New York Subway and Bus Cuts - The Impact on Bay Ridge

Brooklyn bound M train at Broad Street, 630 pm one day last week.

On midnight, Friday June 25, a number of changes will take place in NYC bus and subway service. Some routes will be eliminated, others will be altered, some will see frequency of service reduced.

But how will this impact Bay Ridge?

Lets look at the subways first. And to properly look at this, we need to look at the M train and the W, which don't serve Bay Ridge.

I believe that the changes will be as follows:

• the W train, which runs from Astoria to Whitehall Street, will be eliminated.
  
• the M train, which during morning and evening rush hours went from the Fulton St / Wall Street area to 36th Street ( and then on to Bay Parkway ) will be completely rerouted and will no longer come anywhere near Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, or Bensonhurst.
  
• The N train won't run as an express train in Manhattan anymore. It will run over the Manhattan Bridge, but will then run local from Canal Street and midtown
  
• R train service will not be directly affected. They will run as frequently as before

The W train wasn't heavily used, and at times, the W trains would bunch up approaching Whitehall Street, causing delays for us R train riders. But it did take some passengers who otherwise would take the R train. Without the W, the R train will be more crowded in Manhattan.

The M train has never made sense in this part of Brooklyn. It had a very low ridership - the one line on the subway system where you could always get a seat on rush hour. I take it a lot, and would refer to it as my " private limo " - more than once, it I've taken the last M train to Brooklyn at around 704pm, I'd be the only passenger in the car. I will miss my private limo, but it makes sense to get rid of the M train to this part of Brooklyn.

The loss of the N express in Manhattan is really bad. Since the Sea Beach line was fully restored some years back, it's been one of the best lines in the city, a great service for Bay Ridge and Sunset Park riders. Now that its not an express in the city, we've lost something.

The R train? Well, lets just say the Fourth Avenue Local will be more crowded during peak hours. Especially as of Whitehall Street going into work, when the Staten Island commuters get on board. There will be no more W train to take the pressure off.

These changes have not been fully explained by the MTA. There are posters in the subway stations explaining some aspects of the changes - you should check them out. If I've made any errors above, please set me straight.

Tomorrow- how the Third Avenue bus and other bus changes will affect Bay Ridge.