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W Train Slated To Return in November, MTA Says

By  Shaye Weaver and Nikhita Venugopal | May 24, 2016 8:44am 

 The W line will return to replace the Q line going into Queens, according to the MTA's plan.
The W line will return to replace the Q line going into Queens, according to the MTA's plan.
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UPPER EAST SIDE — The sorely missed W train will likely return as soon as November, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The plan, which will bring back the W to replace part of the Q train service as part of the Second Avenue Subway service plan, was approved by the MTA's transit committee on Monday and a new map showing the routes was unveiled. The plan is up for a vote Wednesday.

"I’m really happy to see this service plan,” said MTA board member Andrew Albert. "I really miss the W.”

MTA officials maintain that Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway will meet its December deadline, despite construction delays and skepticism from independent reviewers.

► READ ALSO: Second Avenue Subway May Still Be Delayed Despite Extra Funds, MTA Says

Axed in 2010 under MTA budget cuts, the resurrected W would connect the Astoria Ditmars Blvd station to Whitehall Street in Manhattan on weekdays and replace Q service in Queens.

Wait times in between trains would be at most 10 minutes, according to the MTA.

 

Northbound on the W

 

When the W line returns in November, Q service will officially terminate at the 57th Street-7th Avenue subway station.

Once the Second Avenue Subway service begins in December, the Q train would run from 96th Street to Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue in Brooklyn, stopping at 86th Street, 72nd Street, Lexington Avenue-63rd Street, 57th Street-7th Avenue as well as all express stops on the Broadway Line in Manhattan.

The Q train would also run local between Brooklyn and Manhattan during late nights.

N trains would operate express in Manhattan from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street, a change from its current local service in Manhattan. R train service will not be affected by the proposed changes.

The plan was announced in February.

Albert urged MTA officials during the committee's meeting to consider extending the W line for rush hour service to stations along Fourth Avenue in southern Brooklyn, which rely on the local R train.

“I myself have experienced really long waits for the R,” he said, adding that since the trains originate from Brooklyn, extending service shouldn’t be too challenging.

However Judy McClain, the MTA’s senior director for service planning, rejected the idea. She said the MTA neither had enough trains for the extension nor was such service mandated in their guidelines.  

“Have you waited for an R train lately?” Albert asked.

The MTA's full board will vote on the plan on Wednesday.

Second Avenue Subway Service Plan