Second Ave. Sagas

A longread on the subway’s deferred maintenance problem; weekend work for 17 subway lines

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

Coming next week: I take a look at NJ Transit’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week, and Gov. Chris Christie’s arrogantly political reaction to it. As you can imagine, I am far, far less than impressed with Christie’s comments.

Before I jump into the service advisories, allow me to revisit Wednesday’s post on deferred maintenance. I neglected to link to Neil deMause’s recent epic in the Village Voice regarding the MTA’s funding woes and its effect on deferred maintenance. It’s one of those so-called longreads, but it’s well worth the time, whether you’re idling away some hours in the weekend sun or sitting down for some quality reading time. Neil also wrote sidebars on the 7 line extension and the untimely death of the Second System in the 1920s.

As you ponder the system’s past, here’s your immediate future. It features lots of weekend service changes.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 1 trains are suspended in both directions between 14 St and South Ferry. Take 23 trains and free shuttle buses instead.

  • Uptown trains skip 18 St, 23 St, and 28 St.
  • Downtown trains skip 28 St, 23 St, and 18 St, days and evenings.
  • Free shuttle buses provide alternate service between Chambers St and South Ferry. Transfer between 23 trains and shuttle buses at Chambers St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Van Cortlandt Park-242 St bound 1 trains run express from 96 St to 145 St.


From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, July 25 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, July 26, 2 trains are suspended in both directions between E 180 St and 3 Av-149 St. Free shuttle buses operate along two routes:

  • Express shuttle buses run between E 180 St and 3 Av-149 St, stopping at the Hunts Point Av 6 station.
  • Local shuttle buses make all stops between E 180 St and 3 Av-149 St.
  • Transfer between trains and free shuttle buses at E 180 St and/or 3 Av-149 St.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 2 trains run local between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 3 trains are suspended in both directions between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av. Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av making all station stops.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 3 trains run local between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.


From 10:45 p.m. Saturday, July 25 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Crown Hts-Utica Av bound 4 trains run express from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 7:30 a.m. Sunday, July 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av. Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av making all station stops.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, 5 service is suspended. Take the 246 and free shuttle buses instead. Free shuttle buses operate along two routes:

  • Limited shuttle buses make all stops between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St, and run express to 3 Av-149 St, stopping at the Hunts Point Av 6 station (from 3:30 AM Sat to 10 PM Sun).
  • Dyre Av Local shuttle buses make all stops between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St only.
  • For Lexington Av service, transfer between free shuttle buses and 6 trains at Hunts Point Av. Or, transfer between 2 and 4 trains at 149 St-Grand Concourse.


From 10:45 p.m. Saturday, July 25 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6 trains run express from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6 trains run express from Pelham Bay Park to Parkchester.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Inwood-207 St-bound A trains are rerouted via the F line from Jay St-MetroTech to W 4 St-Wash Sq, and run local to 59 St-Columbus Circle.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, A trains are suspended between Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd and Rockaway Blvd. Brooklyn-bound A trains skip 88 St. Free shuttle buses operate between 80 St and Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd. Transfer between shuttle buses and A trains at 80 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, July 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Inwood-207 St bound A trains run express from 59 St-Columbus Circle to 125 St.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 168 St-bound C trains are rerouted via the F line from Jay St-MetroTech to W 4 St-Wash Sq.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, 168 St-bound C trains run express from 59 St-Columbus Circle to 125 St.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 25 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound D trains run local from 145 St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Sunday, July 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, World Trade Center-bound E trains run express from Forest Hills-71 Av to Queens Plaza.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, World Trade Center-bound E trains skip 75 Av and Briarwood.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains skip Sutphin Blvd, Briarwood, and 75 Av.


From 6:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and from 8:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, July 26, Broad St-bound J trains run express from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av.


From 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, L service operates in two sections.

  • Between 8 Av and Broadway Junction.
  • Between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Pkwy, every 24 minutes.


From 6:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, July 25 and from 8:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Sunday, July 26, Chambers St-bound M trains run express from Marcy Av to Myrtle Av.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, N trains are rerouted via the D line in both directions between Coney Island-Stillwell Av and 36 St. Free shuttle buses and R trains provide alternate service.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Queens-bound N trains skip 49 St.


From 11:15 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Manhattan-bound Q trains run express from Kings Hwy to Prospect Park.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, July 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Queens-bound Q trains skip 49 St.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26, Bay Ridge-95 St bound R trains run express from Forest Hills-71 Av to Queens Plaza.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26 and Sunday, July 27, Queens-bound R trains skip 49 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, July 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, July 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, July 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, July 27, Brooklyn-bound Q trains stop at 53 St and 45 St.

Comments

5 responses to “A longread on the subway’s deferred maintenance problem; weekend work for 17 subway lines”

  1. KP

    He got the location of the proposed and never-built 7 line station wrong twice (in the same paragraph, no less), writing “42nd Street and Eleventh Avenue” both times. Call me a nitpicker, but it really bothers me to see careless, easily checked errors like this so often in media reports. Each time it makes me wonder what other mistakes are being made by the journos and whoever is supposed to be checking their work before it’s published.

    Reply
  2. Larry Littlefield

    The longread was a bit too gloomy about the physical state of the subway system now.

    By borrowing when Generation Greed refused to pay for maintenance in cash, a once physical problem has been turned into a financial problem. That will eventually turn back into a physical problem.

    As soon as the subway was “finished” in the 1950s, the city and then MTA started rebuilding it. Any deterioration is the result of that ten year gap in the 1970s, as described, and operational problems (not painting as part of the operating budget).

    We have never caught up to that 10 year gap. And small system expansions cost too much money.

    The problem with the discussion of the Capital Plan is that people are given the impression that all that is at stake is things they don’t already have. Not true. They have been calling ongoing normal replacement, which is just maintenance, capital expenditures for years.

    If they funded it on an ongoing basis, rather than through debt, they would have been forced to confront the cost problem.

    Reply
    1. Dexter

      No, the writer of that article was right to put the blame on the people back then. The 5 Cent Fare is literally just a piece of the puzzle that rested on the whims of the people. If you count elevated service, the fare remained there from 1868 to 1948 which should not occurred. The first fare increase should have happened during World War One like the IRT and BRT wanted, but the city government would not allow it. It led to the bankruptcy of both companies. The deferred maintenance era began during World War One. It only picked up pace during World War Two and peaked in the 1960s and 70s. I could go in depth with this, but it’s to hot for me to bother right now. If you have not read the book “722 Miles”, I recommend you do. I also highly recommend reading “The Routes Not Taken” which goes in depth on the subject of unbuilt lines. Reading those two books together will give you the clearest insight into why we are where we are today.

      Reply
  3. Abba

    Mistake.Metropolitan Ave bound M trains.Not Chambers St bound.

    Reply
    1. Sunny

      Actually, the direction is correct (I rode the M today), it’s just that it should be from Myrtle Av to Marcy Av instead.

      Reply

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