1, 2, and 3 subway riders to face five weekends of service disruptions
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New York City subway riders on the 1, 2, and 3 subway lines are in for commute headaches over the next five weekends. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday announced that switch replacement work will suspend 1 trains south of 14th Street, 2 trains south of 34th Street, and all 3 train service from Friday nights through 5 a.m. Mondays through August 24. The service disruptions begin Friday, July 24, at around 9:30 p.m.
For the duration of the five weekends, 1 trains will be suspended between 14th Street and South Ferry, while 2 trains will operate between Eastchester-Dyre Avenue and 34th Street-Penn Station. During this time, 2 trains will also replace 5 train service between East 180th Street and Eastchester-Dyre Avenue.
Additionally, 5 trains will operate between Wakefield-241st Street and Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College, running express along the Lexington Avenue line in Manhattan and making local stops in Brooklyn.
The 3 train will not run, with service suspended between Harlem-148th Street and New Lots Avenue. The 4 train will replace 3 train service between Crown Heights-Utica Avenue and New Lots Avenue every weekend.
Switch replacement work has become increasingly common throughout the subway system as the MTA works to modernize its aging infrastructure. In January, similar work began on the 4 and 5 lines to replace 37-year-old switches, causing major service disruptions.
“We’re replacing antiquated switches to reduce delays, improve service reliability and deliver a smoother ride,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said.
“As one of the oldest and largest systems in the world, we are constantly upgrading infrastructure to keep New York moving and we appreciate riders’ patience as we perform this necessary upgrade,” he added.
Council Member Christopher Marte, who represents Lower Manhattan, told Gothamist that his office received only three weeks’ notice of the service changes and did not receive a briefing from the MTA.
“Had we been notified earlier, we could have helped spread the word and given our constituents more time to plan,” Marte said, according to Gothamist. “The MTA needs to communicate more consistently with City Council offices when major service changes affect the communities we represent.”
However, MTA spokesperson Eugene Resnick told Gothamist that the agency had notified community boards and elected officials, including Marte’s office, of the service changes on June 22.
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