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Late-night commutes for New Yorkers are about to be a bit trickier.
The MTA's latest run of FASTRACK repairs will bring closures to A, B, C and D trains over the next two weeks. On weeknights from July 10 to 14 and July 17 to 21, A trains will not run between 59th and 207th Streets, D train service will shut down between 59th Street and Yankee Stadium, and B and C train service will end early. On those dates, service on the affected stretches will terminate from 10pm until 5am.
The late-night repairs have been on the MTA's schedule for months and come less than two weeks after an A train derailment in Harlem caused an emergency evacuation of hundreds of passengers (which actually restored at least one New Yorker's faith in humanity).
The closures will allow crews to complete debris removal and maintenance on the stretches of tracks, perform work on signaling systems and make other general cosmetic station upgrades.
The MTA is providing free shuttle bus service between the closed stretches in Manhattan and the Bronx, and commuters also have the option of taking the 1, 2, 4 and shuttle trains.
The eight-week "summer of hell" at Penn Station also begins on Monday, which ought to be an even bigger test of patience for commuters traveling in and out of the city. New Yorkers may be able to find a small silver lining in the fact that there won't be another run of FASTRACK repairs until September, when Q trains will close on weeknights over the course of two weeks.
But hey, maybe the construction will make regular train derailments a thing of the past. Though at this point, that's a pretty lofty wish.