Weekend Service Changes Ahead For Riders Of 7, F, G Lines
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Hundreds of thousands of subway riders in Queens and Brooklyn face detours and delays this weekend as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority does some underground repair work on the 7, F and G subway lines. NY1's Transit reporter Tina Redwine filed the following report. This weekend, the riders of the 7, F and G subway lines are facing major service changes, as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority makes much-needed repairs.
"Given the nature of New York City transit, operating 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, we have to take the railroad out of service to do critical maintenance or repair," said MTA Senior Vice President of Subways Carmen Bianco.
The 7 line, a major artery for riders in Queens, will not be running between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza. The agency says it has to repair signal circuits, rebuild track and fix leaks in the Steinway Tunnel under the East River.
There is no room for workers to get out of the way of passing trains.
"The Steinway Tube was actually built back in the late 1800s and it was built for a trolley operation, as opposed to a subway operation," said Bianco.
To get the work all done, that section of the 7 will be shut down again for the weekends of June 24 and July 29.
The work is supposed to clear up delays for 7 riders, which have been running at double the rate of last year, but riders were still upset.
"It really inconvenient. Very terrible situation. I don't know what I'm going to do," said a straphanger.
The MTA advises 7 riders to use the E, N, R or F lines.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, the F train will not run from Jay Street to 18th Avenue and the G train will not run between Hoyt Schermerhorn and Church Avenue.
The work is part of the ongoing rehab on the nearly 100-year-old Culver Viaduct over the Gowanus Canal. Hundreds of feet of track will be replaced, signals renewed and part of the viaduct will be rebuilt.
The MTA says it will run free shuttle buses to the nearest working station.
Some riders said at least the MTA is letting them know early, which they said is unusual.
"At night, when I get off of work here, then it's a pain when I don't know. But now that they're letting us know, it's okay," said a rider.
For the latest service updates, visit mta.info.