By Philip Newman
Starting Friday just before midnight and until the end of March, the MTA is suspending weekend subway service on the No. 7 line between Queens and Manhattan.
The MTA said service will be unavailable starting at 11:45 p.m. Fridays until 5 a.m. Mondays every Friday night up until the weekend of March 22-25.
The suspension of the No. 7 line will be between Times Square and Queensboro Plaza.
The suspension will permit the installation of fiber optic and computer systems for communication and signal systems.
Straphangers can ride the E, F, N or Q trains between Manhattan and Queens. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is providing free shuttle bus service between Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza.
Q service will be extended to and from Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard during the day. In Manhattan, the 42nd Street shuttle train will operate overnight through the weekends.
The shutdown will include the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day in Manhattan and the two Lunar New Year weekends in Queens.
The MTA estimates that nearly 300,000 riders take the suspended line on weekends.
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.
