Roosevelt Island residents to feel big impact of subway service changes on F and M lines
Monday, August 28, 2023 7:25PM
NEW YORK (WABC) — There are big changes going into effect Monday on the F and M subway lines in New York City, and residents in one part of the city might feel the impact the most.
Track work started Monday morning and will continue through next year.
F service will be rerouted on the E line in both directions between Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue.
Weekday M service will be suspended between Rockefeller Center and Forest Hills-71st Avenue between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The impacts to the F line mean it will be a lot more difficult for commuters to get on and off of Roosevelt Island.
Officials say 14,000 people live on Roosevelt Island and roughly three out of four take the F train on and off the island.
There is a tram, but it only carries 100 people at a time — many of whom are tourists — and with the track work, more people will cram onto the tram.
The MTA is providing a shuttle train on the F line that will take riders off the island, but it only runs three times an hour and doesn’t run overnight.
“We only have a shuttle train that starts in Queensbridge one stop away, comes to Roosevelt Island, and then goes to 63rd Street and Lexington Avenue at which time at which time most of the people can use the Q train instead of the F train, the thing is the shuttle train only runs every 20 minutes, it ends at midnight, starts at 5 a.m., it’s not like the usual subway service,” said Judith Berdy with the Roosevelt Historical Society.
The MTA is covering the overnight hours with a shuttle bus that runs to Queens Plaza.
They say all the track work will replace overall reliability but it will take at least six months — or maybe more.
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