Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Most of 7 Train Shutting Down This Weekend

 Service will be suspended between Times Square and the 74th Street-Broadway station in Jackson Heights this weekend.
Service will be suspended between Times Square and the 74th Street-Broadway station in Jackson Heights this weekend.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

QUEENS — Service along most of the 7 train line will be suspended this weekend for track work, according to the MTA.

There will be no 7 trains in both directions between Times Square-42nd Street and the 74th Street-Broadway station in Jackson Heights, from 2 a.m. on Saturday until 4:30 a.m. Monday, officials said.

Two free shuttle buses will run over part of the 7 train's route instead, with one making stops between Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza and another running between Queensboro Plaza and 74th Street-Broadway.

The MTA is encouraging riders heading to and from Flushing, Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights to take the E train as an alternative, where extra service will be provided between Manhattan and Queens, with trains running every five minutes on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The 42nd Street Shuttle will also operate overnight, and the Long Island Rail Road will cross-honor and accept displayed MetroCards from riders traveling between Penn Station and Woodside in both directions.

The service disruptions are due to several construction projects taking place along the 7 line, according to the MTA, including the removal and replacement of old track panels that have reached the end of their lifespan.

Other work includes an ongoing $550 million capital improvement project to replace the line's signaling system, which is slated to wrap up in 2017 and which will make it possible for the MTA to add countdown clocks and run more trains each hour, according to the agency.

Workers are also making repairs in Steinway Tube, which connects Queens and Manhattan, including fixes to the pump room and discharge lines, which were damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Service changes on the 7 train line are slated for nine more weekends this year, according to the MTA's website.