By Bill Parry
The MTA will be adding trains to 12 subway lines in June to cope with a surge in ridership, which saw an average 5.6 million riders a day last year, and an anticipated population increase because of major residential construction.
N train riders will benefit with an extra train on weekdays between 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., which will slash wait times from 10 minutes to 7.5 minutes.
The M line, which runs through Jackson Heights, Astoria and Long Island City, will also get an extra train on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. The E train, which runs through Jackson Heights and Long Island City, will get two extra trains running on weeknights from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“People want to live or work in places that are readily accessible by mass transit, and New York City Transit must take new real estate trends into account to help these areas thrive,” NYC Transit Interim President James Ferrera said. “Making these service changes wherever we can lets us make the best use of existing resources as we expand to keep up with private sector development. However, our subway system is more than a century old and even where we are aided by new technology, we are still limited by the overall age and condition of the system and the maintenance that is needed to run trains safely.”
The changes will cost $5.8 million annually and have been included in the 2016 operating budget.
Meanwhile, the N/Q line to Astoria will receive basic train information screens in 2016 and eventually time-to-station countdown clocks by 2020. The upgraded system will include visual and audio announcements and will inform train riders on the relative position of an approaching train up to two stations away.
“The five stations between Queensboro Plaza and Ditmars Boulevard already have audio announcements,” MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said. “We’ll improve upon that with screens that will provide riders with more information about when trains are approaching.”
The project represents the next step forward in improving the communication network at subway stations in western Queens, accompanying the real time information and automated announcements state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) first brought to N and Q subway stations in the fall of 2013.
“I am pleased the MTA will be making the daily commute of N and Q riders easier,” state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) said. “Upcoming train announcements were a great idea when first introduced, and although it has taken some time, I am glad to see that all of western Queens will be able to enjoy Real Time Information. There is a continuous need for service improvements and I hope this is a sign of things to come for Astoria and other rapidly developing western Queens neighborhoods.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
