MTA Brings Back the W Train

NEW YORK
File photo of a W train pulling into City Hall station. The W line is returning to the New York City subway system after a six-year hiatus.
File photo of a W train pulling into City Hall station. The W line is returning to the New York City subway system after a six-year hiatus.

The W train is returning to the New York City subway system Monday, after a six-year hiatus, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has announced.

The W train will provide local service between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd. in Queens, and Whitehall St. in Lower Manhattan, Monday to Friday, from approximately 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. A trip from the beginning of the line to the end of the line will take approximately 40 minutes.

The W ran on the same route from 2004-2010, when a financial crisis forced the MTA to cancel the line. To replace the canceled W service in 2010, the MTA expanded N and Q service: The N train became a full-time local train north of Canal St. in Manhattan, and the Q train was extended to Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard on weekdays.

A trip between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd. (highlighted, top) and Whitehall St. (highlighted, bottom) on the W train is expected to take around 40 minutes. (MTA)
A trip between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd. (highlighted, top) and Whitehall St. (highlighted, bottom) on the W train is expected to take around 40 minutes. (MTA)

Now, with the restored W service, service on the N and Q lines will change once again: The N train will now make express stops in Manhattan between Canal St. and Times Sq. on weekdays; and the Q train will make express stops in Manhattan and terminate at 57 St/7 Av. until the Second Avenue Subway line opens. Once the new Second Avenue Subway line opens – expected to be by the end of this year – the Q train will serve the new stations at 72 St, 86 St and 96 St. and at Lexington Av/63 St, where they will provide a cross-platform transfer to the F train.

The MTA also announced that the overnight R shuttle service that currently operates in Brooklyn from 11 p.m.- 6 a.m. will be extended to Lower Manhattan, making all local stops between Whitehall St and Bay Ridge-95 St, seven days a week.

The MTA expects the annual cost for these service changes to be around $13.7 million.

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