Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 19, an extensive amount of maintenance, cleaning and repair work to advance the MTA Subway Action Plan will be performed along segments of the  and  lines, when MTA New York City Transit’s FASTRACK program returns to stations between 161 St-Yankee Stadium and Norwood-205 St in the Bronx for three weeks.

In order to minimize impact on customers and give workers unfettered access to tracks, this work will be performed for three consecutive weeknights from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Feb. 19-22, and for four consecutive weeknights on Feb. 25-Mar. 1, and again on Mar. 4-8.    

The MTA Subway Action Plan is a comprehensive plan to stabilize and modernize the subway system by attacking the key drivers of 79 percent of delay-causing major incidents, strategically targeting additional personnel and equipment to focus on critical parts of the system.  Track and signal components are maintained and repaired, and massive amounts of debris are removed to reduce delay-causing track fires. The Subway Action Plan also focuses on improving communications to help customers plan their trips. 

FASTRACK was introduced in Jan. 2012, devoting four straight weeknights to maintenance work in tunnels, stations and on tracks by suspending service within a given line segment for a seven-hour period between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.  The unfettered track access of FASTRACK enables us to advance Subway Action Plan goals and minimize customer impact by allowing workers to do more in less time, as we continue on an urgent path to stabilizing and modernizing the subway system, and intensive overnight work will help us get there.  During each seven-hour period, an army of maintenance workers will take advantage of train-free access to the tracks to perform dozens of tasks that are vital to providing safe and reliable train service.  These tasks include the repair and replacement of track, third rail, electrical and signal components, debris removal from tracks and under or around the third rail, and the repair of tunnel infrastructure.  Improvements to stations include painting, platform work, and repairs to signage, lighting fixtures and ADA components.

FASTRACK schedules have been designed around the careful determination that there is adequate alternate means of transportation, including enhanced services along some bus lines, during work periods.  Alternative transportation options will be detailed in announcements and posters on trains, in stations and on buses.   

During this FASTRACK operation, trains will operate as follows:

•  service will be suspended in both directions between 161 St-Yankee Stadium and Norwood-205 St.

•  service will end early each night.

•  trains will run between Coney Island-Stillwell Av and 161 St-Yankee Stadium, which will be the last stop.

• Free shuttle buses will provide connecting service between the Mosholu Pkwy  station and the Norwood-205 St  station.

Travel Alternatives:

• For service between 161 St-Yankee Stadium and Bedford Pk Blvd, use nearby  line stations along Jerome Av instead.

• Transfer between  and  trains at 161 St-Yankee Stadium.

• Transfer between  trains and free shuttle buses at Mosholu Pkwy.

The most up-to-date information on MTA service status is always available at http://www.mta.info.  For immediate notice of service changes, sign up for email or text alerts at www.mymtaalerts.com, or use Trip Planner+ to plan your trip accordingly.