Taking advantage of fewer straphangers expect to be traversing the city, the MTA plans to do “significant” upgrades, repairs and maintenance on the E and M subway lines during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
More than 500 workers will tackle signal, track, drainage and other work in and near the 53rd Street tunnel, between Queens Plaza in Queens and 50th Street/Eighth Avenue in Manhattan starting the early morning of Tuesday, Dec. 26 through the late morning on Sunday, Dec. 31.
Part of the MTA’s Subway Action Plan, next week’s work, during a time when ridership is historically lower than normal weekdays, will enable workers to do a month’s worth of weekend work during the five-day period.
Normal weekend service — and adjustments for New Year’s Eve travelers — will resume before the holiday fun starts.
“The schedule for this intensive Subway Action Plan and capital improvement work minimizes the impact on our customers while putting in new track, third rail and signal equipment for a more reliable ride,” MTA Chief Operating Officer and acting NYC Transit President Phil Eng. “We appreciate our customers’ patience while we do this critical work.”
During the work, E trains will reroute along the F line between Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue and West 4th Street at all times, before following their normal route to the World Trade Center, at all times — except for 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., when they will run on the F line to 2nd Avenue.
M trains will no operate aside from the M shuttle train between Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues. Extra J trains will run between Broadway Junction and Chambers Street.
Straphangers going to or from Forest Hills-71st Avenue can take the F, R or rerouted E.
Queens Plaza will still have R service, except on overnights, when there will be buses to 21st Street-Queensbridge.
For airport service, riders can still take the rerouted E train or connect to the LaGuardia Link bus at Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue or the JFK AirTrain at Sutphin Boulevard-Archer Avenue.
