MTA boosts weekday service on A and L subway lines
Credit: Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
A and L line riders should see shorter wait times as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority boosted weekday service on Monday. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the upgraded service, providing more frequent trains and shorter waits for the more than 100,000 weekday riders of both lines.
On the A line, one round trip was added to both Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway, extending midday 8-minute headways between Inwood–207th Street and Rockaway Boulevard.
On the L line, additional trips have been added during the morning rush, while weekday evening and weekend schedules were adjusted to better match service frequency with rider demand.
Weekday morning peak service has increased by four round-trip trains, including two extra trains at the height of the rush hour, boosting service from 20 to 22 trains between roughly 8 and 9 a.m. During the weekday afternoon peak period, the span of 4-minute headways now starts about 30 minutes earlier.
On Saturdays, early morning and late evening trains have been adjusted to extend 8-minute headways through 11 p.m. On Sundays, peak 4-minute service now begins two hours earlier, with trains reaching that frequency by 11 a.m.
The service upgrades are part of the MTA’s four-phase plan to enhance weekend, evening, and midday subway service on 13 lines, funded by $35 million secured by Hochul and the State Legislature in New York’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget.
“Fast, frequent, more accessible service is a powerful incentive for New Yorkers to ride, and these latest enhancements on the A and L lines will only help us attract more customers,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Credit to Gov. Hochul and the NYS Legislature for providing the funding to make it happen.”
The added service marks the latest step in the MTA’s ongoing efforts to improve subway reliability. According to the agency, on-time performance reached historic highs in August and September, at 85.1 percent and 85 percent, respectively.
Hochul said she added more service in response to increased subway ridership since the start of congestion pricing on January 5, according to amNY.
“When we launched congestion pricing, I made a promise to New Yorkers that we would deliver tangible improvements to transit service and by adding more trips on two of the busiest subway lines, we are doing just that,” Hochul said. “More frequent subway service means less waiting on platforms and reduced crowding on trains — two big wins for riders.”
RELATED:
