Home Service Advisories Weekend work impacting 15 subway lines

Weekend work impacting 15 subway lines

by Benjamin Kabak

We’ve reached that time of the year where the media starts to have a collective freak-out over the MTA’s service advisories. With (supposedly) better weather, work outside during the day can ramp up a bit and Sandy recovery work continues underground. It’s a lot to digest, but it’s not out of the ordinary.

This week, the pure numbers seem high. The D, L and Q are the only lines operating normally (although the service change on the M is a long-term complete station closure). This has sent everyone into a tizzy. DNA Info had an online freak-out, and Gothamist seems surprised as well. None of these service advisories are things we’ve never seen before, and if we want better weekday service, the weekends will suffer.

Folks on the A line from Washington Heights to Inwood have it the worst, and many of the changes impact only overnight subway service. Let’s dive in.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, there is no 1 train service between 14th Street and South Ferry due to Cortlandt Street reconstruction. Customers may take the 2 or 3 trains and free shuttle buses instead.

  • Free shuttle buses operate between Chambers Street and South Ferry.
  • 1 trains operate express in both directions between 34th Street-Penn Station and 14th Street.
  • 2 and 3 trains run local in both directions between 34th Street-Penn Station and Chambers Street.

Overnight Note: Downtown 1 trains run local from Times Square-42nd Street to 14th Street.


From 5:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, uptown 1 trains run express from 96th Street to 145th Street due to switch repairs south of 137th Street.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, 2 trains run local in both directions between 34th Street-Penn Station and Chambers Street due to Cortlandt Street reconstruction.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, 3 trains run local in both directions between 34th Street-Penn Station and Chambers Street due to Cortlandt Street reconstruction.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13, and from 11:45 p.m. Saturday, April 13 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 14 and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, uptown 4 trains run express from 14th Street-Union Square to Grand Central-42nd Street due to tie block renewal at 14th Street-Union Square.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, downtown (Manhattan-bound) 4 trains skip 138th Street-Grand Concourse due to station rehabilitation at 149th Street-Grand Concourse.


From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, there is no 5 train service between East 180th Street and Bowling Green due to station rehabilitation at 149th Street-Grand Concourse. 5 trains operate between Dyre Avenue and East 180th Street all weekend. For service between:

  • East 180th Street and 149th Street-Grand Concourse, take the 2.
  • 149th Street-Grand Concourse and Bowling Green, take the 4.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, uptown 6 trains run express from 14th Street-Union Square to Grand Central-42nd Street due to tie block renewal at 14th Street-Union Square.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, there is no 7 train service between Flushing-Main Street and Mets-Willets Point due to Flushing Line CBTC work. Free shuttle buses will provide alternate service.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, there is no A train service between 168th Street and 207th Street due to station painting at 175th Street. A service operates between 168th Street and Lefferts Blvd and between 168th Street and Howard Beach-JFK Airport. Free shuttle buses operate in two segments:

  • Between 168th Street and 207th Street, making stops on Broadway at 175th, 181st , 190th and Dyckman Street
  • Between 168th Street and 190th Street, making stops on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street and 181st Street only.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, there are no C trains between 145th Street and 168th Street due to station painting at 175th Street. Customers should take the A instead. A trains run local between 145th Street and 168th Street.


From 11:15 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, April 13 and from 11:15 p.m., Saturday, April 13 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 14 and from 11:15 p.m. Sunday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, Manhattan-bound E trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to ADA work at Forest Hills-71st Avenue.


From 12:15 am to 6:30 a.m., Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14 and from 12:15 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday April 15, Jamaica Center-bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Avenue due to track renewal north of 36th Street.


From 11:15 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, downtown (Coney Island-bound) F trains are rerouted via the M line after 36th Street, Queens to 47th-50th Sts. due to station work at Lexington Avenue-63rd Street for Second Avenue Subway Project.


From 5:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, there is no J train service between Hewes Street and Essex Street due to Williamsburg Bridge maintenance. J Service operates in two sections:

  • Between Jamaica Center and Hewes Street
  • Between Essex Street and Chambers Street, every 15 minutes

Free shuttle buses provide alternate service between Hewes Street and Essex Street, making a station stop at Marcy Avenue.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13, and from 11:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 14 and from 11:30 p.m. Sunday, April 14 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, uptown (Queens-bound) N trains are rerouted via the Q line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to escalator replacement at Whitehall Street and electrical work at DeKalb Avenue.


From 9:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, downtown (Coney Island-bound) N trains are rerouted via the D from 36th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue due to pier repair at 15th and 17th Avenue bridges.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, uptown (Queens-bound) R trains are rerouted via the Q line from DeKalb Avenue to Canal Street due to escalator replacement at Whitehall Street and electrical work at DeKalb Avenue.

  • No Manhattan-bound N or R trains at Jay Street-MetroTech, Court Street, Whitehall Street, Rector Street, Cortlandt Street and City Hall.
  • Customers should use the 4 or A trains at nearby stations.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, downtown (Manhattan-bound) R trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to ADA work at Forest Hills-71st Avenue.


From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, uptown (Queens-bound) R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Avenue due to track renewal north of 36th Street.

  • To 36th Street, Steinway Street, 46th Street, Northern Boulevard and 65th Street, customers may take the Jamaica Center-bound E or the 71st Avenue-bound R to Roosevelt Avenue and transfer to a Manhattan-bound E local or R.
  • From these stations, customers may take a Manhattan-bound E or R to Queens Plaza and transfer to a Jamaica Center-bound E or 71st Avenue-bound R.

(Franklin Avenue Shuttle)
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 12 to 5 a.m. Monday, April 15, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle is suspended due to track work between Park Place and Franklin Avenue. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service making station stops at Franklin Avenue, Park Place, Botanic Garden and Prospect Park.

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23 comments

George April 12, 2013 - 8:51 pm

Currently there is no J train service between Crescent St and 121st Street due to a building collapse at 78-19 Jamaica Avenue in Queens.

If this is not remedied by 5:45am, then J trains will run in 3 sections:

1. Jamaica Ctr-121 St
2. Crescent St-Hewes St
3. Essex St-Chambers St

Reply
JS April 13, 2013 - 12:02 am

I call BS on the painting at 175th street. They can’t do this during Fast Track? They just repainted here 4 years ago. They just shmear another coat on. No wonder it chips and peels…. They need to strip off the old paintfirst.

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BBnet3000 April 13, 2013 - 9:46 am

The M is also running express from Forest Hills to Jackson Heights on the Queens Blvd line isnt it? Theres signs at Woodhaven Blvd saying “no Manhattan bound trains” dated for this whole weekend, which should mean no M or R.

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Benjamin Kabak April 13, 2013 - 9:50 am

The M doesn’t normally run in Manhattan or along Queens Boulevard on the weekends. That’s weekday-only service, just like the V used to be.

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BBnet3000 April 13, 2013 - 11:16 am

Ah, good to know. That actually never occured to me. I get an M or R at random so its nothing notable if i dont see an M for two days.

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Ryan April 14, 2013 - 9:45 am

The R runs express. No M service to northern Queens or to Manhattan.

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John April 13, 2013 - 2:38 pm

No G train interruptions this weekend, either!

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Alek April 13, 2013 - 3:05 pm

The 7 train shuttle bus looks very orderly. “Parade” of buses kept going NYPD is directing traffic and plenty of MTA crews to help things going. The shuttle bus line is moving quickly

I was suprised to not see one artic using for the shuttle buses because it could help handle more people in the buses and Casey Stengal has few of those but I think the regular and low floor buses are good enough to handle the crowds it just keeps going.

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Alek April 13, 2013 - 5:34 pm

I did see some artics in use. Not many noticed lots of the artics were in the bus depot.

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Jerrold April 13, 2013 - 8:10 pm

TO BEN (or anybody else who knows the answer):

I was down at South Ferry again today (a bit harder to reach than the last time I was there).

Anyway, there is something that I’m wondering about:
It seems strange that the new entrance/exit is located on the OUTDOOR side of the ferry terminal wall, instead of INSIDE the terminal. Do you have any idea why they built it like that?

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Simon April 13, 2013 - 8:24 pm

It looks like an old staircase that they re-opened. They certainly didn’t build it from scratch–there’s even an artwork on the landing.

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John-2 April 13, 2013 - 8:45 pm

Apparently to improve station flow. They want passengers getting off the boat to go straight through the terminal and down to the new SF exit at the front of the station, while passengers getting off the train can use the older stairways.

Putting the doors inside the station would cause people to divert to the old entrance, which isn’t the widest thing in the world. If it’s around the corner, the more natural path to the fare control area is straight through the terminal.

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Ryan April 14, 2013 - 11:49 am

Because that was the 2009 station’s entrance. I’m not sure, but I think that the station entrance was built to improve station flow.

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Jerrold April 14, 2013 - 11:56 pm

TO Ryan: I was referring to the newly created entrance/exit located on the OUTDOOR side of the ferry terminal wall, NOT the entrance to the new station that opened in 2009.

BUT, the answers that I’ve been getting here seem to make sense.

Reply
Ryan April 15, 2013 - 8:01 am

Oh, so that’s what you mean. Sorry, I thought you were talking about the 2009 entrance.

Reply
Ryan April 14, 2013 - 11:52 am


(R) From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, downtown (Manhattan-bound) R trains run express from Forest Hills-71st Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue due to ADA work at Forest Hills-71st Avenue.

(R) From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14, uptown (Queens-bound) R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Avenue due to track renewal north of 36th Street.
To 36th Street, Steinway Street, 46th Street, Northern Boulevard and 65th Street, customers may take the Jamaica Center-bound E or the 71st Avenue-bound R to Roosevelt Avenue and transfer to a Manhattan-bound E local or R.
From these stations, customers may take a Manhattan-bound E or R to Queens Plaza and transfer to a Jamaica Center-bound E or 71st Avenue-bound R.

All trains are stopping at the express tracks at Jackson Heights, incidentially. No trains will stop at the local tracks at that station.

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Ryan April 14, 2013 - 11:54 am

There’s something I don’t get. If there’s station painting at 175th Street, why would the © train have to be rerouted? Only the (A) stops there, the © terminates one stop to the south.

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Andrew April 14, 2013 - 12:34 pm

Because the 168th Street terminal doesn’t have the capacity to terminate both the A and the C, so one of them has to terminate elsewhere.

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Ryan April 14, 2013 - 9:41 pm

So? Couldn’t the (C) terminate at Dyckman instead?

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Andrew April 14, 2013 - 11:00 pm

Because, as you yourself said, “there’s station painting at 175th Street.” How would it get to Dyckman?

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Ryan April 15, 2013 - 8:02 am

I thought wrong.

Oh, well, never mind!

VLM April 14, 2013 - 11:30 pm

New handle but same brain-dead questions, eh, Someone?

Reply
Ryan April 15, 2013 - 8:02 am

I’m not ‘Someone’, I told you.

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