Shuttle buses and 7 trains will pick up the slack during Fastrack this week. Click the map to enlarge.
In a repeat of the mid-March FASTRACK treatment, the MTA’s not-so-new overnight construction program returns to the Queens Boulevard line this evening. From 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night this week, there will be no subway service between Jackson Heights and 21st-Queensbridge on the F or the World Trade Center on the E. Shuttle buses and the 7 train will provide alternate service.
Here’s how this goes:
- E in Queens only between Jamaica Center and 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue
- F in two sections:
- Between 179th Street and Roosevelt Avenue and
- Between Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue and 21st Street-Queensbridge.
- M service ends early each night and the M shuttle operates between Metropolitan and Myrtle Avenues all night.
- R service ends early each night and the R shuttle operates in Brooklyn between 95th Street and 36th Street all night.
So how does one get around? Well, the MTA offers up these lovely suggestions:
- Take the 7 between Manhattan and 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue or Queensboro Plaza
- Take the N between Manhattan and Queensboro Plaza
- In Manhattan, transfer at 5th Avenue/42nd Street-Bryant Park for the 7 or F, Times Square-42nd Street/42nd Street-Port Authority for the 7 or A, and 34th Street-Herald Square for the F or N
- In Manhattan along 8th Avenue, take the A local instead of the E
- Take free shuttle buses running LOCAL between Queensboro Plaza and 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue making station stops at Queens Plaza, 36th Street, Steinway Street, 46th Street, Northern Blvd and 65th Street
- In Queens, transfer between shuttle buses and trains at 74th Street-Roosevelt Avenue for the 7, E and F or Queensboro Plaza for the 7 and N
While looking at the map and the shuttle bus route, I realized it’s an odd service pattern. It connects a 7 train stop with another 7 train stop while running above the route of the Queens Boulevard local trains, but it doesn’t contain to the F at Queensbridge. Thus there is a bit of a gap in service. It’s useful for people who need the Queens Boulevard local stops, but it’s not useful for anyone continuing to travel on the F.
And as with last time, not much in the way of media coverage here. FASTRACK is here to stay, and it’s causing nary a stir any longer.
3 comments
In fairness, 21-Queensbridge and Queensboro Plaza are very, very close to one another.
The MTA should had posted that the C train service is also being provided until midnight. Should stated “Use C train instead of E until midnight. After midnight use A train service”
They should had provided a 2nd shuttle bus route service running non-stop from Roosevelt Ave to 21st-Queensbridge to match the F express service.
There is a bus between Queensbridge and Queensboro Plaza, but it’s not advertised on the map, to discourage its use (i.e., to encourage people to take the 7 rather than the F from Manhattan).
Through riders should all be on the 7. The point of the buses is to serve the local stops, and there aren’t enough buses running (by a long shot) to handle more than a small proportion of the through riders.