Reduced Wait Times for Over 100,000 Weekday Riders
Increased Service Follows Back-To-Back Months of Record Subway Performance in August and September
Governor Hochul today announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is adding more weekday service to the and subway lines beginning this morning, November 3. This increase will improve the and lines by providing more frequent service and reduced wait times for more than 100,000 weekday riders. The added service is the latest in a series of service improvements for subway riders, with On-Time Performance in August and September at historic highs of 85.1 percent and 85 percent, respectively.
“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,” Governor Hochul said. “More frequent subway service means less waiting on platforms and reduced crowding on trains — two big wins for riders.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said, “Fast, frequent, more accessible service is a powerful incentive for New Yorkers to ride, and these latest enhancements on the and lines will only help us attract more customers. Credit to Governor Hochul and the NYS Legislature for providing the funding to make it happen.”
New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said, “Adding more weekday trains to the and will increase the frequency of service on both lines, greatly improving the trips of 100,000 weekday riders by cutting down the time they spend waiting for the next train. By analyzing the latest ridership and service data trends and listening to customer feedback, NYC Transit is delivering better service for millions of riders who rely on the transit system.”
On the line, there will be increased service during the midday by adding one round trip each to Lefferts Blvd and Far Rockaway, which would extend the span of midday 8-minute average headways between Inwood-207 St and Rockaway Blvd. This change will reduce wait times for customers, improve the reliability of service, and reduce delays associated with moving trains in and out of storage.
On the line, additional trips will be provided in the AM rush. Weekday evening rush and weekend schedules are being revised to better align service frequency with ridership. Weekday AM peak period service will increase by four additional round trips total, with two additional trains at the height of the AM peak to increase service from 20 to 22 trains between approximately 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. This increase in capacity is enabled by recent upgrades to the line’s traction power system, including three new substations.
In the weekday PM peak period, the span of 4-minute headways will begin approximately 30 minutes earlier.
On Saturdays, trips will be adjusted in the early morning and late evening hours, extending the span of 8-minute headways through the 11:00 p.m. hour. On Sundays, New York City Transit will start the span of peak 4-minute service two hours earlier, with service reaching the 4-minute headway in the 11:00 a.m. hour.
These service improvements follow the four-phase implementation of enhanced weekend, evening, and mid-day subway service on 13 lines, which was funded by $35 million secured by Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY24 Enacted State Budget. In June, the MTA increased service on 16 high-ridership local bus routes and eight high-ridership express bus routes following the launch of congestion pricing, funded by the state’s Outer-Borough Transportation Account.