Second Ave. Sagas

Weekend work impacting 12 subway lines

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

Before I get to the service advisories, let me share with you a story about why New Yorkers grow so frustrated with the MTA. Tonight, I was heading back to Brooklyn from near Chambers St., and a quick glance at Subway Time showed me that I had around 12 minutes to go before my next 2 train. That’s fine. I expect a long enough wait late on a Friday night there.

It wasn’t though late enough for anything to be in front of us. The 4 wasn’t yet running local in Brooklyn, and I knew how long it had been between trains because that information is now available in the one device I carry around with me in my pocket. So we left Nevins St. and then crawled to a stop before Atlantic Ave. I could have walked between those two stations faster, but the automated announcement proclaimed “train traffic ahead of us.” Everyone on that train knew there was no train traffic ahead of us, and yet there we were being told that. Why not just tell the truth about the delay? Why treat customers like cattle?

Anyway, that’s my mini-rant for the weekend. Onto the service advisories. Note that many of these run through 5 a.m. on Tuesday and that trains will operate on a Saturday schedule on the Presidents Day holiday this Monday.


From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 9 p.m. Sunday, February 17, uptown 1 trains skip 225th Street, 231st Street and 238th Street due to track panel installation north of 231st Street.


From 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, February 16 and Sunday, February 17, the last stop for some uptown 1 trains is 137th Street due to track panel installation north of 231st Street in the Bronx.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, uptown 4 trains skip 138th Street-Grand Concourse due to station rehabilitation at 149th Street-Grand Concourse.

(Overnights)
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, February 16,
From 11:45 p.m. Saturday, February 16 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, February 17,
From 11:45 p.m. Sunday, February 17 to 6:30 a.m. Monday, February 18, and
From 11:45 p.m. Monday, February 18 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19:
Downtown 4 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to rack tie block work near 96th Street and 103rd Street.


From 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, February 16 to Monday, February 18, there are no 5 trains between East 180th Street and Bowling Green due to station rehabilitation at 149th Street-Grand Concourse.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, downtown 6 trains run express from 125th Street to Grand Central-42nd Street due to track tie block work near 96th Street and 103rd Street.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19 (and the next five weekends), there is no 7 train service between Times Square-42nd Street and Queensboro Plaza due to Flushing Line CBTC. Customers may take the E, N, Q and S (42nd Street shuttle) and free shuttle buses as alternatives.

  • Use the E, N or Q* between Manhattan and Queens
  • Free shuttle buses operate between Vernon Blvd-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza
  • In Manhattan, the 42nd Street S Shuttle operates overnight

*Q service is extended to Ditmars Blvd. (See Q entry for hours of operation.)

(Overnights)
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 6:30 a.m. Saturday, February 16,
From 11:45 p.m. Saturday, February 16 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, February 17,
From 11:45 p.m. Sunday, February 17 to 6:30 a.m. Monday, February 18, and
From 11:45 p.m. Monday, February 18 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19:
Uptown A trains run express from Canal Street to 145th Street due to ADA work at 59th Street-Columbus Circle.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday, February 16, Sunday, February 17 and Monday, February 18, uptown C trains run express from Canal Street to 145th Street due to ADA work at 59th Street-Columbus Circle.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, Manhattan-bound E trains run local from Roosevelt Avenue to Queens Plaza due to track tie block and plate renewal south of Roosevelt Avenue.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Tuesday, February 19, 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 SAS project.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, Jamaica-bound F trains run express from Church Avenue to Jay Street-MetroTech due to work on the Culver Viaduct Reconstruction and the Church Avenue Interlocking.


From 5:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, February 16 and Sunday, February 17, Jamaica-bound F trains run express from Avenue X to 18th Avenue due to rail and platform edge survey south of Ditmas Avenue.


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, Manhattan-bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Avenue to 21-st Street-Queensbridge due to track tie block and plate renewal south of Roosevelt Avenue.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, February 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, February 18, there are no G trains between Church Avenue and Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts due to work on the Culver Viaduct Reconstruction and the Church Avenue Interlocking. Customers should take the F instead.

  • For F service, customers may take the A or C between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. and Jay Street-MetroTech.
  • G service operates in two sections:
    1. 1. Between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Aves and
    2. 2. Between Bedford-Nostrand Aves and Hoyt-Schermerhorn Sts. (every 20 minutes).


From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, February 16 to 5 a.m., Monday, February 18, downtown Q trains run local from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street due to electrical work at 14th Street-Union Square.


From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, February 16, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, February 17 and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, February 18, Q trains are extended to Ditmars Blvd. in order to augment service between Manhattan and Queens.

(42nd Street Shuttle) (Overnights)
From 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday, February 16, Sunday, February 17, Monday, February 18, and Tuesday, February 19, 42nd Street S shuttle operates overnight due to weekend work on the 7 line.

Comments

30 responses to “Weekend work impacting 12 subway lines”

  1. Brian

    I really hate how Train Traffic is their go to reason especially when there are so many instances like yours where a monkey can figure out theres no train traffic. Also im going to go out on a limb and say that after you waited 12 minutes, a 3 train was 2 minutes behind because of their screwed up headways late night. Cant live without the Subway but sometimes its just makes me want to pull my hair out

    Reply
    1. Benjamin Kabak

      That’s exactly it. The next train was 2 minutes behind, and the next two trains were around 10 and 12 minutes away. The spacing on downtown 2/3 trains late at night is horrendous, and there’s no real good excuse for it because they could just dispatch 3 trains from 148th St. a few minutes later.

      Reply
      1. BrooklynBus

        I often criticize the MTA when they screw up, yet it only seems to bother you when it personally affects you. All the other times, you stick up for them, blaming the politicians, the NIMBYs, etc, anyone but the MTA. That’s why I get so angry at those who think the way to fix the MTA is just to throw more money their way and then everything will run just fine.

        The system needs much more money. There’s no denying that. But there are also a lot of other problems that need fixing that don’t require more money, just better management and more of a willingness to listen, rather than thinking you have all the solutions and the politicians and the public are just an inconvenience that you have to deal with.

        Reply
        1. VLM

          Al, buddy, comments and insults like these are why you’re viewed as a crank by people still gainfully employed in the transit realm. If you really think Ben has given the MTA a pass over the past six years, you’re either ignoring most of what he’s written, have a terrible grasp of the political or economic reality or both. Get off it already.

          Reply
          1. BrooklynBus

            I do not meanto insult all transit workers. I know having worked at the MTA that most employees do their best under difficult circumstances. Please don’t take what I said as an insult. However, there is much room for improvement and that’s what I was getting at.

            For example, several years ago, I waited 45 minutes for a B1 bus when it should have been running every 10 minutes. I met with a field supervisor a few days later. I told him when and where I was waiting and he investigated. His responded that they could not explain the long wait because they had no records to determine where the missing buses were at the time. Now tell me that is good management.

            And yes even when Ben does criticize the MTA, much of the time he tries to make apologies for them by either stating it was something unavoidable, it was do lack of funds because of the politicians, NIMBY’s wouldn’t allow it, or it is a genuine problem but the MTA is working to reduce the problem. Rarely is there an article that states just plainly that something is not done correctly without providing some type of excuse.

            I have good relations with some top MTA people so I do not agree that anyone views me as a crank other than those in Operations Planning a few of whom have said some not so nice things to me right to my face. So if you want to talk about insulting people, you need to see it from both sides.

            Reply
        2. al

          VLM,
          Who the hell are you referring to?

          Alon Levy -> OEC. Organization before electronics/equipment before concrete. Getting managers, dispatchers, and train crews to sync up with schedules is an important task.

          Ben
          Regarding 2,3 evening headways, what they might be doing is syncing up with the 4,5 and with 1. Try looking for timed transfers across platform. If they exist, then that’s a good indication of what they’re doing.

          Reply
          1. D.R. Graham

            The schedule is the schedule and it’s not made to accommodate transfers. It’s hard enough to get crews to have the train show up at the terminal within that 5 minute grace period where it’s still considered on time.

            Reply
  2. D.R. Graham

    More than likely there were workers on the tracks. With point to point flagging operators tend to operate as caution as possible for as long as possible. Now if there was a full flagging set up and the resume flag was left out by mistake then you’ll find operators remaining cautious well past the work area just to be on the safe side. But here’s the key. The conductor doesn’t know this. Only the Train Operator really knows what’s going on up front. It’s on the Train Operator to make that announcement, but you have a lot of old school guys who feel it’s not their responsibility because on older equipment doing so involved stopping the train and standing up. On the newer trains while one hand is controlling the train the other hand can push the PA button on the console to manually speak the situation.

    The automatic announcements involves digging into the touch screen display which the train operator does not do especially while operating. That’s likely something the conductor will do but as I said before the conductor doesn’t know what’s going on up front and will use whatever tool they can.

    Reply
    1. al

      This is where communications among the various departments working the vicinity of one another need to improve.

      If a TO stops a train at a flag, can he inform the conductor over a the intercom? On the R142, the door controls and intercom are above the control console and next to the front window. That way the conductor knows whats up on the tracks ahead and inform the passengers.

      Reply
  3. MH

    You know what’s worst than that “train traffic” situation? Go on the train at say 4-5a and you’re delayed because of a WORK train moving crazy slow. I have a rift with those issues.

    Reply
    1. Jerrold

      But WHEN are they supposed to do that work?
      Better at 4-5 A.M. than at 4-5 P.M.
      It must be that 4 A.M. is the “deadest” time in the subways.

      Reply
  4. petey

    “So we left Nevins St. and then crawled to a stop before Atlantic Ave. I could have walked between those two stations faster, but the automated announcement proclaimed “train traffic ahead of us.” Everyone on that train knew there was no train traffic ahead of us, and yet there we were being told that. Why not just tell the truth about the delay?”

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. every friday eve i take the 4/5 to atlantic avenue to get the LIRR. and every week the train slows to a crawl between borough hall and atlantic, giving me kinniptions about making the train that i gave myself an hour to get to. when i started at my home station (86th street) the board said 8 minutes until the next express, so there was at least that much headway. thanks ben and brian for giving an explanation above of why this is happening.

    and, true story, i once in frustration did get off at nevins and walk to atlantic.

    Reply
  5. alek

    I get frustrated on “train traffic” too. Even on the weekdays. I remembered when I was going to the Met Museum for a tour and I was stuck on the super hot cramped 4 train between 59th st and 86th st express track. I am hearing impaired so when I heard the announcements on the PA it was not clear then it blinked on the screen “DELAYED TRAIN TRAFFIC AHEAD!”

    I hate that.

    Reply
  6. Ryan

    Amen. On a Jamaica bound late night E train two weekends ago we stopped with only the front two carriages into Queens Plaza station.
    After three announcements of “We are delayed because of train traffic ahead of us” the conductor finally came on to announce that the delay was because of a police investigation. The police investigation turned out to be the police hauling off one passenger who brought what seemed to be around 50lb of garden soil onto the train and had ritually spread out throughout the carriage.

    Reply
    1. D.R. Graham

      That’s typical of NYCT and NYPD policy. To keep people from climbing off in between cars while the train the train is idle in the station with the doors closed. Very effective for nabbing suspects.

      Reply
      1. Someone

        And also delays the passengers in the delayed train and the trains after it.

        Reply
        1. Jerrold

          But if they moved the ENTIRE train into the station, everybody would be equally delayed, and it would be possible for a suspect to escape from the train in the manner described.

          Reply
          1. D.R. Graham

            Exactly! The point of keeping the train in the tunnel is to expedite the process of acquiring the suspect. If the train pulls into the station and the suspect escapes in between cars without being seen that delay is now extended.

            Reply
            1. Someone

              The suspect can still jump out from between cars if the train is held in the tunnel. At least in the station, the suspect has less chance of escaping.

              Reply
              1. D.R. Graham

                Actually no the suspect has a better chance at escaping at most stations. Most stations comes with a wide number of additional options such as the tunnel leaving in the forward direction. Multiple exits. Sometimes unlocked crew quarters that leads to another exit on the other side of fare control depending on the set up. In the tunnel it’s very dangerous especially if its a 4 track configuration. Climbing down from the train to the road bed is difficult enough considering the circumstances. The third rail is still live at that point and the contact shoes as a result are live as well. Somewhere in the vicinity there could be an emergency exit but that’s usually covered depending on the description of the suspect. There are still moving trains in the area. A lot of things down there will get you killed before you can even get close to escaping and if you are lucky to get close and the word gets out that you are in the tunnel. The power will get turned off and they will come down there to pursue you. You will likely get caught.

                The platform is more convenient but the problem you have to understand is that when one person discharges the train between cars sitting in a station others see it and panic starts to set in. Especially since no announcement is made train line that there is an investigation or even a suspect on the train. Once panic sets in others will repeat the process, now you’ve lost control of the crowd and the process of acquiring the suspect is contaminated. Psychology plays a big role here.

                Reply
                1. Someone

                  In the station there are defined exits which the police will be watching. In the tunnel, the police will not know whether there is a hidden exit in the tunnel wall.

                  Reply
                  1. D.R. Graham

                    There are no such things as hidden exits in the tunnel. All tunnel emergency exits are monitored with motion sensors by the NYPD via funding from the Homeland Security Act.

                    All of the exits are listed on maps so that when an exit breached the police will deploy a severe response immediately.

                    Reply
                    1. Someone

                      By “hidden exits”, I meant “emergency, non-service” exits. So that means my point is invalid then.

                2. Someone

                  I do agree with you on your point, that the live third rails and the distance of the train’s loading gauge from the trackbed make it hard for suspects to escape inside the tunnels.

                  Reply
  7. Jerrold

    I feel sorry for the other passengers on that train, but I must admit that I laughed my f_______ head off when I read this post.
    Hey, I wonder what he wanted to grow there.
    Marijuana? Opium poppies?

    Reply
  8. Someone

    Well, two consecutive trains every 12 minutes is better than no trains at all. Most metro systems around the world shut their entire systems down for FASTRACK-like maintenance.

    One night a few years ago I was riding the F train to Jackson Heights from Jay Street. I missed a train that just left as I ran onto the platform. Surprise, surprise- no trains for 20 minutes. “Train traffic” then prolonged a ride that was supposed to be 15 minutes, into 45 minutes. Turns out there was a problem with the signals.

    In desperation, I just transferred to the 7 at 42 Street.

    Wonder when they’re going to replace the IND signals?

    Reply
  9. Abba

    4 trains downtown run early because of events at Barclays

    Reply
  10. Johnny

    I was once on the N train at Lexington Av the day when limited subways were running after hurricane sandy and we were heading towards Astoria and the doors closed, but the train didn’t move. The train, along with the downtown train were both in the station with its doors closed, but announced train traffic. After about 30 mins, the conductor finally told us that there was a police investigation

    Reply
  11. Paul Battaglia

    Not to change the subject, but I actually enjoyed the F train running express through Brooklyn, this past weekend. Why won’t they have the F run express all the time from Jay St to Church Ave, and have the G run local. ….

    Reply
    1. Someone

      The MTA has already planned that. It cannot be done right now.

      Actually, if the G had more trains running per hour, your idea would be a fine idea.

      Reply

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