According to the MTA’s Planned Service Changes website, the much-awaited end of the F Train shutdown arrives on April 1st, but it won’t go down easy. For the last weekend in March, F Train Shuttles will not run. Only MTA buses and whatever RIOC comes up with will replace the canceled subway services.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
UPDATE: The MTA today confirmed our report of the F Train’s return to regular services on April 1st. Also, they confirmed that there will be no subway service of any kind on the weekend before, March 30th and 31st.
The End of the F Train Shutdown?
As at any other time, the MTA can change plans with little prior notice. Giving riders good warning with options is not its forte, but this looks solid.
Don’t give too much weight to the absence of an official announcement yet. The MTA will want to make a show of it and how the project got done on time. No doubt, plans are in the works but will happen closer to the finish date.
The Planned Service Changes website is official. It reports all changes in standard service, covering every line. In this instance, it does show other work causing changes on the F Line. On one April weekend, F Trains skip past the 14th and 23rd Street Stations.
But there are no disruptions in place for the Lex/63rd, Roosevelt Island and Queensbridge Stations. That’s good news, but there’s a hitch…
Adjusting to One Last Total Shutdown
For the weekend of March 30th and 31st, the MTA website confirms the ongoing shutdown, but something is missing: F Train Shuttles. Only buses are listed as alternatives, meaning the 20-minute shuttles end on Friday, March 29th.
Probably as an assist in doing a final wrap and cleanup, no Roosevelt Island subway service of any kind will be available.
RIOC has been alerted, and Roosevelt Islanders can hope for – but not expect – better assistance than in the past. Peak cherry blossom season approaches and the Tram will be packed with visitors. Without more help from RIOC, that will force isolation on many.
A Different Kind of Bet
For years, Roosevelt Island did not behave like a system constrained by limits. Internally, the budget was often treated less as a boundary and more as a reservoir to be used.
