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Feb. 22, 2016 Staff Report
The MTA has announced that it plans to bring back the W train to Astoria this fall, ahead of the Second Avenue Subway’s opening.
W service would operate locally from Astoria-Ditmars Blvd into Manhattan, terminating at Whitehall Street, effectively replacing the Q train in Queens, the MTA said.
This change will allow the Q to be diverted to the Upper East Side, serving the Second Avenue Subway between 63rd and 96th Streets when it opens – which the agency said would be “later this year.”
N train service would remain the same in Queens and Brooklyn, but would run express from 34th Street-Herald Square to Canal Street in Manhattan. There would be no change to R train service.
According to the MTA, benefits for Astoria riders will include unchanged service frequency and an increase in choices for express and local service in Manhattan.
The W train will not run on weekends or late nights.
W service was eliminated in 2010 to cut costs due to decreased MTA funding during the Recession, the agency said.
The MTA estimates that the costs for these service changes is $13.7 million annually, and stated that this figure has been incorporated into its approved budget.
The agency also said it aims to hold a public hearing on W train restoration in the spring.
