Friday, December 4, 2009

No F Train Service To Manhattan From Roosevelt Island This Weekend - Meeting Planned With MTA For Additional Service During Tram Outage

Image of Roosevelt Island Subway Station From Subway Nut

Here we go again.

Be aware that there will be no Manhattan Bound F Train Subway Service from Roosevelt Island beginning 12 AM Saturday until Noon Sunday this weekend. According to the MTA:
F Coney Island-bound trains run on the V from Roosevelt Av to 47-50 Sts Weekend, 12:01 AM Sat to 5 AM Mon, Dec 5 - 7

For service from 21 St-Queensbridge and Roosevelt Island, take the F to Roosevelt Av and transfer to a Coney Island-bound F .
RIOC is not reporting any Roosevelt Island Tram advisories for this time. Be prepared for crowded Trams going into Manhattan.

F train Subway service, or lack thereof, has long been a huge problem for some Roosevelt Island residents and may now start impacting the decisions of those potential new residents as to whether or not to live here. An example is this recent message from a reader:
I'm looking at Roosevelt Island as a possible location to rent. Is the tram outage a serious problem for current potential residents or mostly just a hassle for those who normally use the tram to get to the upper east side as part of their regular commute? I would be taking the F train either way. I spoke to a leasing agent who basically glossed over the problem, but I'm not sure if their view is trustworthy. Some further insight would be much appreciated.
I replied:
The tram is scheduled to go out of service in March 2010 for what is said to be a 6 month time period. The fear of some residents is that it will take longer than 6 months but of course there is no way of knowing. Also, the work replacing the tram has been postponed 2 or 3 times already in the last year.

If the tram does go out of service there is a real concern among some residents that the rush hour commute (7:30 AM - approx 9 AM) from Roosevelt Island to Manhattan will be very overcrowded. At present, there are times during rush hours when Roosevelt Island subway riders have to let one or two trains pass without getting on because of overcrowding from Queens. In June 2008, the Tram was out of service for about 10 days. There were no significant problems reported with F subway service during that time. However, since that time there have been 2 new buildings constructed and the residents from these building will certainly add some additional crowding to the F Train.

In my opinion, whether the additional subway overcrowding caused from the Tram outage is merely a hassle or something more significant depends upon what you are used to. I used to live on the UES and took the 4,5,6 trains at Lex/86th street. Now that was an overcrowded train station. The L at Bedford is overcrowded. For me, the F is not and probably will not be terribly overcrowded during rush hours when the Tram goes out of service. Others may and do feel differently.

Another problem though is that on occasional weekends, there are subway disruptions of F train service in one direction or the other. If that happens during the tram outage, weekend travel from and to Roosevelt Island will be a real pain.
The reader decided to look elsewhere:
Thanks, I've decided to continue hunting. Luckily in this market the options are plenty.

I can see the transit issue on weekends being a pain. If there were more shops on the island it might make for a better situation. That being said, I can see it as a great place to escape the city. Without going too far away.
In regard to Roosevelt Island train service during the Tram outage, it was reported during the December RIRA meeting that a group of local elected representatives, RIOC staff and RIRA members will jointly meet with MTA engineers next week to try and find a way to bring additional subway service to Roosevelt Island during the Tram outage for the 2 hour morning rush hour commute. One proposal is to run 2 Q trains per rush hour (a total of 4) from 21st Queensbridge to Roosevelt Island, 63rd/Lex, 57th Street, etc and then down to 34th street.

Previously similar pleas for Roosevelt Island Q train service have been rejected by the MTA as being not feasable but perhaps this new proposal which limits Roosevelt Island Q train service to a total of 4 trains for the morning rush hour during tram outage will be possible.

If additional trains are not possible, there is always the Roosevelt Island Sling Shot or maybe a zip line over the East River.


You Tube Video Of Zip Line In Labadee

28 comments :

Anonymous said...

This is really ridiculous during last weekend, Thanksgiving weekend and now, the start of the Holiday shopping and sightseeing and trying to get to one's Church Service on time.

I feel like we are are treated like we are in some remote part of the Country-like Wyoming.

Roosevelt Island was assured last year all "Track work" was completed?

I have lived on this island since 1982 and don't know how Most residents will get to the city when the slated long term outage of the Tramway commences on 3/1/10.

We have had F train overcrowding for years now, even before SouthTown was completed.

What is it going to take to have the RIOC, the MTA and Mayor Grinch-Bloomberger pay attention to this really serious Transportation problem.

Let all the NEW residents know this before they buy or sign any new leases.

I wish I was gone already.

Where is RIRA on this?- putting any pressure on RIOC and or our newly elected Residents elected to RIOC.

It will be a mess, it was years and years ago when we were bused to Queensboro Plaza to the Train station there.

Tired and sick of the this never- ending Transportation problem.

The Tramway does not have to be totally done over, it is for mostly marketing to sell to new residents on an already overpopulated, tiny island.

Enough!!!!- JMS_WV

Anonymous said...

Last time the tram was out and we had red bus service to 60th St and 2nd Ave was not a mess at all.

Personally, I don't have a problem with RI's transit situation. There is a reason why we get low market rents despite the awesome views from the apartments, the parks, etc. You cannot have it all. If you want convenience, i.e. flawless transit, shops, etc. move somewhere else and realize that you will pay for that (either in higher rents or longer commutes).

As Roosevelt Islander said above, there are some subway stations in MTA's system that are worse off then the one on Roosevelt Island. If you are able to modify your work hours just slightly (go to work a little earlier or later than the rest of the masses) do that and you'll never have the need to let a subway pass by.

Tram renovation: this is one of the projects that you must take on as soon as somebody offers financing for it. Just imagine the RIOC rejected it, when do you think we would get that opportunity ever again? When the tram falls apart? When the rust puts holes into the tram that you can look through and admire the water below? Be realistic! Every neighborhood needs to be constantly improved and modernized.

Anonymous said...

Hi to the second Commenter, I am the first one. I have lived here for over 27 years.

I remember the last time the Tram was out, after the April, 2006 major Accident. The red bus went to the city then to 60th st. and Second Ave. on rush hours only and there were some problems. Back, then, we didn't have all the new buildings and as many residents as we do now and projected by 3/1/10.

One of the Main reasons our rents are lower, is the fact that this Island was conceived back in the early 70's with the idea going back to the 60's to have "Safe Affordable Housing for Everyone".
Most of the WIRE Buildings were under the Mitchell-Lama, State Rent Program. Now, Eastwood, now known as "Roosevelt Landings is not and is a mess.

Some of the "Market" rents are a bit cheaper, but not much.

We have had major problems with the F train for years, even before the new buildings came to be, when the F train came in.

I got in trouble with my last employer, a large Cancer Center on the Eastside for being a few minutes late during the last outage in the Spring- Summer of 2006- I was running to get to 64th off of Third Ave. from the 63rd St. and Lex. Ave. station, as I could never get on the F train without letting more than 2 pass me by.

I am a native New Yorker, I know all about crowded subway stations in other parts of the city, I am concerned with this one on Roosevelt Island. I have had problems with it going back to way before Winter of 2005, so have many of my other long term friends and residents here.
Currently, I am unemployed and very concerned about this, as other resdents in my Complex are, who commute into the city using the Tramway, etc.

Regarding the Tramway, I know all about it, I first rode it back in 6/82 to come look at our first apt here.

There are arguments on both sides about whether it should be totally taken out of service. I agree that it needs to be serviced, but I don't think to the degree they are planning, all the modernization and the rebuilding of both stations, especially on the City side, to attract new residents to the newer buildings, etc.

There are lots of residents here and some Island groups and our Elected officials who have been concerned about the Transportation problems here for years and leaning on RIOC, the MTA, etc.

JMS-WV

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