By Alicia Taylor-Domville
Service on AirTrain JFK’s Howard Beach line and Rockaway A Line will be suspended for the weekend. Due to safety drills and track maintenance being conducted, shuttle buses will be provided for both services, the MTA said.
On Saturday from the 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. the AirTrain Howard Beach line service will be shut down. During these hours the Port Authority Police Department will be doing a series of safety training drills. The drills will consist of a power outage on the line, including two stranded trains. The exercise is designed to enhance evacuation procedures on the AirTrain and get passengers safely back on the ground. Drills such as these are continuously carried out at Port Authority facilities. Port Authority has provided shuttle buses at the Howard Beach, Lefferts Boulevard and Federal Circle stations to all airline terminals.
These drills will not affect any airport or flight operations. Service to and from the Jamaica Terminal and AirTrain service in the Central Terminal area will continue as usual. An increase in bus service during peak travel hours will minimize travelers’ waiting time and additional customer service agents will be on duty to provide information to passengers.
A full closure of the Rockaway Branch A line will be in effect due to track maintenance for the Oct. 20-22 weekend. Three fare-free shuttle buses will be provided starting at 11:30 p.m. Friday until 4:45 a.m. Monday.
Shuttle bus No. 1 will run between Rockaway Boulevard and Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue stations non-stop. Shuttle bus No. 2 will run between Rockaway Boulevard and Rockaway Park-Beach 116th street stations. This shuttle will also stop at Cross Bay Boulevard, Noel Road in Broad Channel and at Rockaway Beach Boulevard’s intersections at Beach 98th Street and Beach 105th Street. Shuttle bus No. 3 will run between Rockaway Boulevard and Howard Beach-JFK stations stopping at the Aqueduct Racetrack and Aqueduct-North Conduit stations.
Notices about these service changes have been posted in all the stations affected and train crews will be notifying passengers via announcements on all trains. NYC Transit personnel will also be available to assist riders with questions and concerns.
For more information on all service changes about all transit lines visit www.mta.info/weekender. Information about AirTrain service changes can be found at www.panynj.gov
