MTA Will Replace and Install Over a Mile of Track at Line Terminal in Queens During Time of Historically Low Ridership to Improve Service Reliability Beginning Sept. 19
Virtual ZOOM Presentations Will Discuss Robust Alternate Subway, Bus and Rail Service During Train Suspension at Two Stations
Customers Can Use Lines as Service Alternatives; Long Island Rail Road to Cross-Honor; Shuttle Bus Service to be Provided Between Jamaica-Van Wyck and Jamaica Center
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that a pair of community meetings will be held remotely to discuss travel alternatives and explain the work being done to replace and install more than 5,500 feet of track and over 7,800 feet of third rail at or near two stations at the line terminal in Queens beginning Sept. 19. The track is reaching the end of its useful life and needs complete replacement, which will lead to improved reliability and better service throughout the line in Queens and Manhattan.
The meetings will be held on Monday, Aug. 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 8, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. MTA officials from NYC Transit Customer Service, Government Community Relations and Construction & Development, along with elected officials from southeast Queens, will be in attendance to provide in-depth alternative trip planning options to help customers plan their travel for the duration of the project.
The MTA first announced the critical project on August 17. It is being done at a time of historically low ridership to minimize impact to customers. It comes at a time when the MTA is seeking $12 billion in federal funding to help pay for operations through the end of 2021. The work will require a temporary suspension of train service at two stations: Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av, and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer.
The service change seeks to minimize impacts to customers. The MTA is making these upgrades now and coordinating alternative travel options in order to prevent emergency track work and unplanned service changes that would create bigger disruptions for customers than the outage being planned.
Meeting links can be found here. Maps, fact sheets, trip planning and other resources are available on the project’s webpage and updated periodically.
Customers are encouraged to use the following travel alternatives:
- subway service will continue to be available at Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av.
- For continuous service to and from Jamaica Center, customers are encouraged to transfer to and from buses between there and train stops on Hillside Avenue.
- Bus service connecting riders between Jamaica Center/Parsons Archer and Parsons Blvd : Q25, Q34, Q65, Q83, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114
- Bus service connecting riders between Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av/JFK Airport and Sutphin Blvd line station: Q20A/B, Q40, Q43, Q44SBS , Q54, Q56, Q60
- Shuttle buses, Q54, and Q54 buses connect Jamaica-Van Wyck with Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av/JFK Airport and Jamaica Center-Parsons Blvd/Archer Av stations.
- Customers who use wheelchairs or other mobility devices should use Jamaica-Van Wyck or 179 St .
- LIRR will cross-honor at Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Queens Village, Hollis, Rosedale, Laurelton, Locust Manor, St. Albans, and Penn Station.
- Connection to JFK AirTrain is available at Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av via the and LIRR, and at Howard Beach via the .
The MTA will post both print and digital signage in stations, along with announcements in stations and on trains ahead of the scheduled work. Customer service notifications will be made on trains, posted at affected stations and posted on the MTA website, the MYmta app and social media. Customers can also sign up for text and email alerts at www.myMTAalerts.com.