FASTRACK Returns to the 1 Line in Upper Manhattan

Beginning on March 28, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit's (NYCT) FASTRACK program returned to the 1 line in Upper Manhattan for two weeks. For four consecutive weeknights from until early April 1, and for four weeknights from April 4 to April 8, 1 service will be suspended between 96 St and Dyckman St from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

“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,” said Wynton Habersham, senior vice president for the Department of Subways.

During a previous FASTRACK in March 2014, along this 5.2-mile segment between 96 St and Dyckman St on the Broadway Line in Upper Manhattan, NYCT repair and maintenance crews completed many tasks including track, infrastructure and station repairs. Track workers removed 96,900 pounds of scrap debris, scraped 18,945 feet of track, installed nine rails, 817 plates, 118 friction pads and 68 tie blocks. They also inspected 7,700 feet of third rail and cleaned 8,500 feet of track under and around the third rail. Infrastructure crews repaired/replaced 100 feet of “No Clearance” signs, repaired 45 leaks, cleaned 1,350 feet of drain line, replaced 60 square feet of sidewalk grating and replaced 881 light bulbs. At subway stations, workers scraped 19,725 square feet of station wall, painted 20,150 square feet, repaired 245 feet of rubbing board at the platform’s edge and replaced 10 platform signs. Station lighting improvements consisted of replacing five fluorescent light-fixture ballasts and 325 light bulbs. Signal crews serviced 12 switches, six signals, while other maintenance crews completed several work orders for preventive maintenance of elevators and escalators.

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., allowing an army of maintenance workers to perform dozens of tasks. The next FASTRACK overnight closure will be on the 2 and 3 Line between Upper Manhattan and the Bronx for two consecutive weeks from April 11 to April 15 and April 25 to April 29.