F, M changes start Monday: What to know about the subway interruptions lasting until 2024

Straphangers beware: anyone riding the F and M lines between Manhattan and Queens will face some significant service changes through the end of this year and into early 2024.

A major track replacement project will cause significant impacts for daily riders starting Monday, Aug. 28 and last until the first quarter of next year. The MTA has deployed workers in the past week to notify riders at the impacted stations ahead of the upcoming project.

The MTA said the replacement tracks will be along the line between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center in Manhattan and 36 St in Queens. The agency noted that the project will improve reliability, mitigate leaks, prevent future corrosion and deterioration, and extend the life of existing infrastructure.

Crews will remove existing direct-attach tracks and construct new concrete tracks and new direct-attach tracks, install new contact rails, kickboards, brackets and insulators, remove and replace cables, supply and install new signaling equipment, repair flaking concrete and cracks and will seal the leaks. Crews will also install 25,643 feet of new third rail with kicker boards and cables.

Among the major changes, F trains will be rerouted and run on the E line in both directions between Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights. And E service will run less frequently during rush hour.  

M trains will not run during weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. from midtown and Forest Hills, in both directions, and will terminate at 57th Street.

A special shuttle train will stop at Roosevelt Island and connect to Lexington-63rd Street and 21st Street-Queensbridge -- but only every 20 minutes, and not at night. Shuttle buses will serve other commuters at stations affected by construction.

According to the MTA, some 149,000 people on average use this part of the subway system every day.

The following service changes will be in effect through the first quarter of 2024:

CHANGES IN THE F TRAIN

• Beginning Aug. 28, service on the F line will be rerouted to the E line in both directions between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Av.
• Weekday F Line service will be suspended between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr and Forest Hills-71 Av. Service will operate between Middle Village-Metropolitan Av and 57 St/6 Av in Manhattan between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. only.
• The nights between 9:00 pm and 6 am and weekends, the F line will operate its normal service between Metropolitan Av and Essex St or Myrtle Av, and the 57 St/6 Av station will be closed. Due to operational limitations, the service will operate on reduced frequencies.
• Monday through Friday and on weekends, between 5 am and 11:59 pm, the F Line will operate trains between Lexington Av/63 St and 21 St-Queensbridge, and free Q95 buses will operate between the 21 St-Queensbridge stations. and Queens Plaza.
• During the night, between midnight and 5 am, the F train service is suspended and the free Q94 buses will connect the Roosevelt Island, 21 St-Queensbridge and Queens Plaza stations.

The elevator at the Roosevelt Island subway station is currently undergoing emergency repairs. For the first few weeks of the outage until repairs are complete, there will be no ADA service for Roosevelt Island F train customers. Riders requiring the ADA lift can take the Q102 bus to the accessible subway station at Queens Plaza.

CHANGES IN THE M TRAIN

• Monday through Friday, between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., M Line trains will not run between 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center and Forest Hills-71 Av in either direction and will terminate at 57 St. There will be no service on the following stations:
  • 5 Av/53 St 
  • Lexington Av/53 St
  • Court Sq-23 St
  • queens square
  • 36 st
  • Steinway St
  • 46 St
  • Northern Blvd
  • 65 st
  • Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av
  • Elmhurst Ave
  • Grand Av - Newtown
  • Woodhaven Blvd
  • 63 Dr-Rego Park
  • 67 Av
  • Forest Hills-71 Av

• For service to 5 Av/53 St, Lexington Av/53 St and Court Sq-23 St and express service to Jackson Hts-Roosevelt Av and Forest Hills-71 Av, take the E or F train.
• For local service to stations between Queens Plaza and Forest Hills-71 Av, take the R train.
  • The frequency of the R train on weekdays will increase during this service change.
• M Line trains will continue to operate between Delancey St-Essex St and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av in both directions during evenings and weekends, and between Myrtle Av and Middle Village-Metropolitan Av overnight.

MTA crews will make station announcements and post station signs. Outreach to community members and stakeholders will continue throughout the project.

The MTA offers customers a variety of ways to receive information about planned and real-time service changes, as well as 24/7 customer support in multiple languages.

To see the updates go to this website.