David Rosenstein's Blog

Surely I didn’t write this a day after last weeks changes… wait
Regardless We have a new set of changes to look at so lets start with a quick overview.

There’s a lot carried over from last week like the 5 not going to White Plains, the 2 and 3 running local for a bit in the UWS, and the Q not going between Manhattan and Brooklyn. These remain as some of the more major changes, however there are a few newcomers to talk about. Outside of a couple new express runs and skipped stations, we have the J being suspended past Crescent St, the long term service pattern for the Rockaways, and the E reroute in Manhattan and more. To avoid retreading too much water here, I am going to gloss over the stuff that was here last weekend, if you want to hear my thoughts on them, you can find the post here https://davidrosenstein.me/2025/01/23/nyc-weekend-changes-1-18/.

New Thoughts on Changes Rolled Over From Last Weekend

My thoughts on what I said last weekend hasn’t really changed all that much. I still question running a service pattern that lowers 2 train frequencies at the same time as a pattern that prevents the 5 from going to White Plains, but I realize that the MTA could also consider compensating on the other end – Nostrand Ave. If 2 service is limited, then running the 5 to Flatbush Ave like on weekdays might help improve service here. I still believe the Q should run up the Franklin Shuttle, that has not changed, but I also think that they should still be running the W this weekend. Or increasing R service. Regardless, they should be running the 59 st tunnel closer to capacity to make up for the lost Q trains here. In an alternative world where the City Hall lower level was still open, it would be nice to have the Q end there instead of at 34 st

J Changes

This change is pretty simple and doesn’t really have any sort of alternative. There is no way to turn around trains anywhere between Cypress Hills and 111 st so any construction between these stations is going to lead to a shutdown like this. Given this section still is entirely side platforms, I do think the MTA should consider bringing back the center track here so that unidirectional service could be maintained during service like this, but until something like that happens, this is the best that they can do.

E Changes

This pattern seems immensely stupid, but if theres construction in the Queens bound direction somewhere in the 53st tunnel, it actually makes a lot of sense to do a service pattern like this. My only suggestion is that maybe the E should be exclusively in the 63 st tunnel when this happens. Splitting service into two directions like this seem unnecessarily confusing, so I think I would prefer the E to go through the 63 st tunnel, then via 6th ave to 4 W st. The only issue with this plan is that 5th ave/53 st would lose its service. 7th Av/53st, Lex/53st, Court Sq, and Queens Plaza all have fine alternatives, but this one station doesn’t which is what probably justifies the E staying on 53st, but I feel like if they could remove trains entirely from the tunnel, much more could be done here to prevent changes in the future.

A/C Changes (Manhattan)

This is a great way to do this, and I’m happy the MTA didn’t kill C service for something like this. Instead, they have the C turn around where the B usually does, so that it can still run and the A has plenty of capacity to turn itself around at 168 st too. All of this in a pretty simple scheme that is easy to explain. If I have to be picky here, doing this when the 1 is running with lower capacity is a little questionable, but a train every 8 min isn’t *that* much worse than a train every 6 so we can let it slide.

L Changes

The L is going to be hard to write about, because unlike the 7 where I can cope that there is another option, there truly isn’t anything that the 7 can do when track work needs to be done. The redundant tracks on the L include: a connection to the Jamaica El at Broadway Junction (which in theory would be useful but in practice is way too far out to make a difference), a few third tracks that span no longer than the distance between 2 stations, and like 3 switches to turn around trains outside of the usual termini. There is very little I can suggest to improve changes because there are so few options that its hard to come up with any solution except the correct one. This is exactly what they did this week. With track work happening after Union Sq, they are able to send trains to Union Sq, which is already the most important stop on the L, so I think this change is fine. While more options is always better, Union Sq has connections to all the major centers in Manhattan, so while this change may turn a 2 seat ride into a 3 seat ride, its harm is definitely limited.

Now I say all of that about the L and yet the MTA pulls the most baffling change I have seen in a while: what is happening at Lorimer St?! The listed reason is “Station Improvements” but I have a hard time understanding what station improvements can be done in 12 hours, and that don’t stop trains from still running through. My guess is that they are doing something related to fare collection or enforcement (new turnstyles, emergency door replacement, the new metal things that are installed to prevent people from jumping them, something like that) but that is just a guess.

Long term Rockaway Service Change

Last weekend was the start of the closure of the bridge connecting the Rockaways to the rest of the subway. However, they were also doing track work at the same time, so there was a very unique service pattern. Now, we have settled into the service pattern that we are going to see used for the rest of the repairs being done (which will be in May if all goes well). This service pattern is probably as good as you could ask for, which given its going to last for almost 5 months rather than 2 days, I sure hope they put a lot of thought into it. The smartest part of this service pattern is definetly the Shuttle. It is completely free and does a good job utilizing the asserts that the MTA has. However, I don’t think it would be worth running if it wasn’t for the LIRR and NYC Ferry. Both of these services are increasing capacity, and the LIRR is even starting 2.75 tickets between Far Rockaway and Penn/Grand Central, which is a great alternative for riders. Lastly, two new, free, shuttle buses exist between Howard Beach and the more popular Rockaway destinations. I think that this is pretty good service, but I still have four suggestions to make alternatives more smooth. First, make the express busses to the Rockaways, the QM16 and QM17, cost a normal subway fare, rather than their higher fares (and probably run more of them). Second, run the shuttle more than every 15 minutes: it is a lynch pin in this, and ensures that last miles of journeys are covered. It should run at least every 10. Third, make NYC Ferry fares equivalent to the subway. If the MTA is pushing this as an alternative, it should cost the same as one. Lastly, there should exist free shuttles between Rockaway Park and the NYC Ferry, as well as between Far Rockaway the Subway stop and Far Rockaway the LIRR stop. While both these connections are easily walkable, those with accessibility needs may have trouble making the walk, and a short bus could alleviate this (which is why I am running the Ferry bus from Rockaway Park instead of the closer Beach 105 st). Overall, I think the MTA did a pretty good job here (especially compared to the G train shutdown), and if this change was just for a weekend I wouldn’t have any complaints. However, since the change is a long term one, I hold it to higher standards and I believe that the MTA should be doing everything they can. And while they are doing more than I thought they would, I still think there is a bit more that would make a big difference for Rockaway residents.

Skipped Stations

Lets round out this weekend with some skipped stations. Van Courtland Park – 242 St is closed on the 1 for the millionth time in the past couple of months. This change isn’t that impactful, so it doesn’t *really* matter, but I just don’t understand why we’ve seen this change so many times. Next the 7 is running express from Willets Point to Roosevelt Blvd in the Manhattan Bound Direction. This looks like a continuation of the work from last weekend, which only makes me wonder more why they didn’t just wait until this weekend to do it. The D is running express from 62 st to 9 av in the Manhattan Bound direction. Not much to say here. And lastly we have Church Ave on the Q which is our only long term closure which is not also closed for a different reason. Kind of funny.

Conclusion

This weekend retreaded a lot of stuff from last weekend, so I don’t have a ton of new thoughts. My main hope is that the MTA provides as many alternatives to Rockaway riders while they work to repair the bridge.