MTA announces weekend service enhancements for 1 & 6 lines
NEW YORK -- The MTA on Wednesday announced another round of subway service enhancements intended to speed up some weekend service.
On a single weekend day, the 1 train carries about 285,000 people, while the 6 train carries around 270,000.
"It's too crowded. Sometimes there is not even a place to sit down," one rider said.
"I noticed that the subways have been very slow. It's a pain to get to and from places," one man said.
"On the weekends, it gets a little dicey," another rider said.
But that's about to improve. According to transit officials, if you ride the 1 or the 6 on Saturdays or Sundays, your trip will be speedier starting this weekend.
"Instead of coming every eight minutes, trains are scheduled now to come every six minutes. It might not seem like much, but when you're standing on a hot platform, those minutes really add up," MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.
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"More trains more often, I think is a good thing," one man said.
"I like them, yes, to be more often," another rider said.
MTA officials say weekend ridership has outpaced weekday ridership when it comes to post-pandemic recovery.
"Routinely on the weekends, you have 80 and sometimes 90 percent of pre-COVID ridership on the MTA ... Weekdays tend to linger around 70," Lieber said.
The MTA says they're focused on enhancing service where recovery rates are the highest. Wednesday's announcement is the second phase of a subway enhancement plan.
Phase One rolled out in July. It added more service to the G, J and M lines. More midday service was also added on the C.
"More trains, the better, absolutely, so public transit is important. So I think the only thing they could add to that is maybe keeping it affordable," one rider said.
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But the rates are going up. The MTA board voted in July to increase fares. On Aug. 20, the price of a subway ride jumps 15 cents from $2.75 to $2.90.
The state budget earmarked $35 million for subway improvements. More lines will see enhancements in the coming months.