JACKSON HEIGHTS — Several stops along the 7 line saw fewer straphangers at stations in 2015, due to track work that forced many trains to travel express, according to the MTA.
Eight stations saw minor drops on riders between 2015 and 2014, with the biggest decrease — 4.6 percent, or more than 180,000 riders — at the 33rd St./Rawson stop, statistics show.
Stations at 40th, 46th, 52nd, 69th and 82nd streets also saw thousands of fewer riders at their stations.
MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said the decrease can be attributed to weekday track work that turns many local trains into express rides.
"Many times trains ran express at those stations because of work," he said in an email.
The minor decrease comes as the citywide MTA system saw a 0.6 percent increase in riders, with more than 1.76 billion commuters packing into the city's subways in 2015.
Ridership on the express stops, including Woodside-61st Street and Junction Boulevard, saw minor increases. Ridership at Queensboro Plaza, which also includes the N and Q trains, saw a 0.3 percent drop, data shows.
The 7 train station in Queens with the biggest increase in riders last year was Mets-Willets Point, which saw a 13.1 percent spike — which was likely tied to the Mets making it to the World Series — drawing an increase of 245,387 riders, according to data.
