11, and from 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 11 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, free shuttle buses replace 2 trains between 96th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse due to track switch renewal north of 135th Street. During this time, 2 trains run in two sections:
- Between Brooklyn College-Flatbush Avenue and 96th Street, then rerouted to the 1 line to 137th Street
- Between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Wakefield-241st Street
Customers may transfer between the 2 and free shuttle buses at 96th Street or 149th Street-Grand Concourse.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, 2 trains run local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to the 96th Street station rehabilitation.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Saturday, July 10, from 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 11, and from 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 11 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, free shuttle buses replace 3 trains between 148th Street and 96th Street. 1 and 2 trains replace the 3 between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to track switch renewal north of 135th Street.
From 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10 and from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday, July 11, 3 trains run local between 96th Street and Times Square-42nd Street due to the 96th Street station rehabilitation.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, downtown 4 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to HVAC work in a communications room.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, there are no 5 trains between Dyre Avenue and 149th Street-Grand Concourse. Free shuttle buses replace the 5 between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street. 2 trains replace the 5 between East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse due to rail work north of East 180th Street and cable work on the Dyre Avenue line.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, 5 trains run every 20 minutes between 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Bowling Green due to rail work north of East 180th Street and cable work on the Dyre Avenue line.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, downtown 6 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to HVAC work in a communication room.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, uptown A trains run express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle due to a concrete pour north of West 4th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, A trains skip Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions due to work on the Fulton Street Transit Center.
At all times until July 9010, Far Rockaway-bound A trains skip Beach 36th Street due to station rehabilitation. – Planning far, far ahead I see. That’s also a very precise reopening date for a 7000-year project.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, uptown C trains run express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle due to a concrete pour north of West 4th Street.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, C trains skip Broadway-Nassau St. in both directions due to work on the Fulton Street Transit Center.
From 11 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Manhattan-bound D trains skip 174th-175th Sts. and 170th Street due to a track chip out north of 170th Street.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Stillwell Avenue-bound trains run on the N from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due to structural repair and station rehabilitations from 71st Street to Bay 50th Street, ADA work at Bay Parkway and track panel installation at 20th Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Manhattan-bound D trains run express from 36th Street to Pacific Street, then skip DeKalb Avenue due to a track chip out at DeKalb Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, downtown D trains run local from 34th Street-Herald Square to West 4th Street due to substation rehabilitation work south of 34th Street.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 9 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Manhattan-bound E trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to a track chip out north of Elmhurst Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 11, uptown E trains skip Spring and 23rd Streets due to a concrete pour north of West 4th Street.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Jamaica Center-bound E trains run local from Roosevelt Avenue to Forest Hills-71st Avenue due to track work south of Elmhurst Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Brooklyn-bound F trains run on the A from West 4th Street to Jay Street due to tunnel lighting rehabilitation.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, 179th Street-bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Avenue to Forest Hills-71st Avenue to due to track work south of Elmhurst Avenue.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 10 p.m. Sunday, July 11, there are no J trains between Broadway Junction and Jamaica Center due to track panel work at Crescent Street. E trains and free shuttle buses provide alternate service.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, Manhattan-bound Q trains run on the R line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to track chip out at DeKalb Avenue.
From 12:01 a.m., Saturday, July 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, there are no Q trains between Times Square-42nd Street and 57th Street-7th Avenue due to tunnel lighting south of Queens Plaza. Customers should take the N train instead.
From 12:01 a.m. to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11 and from 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, July 12, there are no R shuttle trains in Brooklyn between 59th Street and 36th Street due to a track chip out at DeKalb Avenue. Customers should take the N instead.
From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, Manhattan-bound R trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to a track chip out north of Elmhurst Avenue.
6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11, R trains rare rerouted to the F line between 57th Street-7th Avenue and 36th Street due to tunnel lighting work south of Queens Plaza.
- For service to/from 5th Avenue-59th Street and Lexington Avenue-59th Street, customers should take the N.
- For service to Queens Plaza from Queens, customers should take the E.
- For service to Queens Plaza from Manhattan, customers should take the N to nearby Queensboro Plaza station.
