FASTRACK

I’m around 90 minutes late on this, but bear with me. The fact that Transit cut short this new FASTRACK treatment threw me off a bit.

For seven hours a night, running from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight and tomorrow, there will be no G train service for a big chunk of Brooklyn. As part of the 2014 FASTRACK schedule, the G will run only from Court Square to Bedford-Nostrand Aves. as the stretch of track from Bed Stuy to Hoyt-Schermerhorn will be out of service for repairs. The only replacement service will be shuttle buses operating from Jay St.-MetroTech to Beford-Nostrand.

This FASTRACK was supposed to start Monday night but due to the cold, it was pushed back to tonight. It’s still pretty cold out, and the IND Crosstown tracks that are out of service are underground. But there you go.

It’s always easy to tell when tourist season is high swing because the MTA significantly scales back weekend work. Right now, needless to say, we’re in that period between Christmas and New Years when nothing much happens, and the MTA’s slate of weekend work reflects that reality. There are a whopping four subway lines with service changes. We’ll get to those in a minute.

First, let’s dive into the world of FASTRACK. I’ve stopped posting the weekly FASTRACK advisories because they’ve become so routine. Most do not impact too many people, and their frequency makes them the norm rather than the exception. We’ve settled into a new normal where no service overnight seems unavoidable. It makes me wonder how much work the MTA lost by not pursuing this option sooner.

So as FASTRACK enters its third year, we have some new and old routes. The MTA recently posted the full 2014 schedule, and it features some old routes and some new ones. We suffer through the news early on in 2014, and here’s a glimpse at the outages — running from 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. each weeknight — on tap for January.

• January 6 to 10 on the G, no G trains between Bedford-Nostrand Avs and Church Av.
• January 13 to 17 on the 1, no 1 trains between 96 St and Dyckman St.
• January 20 to 24 on the E F M R, no E trains between Roosevelt Av and World Trade Center; no F trains between Roosevelt Av and 21 St-Queensbridge; M and R service ends early each night.
• January 27 to 31 on the 2 3 4, 2 and 4 trains operate express service only between Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and Franklin Av; 3 service ends early in Brooklyn each night.

Shuttle buses, which in some cases I feel are totally unnecessary, will replace subway service, and alternate routing will be available for some FASTRACK treatments. This work will continue for the foreseeable future.

Here, meanwhile, is the rest of your weekend work. The vast majority of riders won’t even notice these changes.

From 11:00 p.m. Friday, December 27 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, December 30, A trains are suspended between Broad Channel and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue due to track panel replacement. Far Rockaway-bound A trains are rerouted to Rockaway Park. Free shuttle buses operate between Beach 90th Street and Far Rockaway.

From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, December 28 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, December 30, D trains operate in two sections between Stillwell Avenue and Bedford Park Boulevard, and between Bedford Park Blvd and 205th Street due to track maintenance north of Bedford Park Boulevard.

From 11:30 p.m. Friday, December 27 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, December 30, E trains are rerouted on the F line in Manhattan and Queens between Roosevelt Ave and W 4 St, due to electrical work. Free shuttle buses operate between Court Square-23 St and 21 St-Queensbridge.

(Rockaway Shuttle)
From 11:00 p.m. Friday, December 27 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, December 30, Rockaway Park Shuttle trains are suspended and replaced by A train service due to panel installation.