The MTA is shaking things up for commuters by swapping two major train lines between Manhattan and Queens, the agency announced on Monday.
Starting this December, commuters will have to learn new stops on the F and M lines, at least during weekdays.
The F and M train service between Manhattan and Queens will be switched to eliminate a merge at Queens Plaza that the agency said has caused delays for Queens Boulevard Line riders.
“We’ve received a lot of customer feedback regarding delays on the F line,” NYC Transit Senior Vice President of Subways Bill Amarosa said on Sept. 29. “Swapping the F and M lines will increase reliability, reduce delays and create a more comfortable ride for everyone.”
How the F and M subway switch will work
The new service pattern between the Queens Boulevard corridor and Manhattan will be in effect weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. During this time, the F will run via the 53rd Street line and Queens Plaza, alongside the E train. It will make stops at Queens Plaza, Court Square, Lexington Avenue-53rd Street and Fifth Avenue-53rd Street.
Meanwhile, the M train will run via the 63rd Street line and Roosevelt Island on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. It will now make stops at 21st Street-Queensbridge, Roosevelt Island, Lexington Avenue-63rd Street and 57th Street.
There will be no changes for late evenings, nights and weekends — periods in which the M train usually runs between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue and either Myrtle Avenue-Broadway or Delancey-Essex Streets. The F train will continue to serve the 21st Street-Queensbridge, Roosevelt Island, Lexington Avenue-63rd Street and 57th Street at these times.
MTA officials said the changes, which are concentrated in an east-west rectangle connecting Queens to Manhattan, are needed to make trains run faster and more reliably.
Service will improve, transit officials said, because the changes reduce the number of trains sharing tracks at points along their routes.
For example, by eliminating the merges at Queens Plaza, any delays to local M or R trains would now be isolated from E and F express service, and vice versa. According to the MTA, approximately 15% to 20% of rush-hour trains are delayed at Queens Plaza.
The swap is the first redesign of the subway network since 2017, when the Second Avenue Subway opened and the Q train was rerouted and extended to serve the new Upper East Side line.
The changes were presented to the MTA board, transit representatives said, and will take effect on Monday, Dec. 8.
