7 Line Repairs

Photo Vinny DuPre Buses line up at the No. 7 elevated train station in Flushing, ready to take passengers to the Main Street, Flushing station. Some 60 to 70 buses an hour made the trip last weekend. Repairs on the line will bring about service changes through February 11.

Commuters who use the No. 7 subway/ elevated train line that runs from Long Island City to Flushing can look forward to no express service on weekdays and no service from Main Street, Flushing to 61st Street, Woodside on weekends from now through February 11, according to published reports and MTA advisories. All 7 trains will run local until February 29.

With no trains running between Main Street and Woodside-61st Street, free Long Island Rail Road trains and free shuttle buses will provide alternate service, starting the weekend of January 12 through 14, and continuing January 19 through 21, January 26 through 28, February 2 through 4 and 9 through 11 from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday. On Friday nights, the last normal service 7 trains will leave Main Street at 11:40 p.m. and Times Square at 11:20 p.m. After this time, 7 trains leaving Times Square will run to Woodside-61st Street; Main Street customers will continue their trip on a shuttle bus.

Also, Manhattan-bound trains will skip the 52nd, 46th, 40th, and 33rd Street stations on five successive weekends, starting January 12 through 14, and continuing January 19 through 21, January 26 through 28, February 2 through 4 and 9 through 11 from 12:01 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday. For service from these stations, take a Flushing-bound 7 train to Woodside-61st Street and transfer to a Manhattan-bound 7. For service to these stations, take the 7 to Queensboro Plaza and transfer to a Flushing-bound 7.

Free Long Island Rail Road trains will run between West 34th Street-Penn Station in Manhattan to 61st Street, Woodside and Main Street, Flushing, starting Saturday from Main Street at 5:45 a.m. and from Penn Station at 7a.m.

The service changes are part of the second phase of installation of a new signal system on the 7 line. Currently, when a local train is rerouted to skip stations due to an emergency or track work, it must skip the 74th Street-Broadway transfer station. This switch relocation ensures that the 7 train can stop at 74th Street. When completed, the new signal system will allow trains to cross between tracks and keep trains moving at safe speeds with safe spacing. This signal system and switch work are part of overall efforts to ensure that trains continue to operate safely along the No. 7 line.

Reports indicated that on the first weekend the changes went into effect, legions of MTA service personnel were on hand to aid passengers in determining where they needed to get to and how to get there. Some 60 to 70 buses an hour ran along Roosevelt Ave. and no passengers needed to wait more than a few minutes for a bus.

Despite the fact that operations ran smoothly the first weekend, several elected officials expressed concerns that the schedule changes would pose major problems for people in Flushing who join in the extensive festivities that are part of celebrations heralding the Lunar New Year. City Councilmember John Liu, chairperson of the council Transportation Committee, while heralding the MTA for making a better effort than in years past in attempting to notify the public about service disruptions and accommodating riders with alternate service on the LIRR and shuttle buses, called on the MTA to realize that the buses, though needed in the absence of subways, have taken over the main streets in Flushing and can

cause significant disruption to the business district. "The buses have essentially inundated key streets," Liu declared. "Upon observation of the situation in Flushing this morning, it's clear that not only are commuters inconvenienced, but that substantial disruption to the Downtown Flushing commercial district has resulted. The Flushing economy buzzes on Saturdays and Sundays even more than on weekdays and economic losses will be compounded manifold if the disruption continues through the Lunar New Year festivities. We call upon the MTA to understand that the problem will be severely compounded in February at the height of Lunar New Year festivities in Flushing. We call upon the MTA to complete the construction by the end of this month so there will be no disruptions during the new year celebrations."

State Senator Toby Stavisky concurred. "The economic impact to the Downtown Flushing business district could be potentially devastating if the MTA fails to meet its original January deadline to complete reconstruction of the 7 train line. The Asian Lunar New Year, where people from around the region visit and shop in Flushing, provides the biggest boost to local businesses during the year and any major transportation disruption will have major consequences for downtown stores. As the fourth largest commercial district in our city, the economic impact will be felt by local businesses as well as the entire city through lost tax revenues."

The Lunar New Year is on February 7. People shop in preparation on the weekend before, this year, February 2 and 3. The massive New Year's parade through Downtown Flushing will take place on February 9.

"I am delighted to see there is finally construction underway to make the 7 train more efficient," Assemblymember Ellen Young said. "However, because the construction is expected to overlap with the Asian Lunar New Year, we are asking for the MTA to expedite the process to accommodate for the tens of thousands of people who will need the transportation this month. Like Thanksgiving, the Lunar New Year is a time for family reunification- a time when families come together to eat, and celebrate the joys of the New Year. The Asian Lunar New Year Parade in Flushing was the first on the East Coast.

"People from New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Boston, even Virginia- they all come here to celebrate this holiday. Without the 7 train during this time, we can expect the chaos we see today to increase tenfold. So we are calling on the MTA to respect the diversity this holiday represents and to complete this job before February 1."