MTA New York City Transit reminds customers that beginning Monday, November 7, W trains will operate weekdays between Astoria-Ditmars Blvd and Whitehall St, making all local stops in Queens and along the Broadway line in Manhattan.

The W line replaces  service in Astoria and provides local service to the Broadway line in Manhattan.  The  line will serve the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway when the new subway line opens.

To accommodate the addition of the W line,  trains make express stops in Manhattan between Times Sq-42 St and Canal St on weekdays during peak hours, midday and evenings.   trains make express stops in Manhattan and terminate at 57 St/7 Av until Second Avenue Subway opens.

W trains will operate Monday to Friday from approximately 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the first scheduled southbound trip of the day leaving Astoria-Ditmars Blvd at 6:53 a.m. and arriving at Whitehall St at 7:33 a.m. The first scheduled northbound trip leaves Whitehall St at 7:06 a.m. and arrives at Astoria-Ditmars Blvd at 7:45 a.m.

Customers using the Broadway line in Manhattan will benefit from the addition of W trains providing local service and  trains providing additional express service. Customers in Brooklyn going to and from Manhattan will also see a boost in service with three W trains that enter service from the Coney Island Yard.  They provide extra service via the Sea Beach line and 4th Avenue local and through the Montague Street Tunnel.  Two of these three W trainsets return to Brooklyn at the end of the morning rush hour and the third provides additional service to Brooklyn in the evening.

Once Second Avenue Subway service begins,  trains will serve the new stations at 96 St, 86 St and 72 St, and at Lexington Av/63 St, where they will provide a cross-platform transfer to the  line. The Second Avenue Subway is expected to alleviate existing crowding conditions on the nearby Lexington Avenue Line, providing relief to  customers who will benefit from an additional subway line to midtown and Lower Manhattan.

The cost for these service changes is approximately $13.7 million annually, which has been incorporated into NYC Transit’s approved budget.

Summary of service enhancements:

• W Line: New weekday service making all local stops from Astoria-Ditmars Blvd to Whitehall St via the Broadway Line. No service on weekends or late night.
•  Line: Northern terminus temporarily changed to 57 St/7 Ave until the Second Avenue Subway opens. When Second Avenue Subway begins service, trains will operate from 96 St in Manhattan to Coney Island-Stillwell Av in Brooklyn, stopping at: 86 St, 72 St, Lexington Av/63 St, 57 St/7 Av and all express stops on the Broadway Line in Manhattan. During late nights, the  will run local between Brooklyn and Manhattan via the Manhattan Bridge. Service in Brooklyn remains the same.
•  Line: Service in Queens and Brooklyn remains the same, but trains operate express between Times Sq-42 St and Canal St on weekdays during peak hours, midday and evenings.  trains continue to stop at 49 St at all times.
•  Line: The overnight R shuttle service that currently operates in Brooklyn between approximately 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. is extended to Lower Manhattan, making all local stops between Whitehall St and Bay Ridge-95 St, seven days a week. Customers traveling to and from Bay Ridge will be able to transfer between the  and other services at Whitehall St ( and ), Jay St-MetroTech ( and ), DeKalb Av (, and ), and Atlantic Av-Barclays Center (, and ).