In its latest Board committee materials, the MTA let slip some news. The 7 line extension, that Moby Dick of subway expansion projects, won’t be ready for revenue service officially until the third quarter of this year. That means it could open as early as July and as late as September 30. We’ll find out soon enough when that date will be.
That’s the bad news, but the good news is that Transit is adding service to a few subway lines this fall. The 2, 7, L and M lines will all see new service while the D will lose a round trip due to the MTA’s self-established load guidelines. Here’s how the agency put it in a press release on Friday:
The most significant increase will be seven new weekday round trips between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the L line, which experienced the greatest ridership growth at all hours in 2014. The new service will reduce the average time between trains to 5 minutes for the entire period between the morning and evening rush hours. NYC Transit last added service on the L line in fall 2014 with 56 more weekend round trips and an increase in weekday evening service.
The 7 line will see two additional new round trips on weeknights between 8 p.m. and 10:20 p.m., reducing the average time between trains to under 4½ minutes. The 2 line will also add two new weeknight round trips between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., reducing the average time between trains to 7½ minutes The M line will add one round trip on weekdays, reducing the average time between trains to 7½ minutes between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m…
Following [the loading] guidelines, weekday service on the D line will decrease by one round trip split between the morning and evening rush hours. This will increase the average time to 10 minutes between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. for Brooklyn-bound D trains and between 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. for Bronx-bound D trains.
The MTA says these changes will cost $1.6 million per year — a pittance compared to the agency’s overall budget — and the service increases show that Transit is “making the most of its resources to deliver service that accurately reflects ridership in growing areas.” I’m not so keen on decreasing service on the D, even by only a train, but by and large, this is all good news.
Meanwhile, after the jump, this weekend’s service changes.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Van Cortlandt Park-242 St bound 1 trains run express from 96 St to 145 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Woodlawn-bound 4 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 125 St. Crown Hts-Utica Av bound 4 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 14 St-Union Sq.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, 5 trains are suspended in both directions between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St. 5 trains run every 20 minutes between Eastchester-Dyre Av and Bowling Green.
Until 5 a.m., Monday, April 27, 6 trains skip Zerega Av and Buhre Av in both directions.
- For Service To/From Zerega Av, use the Bx4 or shuttle buses to connect between Zerega Av and Castle Hill Av; free transfer is available with MetroCard.
- For Service To/From Buhre Av, use the Bx8, Bx24, or shuttle buses to connect between Buhre Av and Middletown Rd; free transfer is available with MetroCard.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 125 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 14 St-Union Sq.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Flushing-Main St bound 7 trains run express from Queensboro Plaza to Mets-Willets Point.
- For 33 St, 40 St, 46 St, and 52 St, take the Main St-bound 7 to 61 St-Woodside and transfer to a Times Sq-42 St bound 7.
- For 69 St, 74 St, 82 St, 90 St, 103 St, and 111 St, take the Flushing-Main St bound 7 to Junction Blvd or Mets-Willets Point and transfer to a Times Sq-42 St bound 7.
- From these stations, take a Times Sq-42 St bound 7 to Junction Blvd, 61 St-Woodside, or Queensboro Plaza and transfer to a Flushing-Main St bound 7.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, A trains are suspended in both directions between Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd and Rockaway Blvd. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service via 80 St. Howard Beach/Far Rockaway-bound A trains skip 88 St.
- For service to 88 St, take the A to 80 St and transfer to free shuttle buses.
- For service from 88 St toward the Rockaways, take a Brooklyn-bound A to 80 St and transfer to a Howard Beach/Far Rockaway-bound A.
- A service operates between Inwood-207 St and Howard Beach/Far Rockaway.
- Free shuttle buses operate between 80 St and Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd, stopping at 88 St, Rockaway Blvd, 104 St, and 111 St. Transfer between shuttle buses and A trains at 80 St.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, Euclid Av-bound C trains run express from 59 St-Columbus Circle to Canal St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound D trains run express from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr and 36 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, World Trade Center-bound E trains run express from 34 St-Penn Station to Canal St.
From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26, and from 12:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Roosevelt Av.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer bound E trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av.
From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, April 25 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains run local from Roosevelt Av to Forest Hills-71 Av. Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to 21 St-Queensbridge.
From 9:45 p.m. Friday, April 24, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains are rerouted via the M line from 47-50 Sts/Rock Ctr to Roosevelt Av.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, L trains are suspended in both directions between 8 Av and Lorimer St.
- L service operates between Lorimer St and Rockaway Pkwy.
- M service is extended to the 57 St F station, days and evenings.
- A free MetroCard transfer is available from the Broadway G to the Lorimer St JM station.
- Free shuttle buses operate between Lorimer St and the Broadway G station, stopping at Bedford Av, Marcy Av JM, and Hewes St JM.
- Transfer between free shuttle buses and JM trains at Marcy Av or Hewes St.
- Consider using the A or J to/from Manhattan via transfer at Broadway Junction or the M via transfer at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
- M14A buses provide alternate service along 14 St between 8 Av and 1 Av, and connect with the JM at Delancey-Essex Sts station.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Saturday April 25, and 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, April 26, M service is extended to the 57 St F line station.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 24 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 26, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 26 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 27, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound N trains run express from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr to 36 St.
From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, Forest Hills-71 Av bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hills-71 Av.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26, Bay Ridge-95 St bound R trains run express from Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr to 36 St.
36 comments
Maybe I missed it in the above but the Queens Blvd line is running local inbound
Regarding the added trips on the 7 — are they really reducing headways, or just accommodating the longer route once the new western terminus opens?
Doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen any time soon (wonder if it will even happen in 2015) so I doubt it. The MTA is clearly clueless about escalators and elevators. Have you ever heard of an office building or store opening being delayed because they couldn’t get the escalators to work? For God’s sakes, just open the God*#@n station already and I’ll just use the stairs!
That would run afoul of ADA laws, which would need a VERY powerful political force to overcome.*
The problem with Javits Center is a textbook example of hilariously awful construction management. There’s absolutely no reason they couldn’t have something as simple as a smoke alarm operational in time. With the inclined elevators, whoever decided to modify an off-the-shelf model to have the buttons (!) made in USA should really be fired. Just incompetence.
*MTA could, of course, just completely ignore ADA laws, like they have when they demolished and rebuilt numerous stations without adding elevators.
Getting fancy networked smoke and fire detection to work can be very very tricky.
Maybe for the retards in the MTA Capital Construction Company. Somehow no other project, public or private, seems to have difficulty with this.
It’s not just that it’s taking forever and a few years. It’s that they have demonstrated a complete inability to even predict when it’ll be finished.
Doesn’t every office building have networked smoke and fire detection? This isn’t exactly first of its kind stuff.
With a well paid contractor who spends a great deal of time getting it all to work.
Yeah Im pretty sure the elevators in every new megatall tower are a tad more complicated, and yet Ive never seen a building get delayed endlessly because they cant figure it out.
The biggest irony is that an elevator is essentially fixed guideway automated transit. And yet the transit agency cant get their new funicular to run.
My thought is that if the MTA is indeed adding service to the 7 to accomodate the extended route, the two extra services added at the time window of 8pm – 10pm probably won’t leave a huge dent.
(Wouldn’t they be aiming for an around the clock increase except when the line is already running at full capacity and deep graveyard hours?)
How about weekend service? The current C frequency is embarrassing, and other lines like the 2 are struggling as well. From my own anecdotal experience, the C, F, maybe Q, 2, and 6 trains need additional weekend service. Even just an additional 1 or 2tph during the day, maybe 10-6 would make all the difference.
Especially with the west side, if service on the C wasn’t so terrible, more riders would use it instead of the 1/2/3 and thus reduce crowding there. For the last couple months, the C has been reduced to every 15 minutes on the weekends, which is hard in Brooklyn (where C ridership is growing fast but still anemic outside rush hours), but is a disaster on CPW.
In general weekend service has not kept up with skyrocketing demand over the last several years; the 2010 cuts (which lowered some services from every 8 to every 10 minutes) haven’t helped.
MTA needs to massively improve the efficiency of its weekend service. There is no reason for a service to run every 15 minutes. Flagging should just mean a barrier between tracks, not a parade of trains crawling at 5mph for miles. Here’s the thing – if you look for excuses, you will always find them. Why don’t we adopt the opposite approach, of expecting competence?
Not being allowed to do OPTO really hampers the MTA’s ability to deliver better off-peak service, since labor costs, not infrastructure capacity, are the constraint to more frequent service.
I disagree. On many weekends E/F/R service, for instance, is reduced compared to schedule because of QBL construction and flagging making it impossible to run 18tph on one track. The employees are being paid anyway, regardless of whether the schedule is altered or not.
Ten minutes between D trains…during the evening rush? Ouch.
The L sounds as if it’s maxing out with what can be done on existing tracks. Is a rush hour level of service sustainable all day?
The constraints on the L line are 8th Avenue terminal and power substations; both are relatively easy to resolve. Installing two switches (to let trains drop out at 6 Av) and adding electrical facilities isn’t all that expensive.
Modifying the CBTC signal system, the way things are going, would cost $billions. And having trains turn at 6th Avenue would reduce service further.
They should have built tail tracks when they rebuilt the 14th Street line, but that would have meant tearing up 14th Street for what should be 6 months but would have been 6 years. That would have taken 15 years of “community input” and litigation.
Modifying a program to know about a few extra switches would cost billions? That’s honestly pathetic.
And turning trains at 6 Av would increase capacity. The terminal at 8th Av is the current constraint on the line. Having some trains avoid it would help. Yes, tail tracks would be awesome, but doesn’t MTA have a STELLAR record with capital work?
I was being slightly sarcastic. But it would cost a lot, and take along time, under current arrangements.
Wouldn’t the trains turning at 6th Avenue block the trains coming from 8th Avenue. I’ve got a set of track maps, and I don’t see a switch — let alone a separate set of tracks. to allow that.
I know MTA can be inept, but are they really that incompetent? CBTC seems to be handling the weekend G/Os relatively well, even the ones where there are relatively rare turnarounds like the one at Union Square.
Two new switches would be installed, to allow westbound trains departing from 6th Av to pull into the relay track, reverse there, and proceed onto the eastbound track at 6th Av to go to Brooklyn. This is what happens when eastbound Ls turn at Myrtle/Wyckoff.
That would require overhead girders modification. An example is the IND Queens Blvd trunk between Queens Plaza and 36th st when they built the connection with the 63rd st tunnel. It would require lots of work late night and weekends.
The QBL work invlolved constructing an entirely new flying junction. This would be moving a few columns at most.
I had a thought about service levels. One obstacle, given the MTA’s financial constraints, is the TWU contract. It mandates two person train crews even with CBTC or half length trains, and lots of signal personnel even with consolidation to master towers and the Rail Control Center.
Now I suppose one can’t blame the union for trying to avoid having its members jobs gradually wiped away by automation. But we have expanding demand.
So in theory automation could be used to add service without the number of workers going down. Perhaps in the next deal the TWU would agree that as long as the sum of train operators, conductors, platform conductors and signal operators combined does not fall below a certain number, the MTA could implement changes to add service, with TWU workers cross training to make this possible.
What is the union’s incentive to allow automation?
Avoid MTA bankruptcy, and the NYC unions givebacks during the 70’s NYC fiscal crisis.
What they should do is increase service on the G which everyone begs for, but that seems irrelevant to the MTA
The G received additional PM rush hour frequencies relatively recently. I’m sure we’ll see even more service as the neighborhoods along it continue to grow.
Re: 7 train – It seems like a lifetime ago that Bloomberg rode it to Hudson Yards… It’s comical how many delays these projects all end up having.
You’ll notice that all the development that was supposed to pay for the Flushing Line extension hasn’t happened. Developers learned their lesson from the Second Avenue Subway. They built all those high rise towers, but all their tenants ended up packing onto the Lex.
So the development the extension was meant to serve isn’t there. So there is no one screaming that it isn’t open. When those buildings start opening, expect some screaming.
How do the MTA’s loading guidelines compare to other “world systems”? Has there ever been any study on this to establish best practices? It seems to me that the MTA requires trains to be significantly more crowded than other subways (Paris, London, HK, Tokyo) to justify more service, and considers the maximum reasonable headways absent of crowding to be longer.
Is the mentality just “This is New York, it’s supposed to be crowded!”?
New Yorkers have been conned into believing that disorder is a badge of honor. Filthy streets and subway stations, awful traffic, rudeness, etc. “is what makes New York New York”.
Also, bring up weekend service with the “outer borough Everyman” and you’ll get an answer like “that’s why I drive”. That man votes reliably.
The inability to replace Late Nite subways with rubber tire trams or BRT, and frequent Fastrack operations means Weekend maintenance work and service that suck.
Most places in the world the subway curls up and goes to sleep every night.
Rode the Q102 this weekend for the first time due to the northbound F not running through Roosevelt Island and it was not bad at all… if you manage to catch it on the half-hour runs it does. It was vastly preferable to taking the tram and walking to Lexington Avenue which probably would take the same amount of time it took the bus to reach Queensboro Plaza.