Tens of thousands of Queens riders got relief from rush-hour misery on Tuesday when subway service returned to normal, following weeks of repair work.
Since August 17, the MTA had slashed rush-hour service on the Queens Boulevard subway lines and slowed down trains in work zones. The E, F, M, and R lines were affected in both directions. The route is the second busiest in the subway system, following the Lexington Avenue Line in eastern Manhattan.
The upgrade will help prevent rail breaks and make the track bed sturdier.Workers replaced almost 480 feet of express track, and installed more than 500 fasteners and plates to cut down on noisy train vibrations that wear down the track. They also installed almost 400 tie blocks to keep the tracks in relief.
The MTA also said it finished work on the 6 line in lower Manhattan, which caused its trains to move slowly through work zones near Canal Street for weeks. Workers installed new track, as well as fasteners and plates.
“The number of trains traveling along these busy stretches of our subway network will return to normal levels,” said Joseph Leader, a senior vice-president at New York City Transit, in a statement.
“We truly thank our customers for their patience while our in-house forces performed this vital work which will help improve service delivery and reliability.”
