Beginning Monday, Feb. 12, an extensive amount of maintenance, cleaning and repair work to advance the MTA Subway Action Plan will be performed along segments of the  lines, when MTA New York City Transit’s FASTRACK program returns to stations between Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av in Queens and World Trade Center in lower Manhattan for two weeks.

In order to minimize impact on customers and give workers unfettered access to tracks, this work will be performed for four consecutive weeknights from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Feb. 12-16 and again on Feb. 20-23.  

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 January 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.  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.

"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,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said.  “We are on an urgent path to stabilizing and modernizing the subway system and intensive overnight work will help us get there.”

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,  service will be suspended in both directions between Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av and World Trade Ctr, and  trains will be suspended in both directions between Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av and 21 St-Queensbridge.   and  service will end early each night.  Trains will operate as follows:    

•  trains run local in Queens between Jamaica Center and Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av. No  service between Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av and World Trade Ctr.
•  service ends early between Forest Hills-71 Av and Essex St.
•  service ends early between Forest Hills-71 Av and Whitehall St.
•  service will operate in two sections between Jamaica-179 St and Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av making local stops, and between 21 St-Queensbridge and Coney Island-Stillwell Av. No  service between Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av and 21 St-Queensbridge.

Travel alternatives: 

• Take the  for service between Manhattan and Queens.
• In Manhattan, transfer at 5 Av 7/42 St-Bryant Pk , Times Sq-42 St /Port Authority , and 34 St-Herald Sq .
• For Eighth Avenue Line stations, take the  local or .
• For 7 Av, take the .
• For Lexington Av-53 St or 5 Av-53 St, use nearby  or  stations instead.  
• Free shuttle buses run between Queensboro Plaza and Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av, stopping at Queens Plaza, 36 St, Steinway St, 46 St, Northern Blvd, and 65 St.
• In Queens, transfer between shuttle buses and trains at Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av  or Queensboro Plaza .
• More information on this FASTRACK can be found here.