UPPER EAST SIDE — If you saw empty G and B trains passing by at the 57th and 7th Avenue and Lexington Avenue-63rd Street stations this past weekend, it's because the MTA is doing train runs as part of its Second Avenue Subway testing.
A self-described transit enthusiast, who goes by DJ Hammers on Youtube, caught the runs on video as he happened to be in the Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station stop after some shopping on the Upper East Side just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, he told DNAinfo New York via Twitter on Monday.
The video shows different trains, including B and G trains, running in and out of the station, which currently only services the F train. DJ Hammers noted that the trains were carrying weights, which are used to mimic the weight of passengers.
Once, and if, the line opens by its deadline at the end of this year, the Q train will run all the way up to 96th Street instead of going to Queens, the MTA says.
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"It's definitely neat to see something so historically significant, I'm glad I got to witness it and happy I can share what I saw," said DJ Hammer, who asked that his identity not be revealed.
The MTA confirmed on Monday that it began "various tests all along Second Avenue Subway as [it] said it would," and that the testing includes some train runs, which began this past weekend.
On Sept. 26, a consultant for the MTA said there were 300 tests to complete before the line can open and that testing was lagging behind. Completion of the 72nd and 86th street stations were delayed as well, according to the engineer.
