Crews will replace and install more than 5,500 feet of track and more than 7,000 feet of third rail at or near two stations at the end of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) E Line in Queens beginning Sept. 19.
The track is reaching the end of its useful life and needs complete replacement, which will lead to improved reliability and better service throughout the line in Queens and Manhattan.
The critical project is being done at a time of historically low ridership to minimize impact to customers. It comes at a time when the MTA is seeking $12 billion in federal funding to help pay for operations through the end of 2021.
“The MTA is changing the way we do construction, and that means getting work done faster and with less impact on our customers," said Janno Lieber, president of MTA Construction & Development. “By doing this critical track work now while subway and AirTrain ridership is low, we will get this stretch of the E train upgraded in time to be ready when residents of southeast Queens – and all New Yorkers – return to riding the subways in larger numbers.”
The MTA is making these upgrades now and coordinating alternative travel options in order to prevent emergency track work and unplanned service changes that would create bigger disruptions for customers than the outage being planned.
“Track replacement is another step in the right direction towards having a modern, more reliable, safe system that will benefit our riders for decades to come,” said NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg. “We’re taking advantage of unprecedented low ridership to make sure this work causes as few disruptions as possible for our customers – but that doesn’t mean this is not a significant inconvenience for some riders – and I want to thank customers for their patience while we work to improve the system for all.”
Since 2016, there have been 46 incidents between Jamaica-Van Wyck and Jamaica Center on the E Line because of track conditions, resulting in 713 delayed trains.
Phase 1 of the project is expected to take six weeks, continuing to the early morning hours of Nov. 2. Phase 2 of the project, which will restore some E train service in the two-station project corridor, is scheduled to begin in early November and last until mid-December.
The MTA is accelerating the project’s timeline by taking advantage of traditionally low late-summer ridership, as well as low airport travel and low general subway ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to minimize the disruption of the work and impact as few riders as possible.
The work will require a temporary suspension of E train service at two stations: Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av, and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer.
Detailed service information
During Phase 1, which begins Sept. 19, the following service changes will be in effect:
- No E train service at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer.
- E trains run between World Trade Center and Jamaica-Van Wyck from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., all days.
- E trains also operate between World Trade Center and 179 St mornings, middays and evenings on weekdays.
The MTA will hold a pair of community meetings, held remotely, in the coming weeks to explain the work being done and to provide in-depth alternative trip planning options to help customers plan their travel for the duration of the project. Details of the community meetings will made available in the coming weeks.
The MTA will post both print and digital signage in stations, along with announcements in stations and on trains ahead of the scheduled work. Customer service notifications will be made on trains, posted at affected stations and posted on the MTA website, the MYmta app and social media.
