Express service on No. 7 train restored … ahead of schedule

Commuters who travel by the No. 7 train during rush hour will have their commute time nearly slashed in half, as the No. 7 line resumed normal express service between Main Street, Flushing and Times Square.
The express service, which the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) discontinued January 11 in order to complete the second phase of a construction project, was supposed to be restored on Monday, March 3, but the construction finished ahead of schedule allowing the MTA to restore express service on Tuesday, February 19.
“We realize that the express service is an important convenience for tens of thousands of customers who use the Flushing line daily,” NYC Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr. said in a statement. “We are all gratified that through the hard work and dedication of our maintenance forces we were able to restore this service even more quickly than we had anticipated.”
The construction work included updating the line’s signal system between Queensboro Plaza and 82nd Street and reconfiguring track switches near the 74th Street-Broadway station.
The new signal system and switches will allow trains to cross between tracks and serve 74th Street-Broadway if track work is being performed near the station - something trains could not due before the installation.
“This is all vital work that is required to keep the railroad running safely, efficiently and dependably,” Senior Vice President of Subways Steve Feil said.
Meanwhile, City Councilmember John Liu, who is the Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee as well as the representative for the Flushing area, said he was pleasantly surprised by the MTA completing the No. 7 line work ahead of schedule and limiting the inconvenience to the nearly 400,000 riders who use the line each weekday.
“It’s great news, and the MTA deserves a great deal of kudos for allowing people to plan properly and finishing up their work ahead of time,” Liu said.