Beginning Monday, June 19, an extensive list of maintenance, cleaning and repair work will be performed along a portion of the  line, as MTA New York City Transit’s FASTRACK program returns to Upper Manhattan for two weeks.   FASTRACK work will be performed for four consecutive weeknights, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. on June 19-23 and again on June 26-30. 

During those periods,  service will be suspended in both directions between 96 St and Dyckman St, and free shuttle buses will provide alternate service.   train service will operate in two sections, between Van Cortlandt Park-242 St and Dyckman St (Dyckman St-bound  trains will skip 207 St), and between South Ferry and 96 St and via the  between 96 St and 148 St, skipping 145 St.

During this 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 station aesthetics include painting, platform work, and repairs to signage, lighting fixtures and ADA components.   

Wynton Habersham, Senior Vice President for the Department of Subways, said, "FASTRACK has proven to be a significant driver behind decreasing delays – FASTRACK is effective because it allows us to consolidate maintenance forces in a concentrated area and perform proactive maintenance.  Both combine to improve service delivery."

During our previous FASTRACK in March 2016, along this 5.2-mile segment between 96 St and Dyckman St on Broadway in Upper Manhattan, New York City Transit repair and maintenance crews completed several tasks including track, infrastructure and station repairs.  Track workers removed 163,548 pounds of scrap debris, replaced 56 rails, 1,297 track plates, 988 friction pads, and 18 tie blocks.  Infrastructure crews grouted 319 leaks, repaired 157 feet of bench wall, tested and inspected 260 feet of concrete, installed 14 new doors, cleaned 1,420 feet of drains, serviced 12 muck drains, poured 22 feet of concrete, repaired 1,470 feet of ‘no clearance’ signs and replaced 615 tunnel light bulbs. 

At stations, workers installed 56 feet of drain line, serviced one station booth, installed three ‘do not enter’ signs, scraped and primed 16,060 and 8,580 square feet of station surfaces.  Painted 38,190 square feet of station surfaces including 9,100 feet of rubbing board, 10 stairway railings, 16 FDNY standpipes, 22 columns and 6 doors.  They also replaced 398 station light bulbs, five lighting ballasts, 32 ADA tiles, and washed 374 light fixtures.  Repairs were made to 81 ADA tiles, 250 feet of water line, 1,143 feet of rubbing board, and 4 stairway stringers.  Signal crews serviced 36 signals, tested 18 cut sections, serviced eight switches, tested 54 signals, and performed 21 annual inspections and six monthly inspections.  Electronic maintenance was performed on 22 CCTV cameras and 19 monitors.  This represents only a portion of the work that is completed during a typical FASTRACK.    

FASTRACK has 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 selected buses.  Information on this FASTRACK is available on the web at http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/fastrack_1_Line.htm

Travel alternatives:  Take  trains and free shuttle buses

• Transfer between the  to/from the Bronx and the  at Dyckman St via free shuttle buses.
• Transfer between the  to/from South Ferry and the  at 59 St-Columbus Circle.
• For  stations in Washington Heights, Harlem, and the Upper West Side, use nearby  stations along Ft Washington Av, St Nicholas Av, and Central Park West instead, and/or take free shuttle buses available at  stations.
• Transfer between free shuttle buses and trains at Dyckman St  and , 168 St , and 96 St .

Free shuttle buses operate on three routes:

• Along Broadway between the 96 St  and 168 St  stations, making stops at 103 St, Cathedral Pkwy (110 St), 116 St, 125 St, 137 St, 145 St, and 157 St.
• Along St Nicholas Av between the 168 St Aand the 191 St  stations stopping at 181 St.
• Dyckman St loop between  and  stations.

Our next FASTRACK overnight closure will be on the  Lines in Midtown Manhattan and the Bronx for two consecutive weeks from July 10-14 and July 17-21.