[title]
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) just announced that the 7 subway line service will be suspended between the 34th Street-Hudson Yards stop and the Queensboro Plaza one for six full weekends beginning February 4 as crews work to install new elevators at the station in Queens to make it fully accessible.
Closure details are as follows:
- 12:15am on February 4 through 5am on February 6
- 3:45am on February 11 to 10pm on February 12
- 3:45am on March 25 to 10pm on February 26
- 3:45am on March 11 to 10pm on March 12
- 3:45am on March 25 to 10pm on March 26
- 3:45am on April 22 to 10pm on April 23
Although the above-mentioned time frames have been confirmed, the MTA also warned that further disruptions may take place later on this year and then again throughout 2024, when the work is expected to be completed.
To alleviate the burden caused by the closures, the agency is providing free shuttle buses in Queens between the Queensboro Plaza and Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue stations and in Manhattan between the Times Square and 34th Street-Hudson Yards stops.
"The improvements coming to Queensboro Plaza will greatly benefit tens of thousands of riders," NYC Transit president Richard Davey said in an official statement about the news. "Accessibility is such an integral part of mass transit, especially for a city like New York where mass transit is essential for many. When complete, the project will provide critical accessibility upgrades, security updates, and customer experience improvements throughout the station."
Specifically, officials are scheduled to install two new elevators at the Queensboro Plaza subway station (one at the southern entrance of the area and the other one between the mezzanine floor and two elevated platforms) in addition to new boarding areas, lighting and overall upgrades to the station and street stairs in an effort to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The project will cost the MTA an estimated $74 million.
The news follows an announcement regarding service cuts across seven different subway lines starting this summer: the 1, 6, 7, L, E, F and Q.