Replacement and Installation of Almost 2.5 Miles of Track at End of and Subway Lines Begins Friday Night, July 1
24/7 Closure on the and Lines Between 121 St and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer
Normal Line Service at Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today issued a reminder that crews will begin the final segment of a multi-phase project, replacing approximately 2.4 miles of track on the and lines between the 121 St and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer stations in Queens. The first part, completed in December 2020, involved the reconstruction of the track between Jamaica-Van Wyck and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and replaced 6,300 feet of track, 800 feet more than was originally planned in 10 weeks. The work on the and lines will replace 12,500 feet of track and third rail, about twice the length of track replaced for the E track reconstruction work, all within the same timeframe of 10 weeks. This work will begin Friday, July 1 at 9:45 p.m. and continue through September 2022.
The reminder follows additional customer and community outreach in recent weeks following the initial announcement on June 3. The start date and service changes have been communicated to customers, elected officials, and other community members.
The complete replacement of the 40-year-old-track, with a successfully proven updated design to increase durability, will lead to improved quality of service. It will require full access to the tracks and therefore a temporary suspension of all and train service at the Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer stations.
During this time, the MTA will provide free substitute shuttle bus service between the 121 St station and the Jamaica-Van Wyck station. MetroCards will be cross honored at Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations between Atlantic Terminal, Jamaica, and eastern Queens. The Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer stations have multiple connecting bus lines and are served by the line.
“Track replacement work in this area of Queens will bring us closer to our goal – delivering New Yorkers the modern subway system that they deserve,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “We appreciate our customers’ patience as we make the upgrades necessary to improve the reliability and speed of service.”
“Improving the customer experience is the north star,” said New York City Transit President Richard Davey. “The fastest and most effective way to complete this project requires 24/7 access to the tracks. This short-term service change will provide more reliable service for years to come.”
“Track replacement work creates a temporary inconvenience for a lasting purpose: improved quality service,” said State Senator Leroy Comrie. “As the MTA undertakes the final phase of this initiative, let’s keep in mind the long-term benefits to transit users and share the transport alternatives during the replacement work with our families, friends, and neighbors.”
“With Southeast Queens being a transportation desert, I am pleased to see the progress being made by the MTA on this project to ensure our community has upgraded rail lines. This would enable the MTA to provide reliable and efficient service to our community,” said Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman.
“These upgrades ensure most of Southeast Queens's most vital subway lines are modernized for the next generation," said NYC Council Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. "The Lower Archer Direct Fixation Track project will reconstruct portions of our city's aging infrastructure to replace 12,500 feet of the , , and subway tracks to reinforce their durability. The culmination of these projects offers Southeast Queens residents reliable, accessible and safe access to New York City's larger transit network.”
This replacement of direct fixation track requires a full temporary suspension of service to accommodate the work. Unlike conventional tracks, which are most common in the subway and easier to replace in shorter time periods during low ridership, direct fixation track requires the concrete roadbed to be entirely reconstructed. This project will replace 12,500 feet of direct fixation track, with the exception of 3,000 feet, which would be replaced in kind. Once this final phase of track replacement is complete, the total amount of track replaced in this area of Queens will be 18,800 feet, about 3.6 miles.
Detailed Service Information
Beginning Friday, July 1, the following service changes will be in effect:
- trains will run between 121 St in Queens and Broad St in Manhattan only
- No service from Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer
- skip-stop service suspended
- trains will be signed as trains and make all stops between 121 St and Myrtle Av
On weekdays, trains will run express in peak direction between Myrtle Av and Marcy Av, towards Manhattan in the morning and towards Queens in the afternoon.
For ADA accessible options, passengers at Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av-JFK Airport and Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer can take the train to reach accessible stations in Manhattan. To reach accessible and stations at Flushing Av and Marcy Av, connect to or trains via the and lines at Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall/Chambers St, via the and lines at Fulton St, or via the line at Queens Plaza.
Additionally, customers needing accessible options can take the Long Island Rail Road from Jamaica Station to Atlantic Terminal, with connections to the subway lines, to reach accessible stations in Manhattan, or the Q54 to Middle Village-Metropolitan Av ( ) or Marcy Av ( ).
Customers may wish to consider the alternative service options:
- Free shuttle buses will run between the 121 St station and the Jamaica-Van Wyck station
- subway service will continue to be available at Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer and Sutphin Blvd/Archer Av-JFK Airport
Alternative connections to the AirTrain to John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport:
- Take the line to Sutphin Blvd-Archer Av–JFK Airport
- Take the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Jamaica Station
- Take the train to Howard Beach – JFK Airport
LIRR will cross-honor MetroCards between Atlantic Terminal and eastern Queens at the following LIRR stations:
- Atlantic Terminal (ADA accessible)
- Nostrand Av (ADA accessible)
- East New York
- Jamaica Station, with connection to the JFK AirTrain (ADA accessible)
- Hollis
- Queens Village (ADA accessible)
- St. Albans
- Locust Manor
- Laurelton
- Rosedale (ADA accessible)
Please be advised MetroCards will not be cross honored for travel at Penn Station, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Forest Hills or Woodside LIRR stations.
Information on service changes and other trip planning resources are available on the project’s webpage at Reconstructing the Archer Av J/Z track (mta.info), which is updated as necessary. In addition to digital signage in stations and announcements on trains ahead of the scheduled work, customer service notifications are posted on the MTA website, under Planned Service Changes. Customers can also sign up for text and email alerts at www.myMTAalerts.com.