NYCT news release, 10/20:
FASTRACK Returns to the F Line in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn
No F Service between B'way-Lafayette St and York St
An extensive list of maintenance, cleaning and repair work will be performed along the F Subway Line between Greenwich Village in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. Beginning Monday, October 24, MTA New York City Transit’s FASTRACK program begins the first week of a two-week effort.
FASTRACK work will be performed for four consecutive weeknights, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. for two consecutive weeks on October 24-28 and October 31-November 4. During that time, F Subway trains will be rerouted via the A Subway line in both directions between W 4 St-Wash Sq and Jay St-MetroTech. Free shuttle buses and D SubwayJ Subway trains will provide alternate service.
In Manhattan, free shuttle buses will operate between B’way-Lafayette St and East Broadway making station stops at 2 Av and Delancey St. Use free shuttle buses to connect with D Subway service at B’way-Lafayette St. Transfer between D Subway and F Subway trains at W 4 St. For service to/from Delancey St/Essex St, use the J Subway with transfers to/from the F Subway at Fulton St.
In Brooklyn, free shuttle buses will operate between York St and Jay St-MetroTech, where F Subway service is available. Transfer between free shuttle buses and trains at Jay St-MetroTech. A transfer is also available between D Subway and F Subway trains at 4 Av-9 St. Beginning at 10:30 p.m. D Subway trains will run local in Brooklyn. York St customers may also use the High St A Subway station, where F Subway service is available.
FASTRACK has been designed around the careful determination that there is adequate alternate means of transportation, including enhanced services along some bus lines during work periods. Alternative transportation options will be detailed in announcements and posters on trains, in stations and on selected buses; brochures will be available in both English and Spanish. Information on this FASTRACK is available on the web at: http://web.mta.info/.../fastrack_F.htm
Wynton Habersham, Senior Vice President for the Department of Subways said "FASTRACK has proven to have a significant impact on decreasing delays both in terms of consolidating maintenance forces in a concentrated area and in terms of proactive maintenance that improves service delivery.”
During a previous FASTRACK in November 2014, New York City Transit repair and maintenance crews completed a vast array of tasks along this 3.3-mile long, five-station section of the F Subway Line between W 4 St and Jay St-MetroTech. Track workers scraped and cleaned 17,915 feet of track, installed five track rails, 623 track plates, six tie blocks, 946 friction pads, and cleaned 900 feet of track under and around the third rail. Infrastructure crews replaced 15 ADA tiles, cleaned 1,000 feet of "No Clearance" signs, removed 800 gallons of silt, cleaned five muck drains, changed 99 tunnel light bulbs, replaced 10 handrails and repaired 40 feet of handrail. At stations, workers scraped 9,064 square feet of paintable station surfaces painted 11,126 square feet of station surfaces, including 188 columns and two doors. Station lighting improvements included replacing three fluorescent light fixture ballasts and 16 light bulbs. Signal crews tested 16 signals and serviced six others. They also tested 12 switches and performed inspections, and completed multiple work orders for testing, servicing, and replacement of other switch and signal components. This only represents a portion of the work that is completed during FASTRACK.
FASTRACK was introduced in January 2012, devoting four straight weeknights to perform maintenance work in tunnels, stations and on tracks, completely suspending service within a given line segment for a seven-hour period between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.. This gives free access to the system, allowing an army of maintenance workers to perform dozens of tasks repairing and replacing components that are vital to providing safe and reliable train service without the concern of having to "clear up" to allow trains to pass. FASTRACK efforts have been highly successful in providing a safer work environment for employees and improved station conditions for customers.
