Roosevelt Island New Year's Wish For Residents and Workers, Priority Roosevelt Island Tram Boarding Ahead Of Sightseeing Tourists - No Roosevelt Island F Train Shuttle Next Weekend January 6-7
Very long lines again for the Roosevelt Island Tram Manhattan
and Roosevelt Island stations
Here's the Tram line at Manhattan Station last Wednesday too.
Among the comments on Roosevelt Island Instagram page are:
- That’s nuts! We are not a Disney ride! This needs to be taken off the tour guides books!
- We moved to Westchester County and the commute is faster than from RI. 45 minutes door to door versus the long wait for tram and trains that are consistently delayed.
- This is insane for the residents!!!
- This happens every year new year’s weekend. So ridiculous!!...I’ve counted six maybe seven. You?
- If only it had been 6 times...I wish. If you used the tram everyday to commute or otherwise you would know better. We are just trying to make transportation efficient for residents, students and workers.
- This is an every day thing for years
- 1 Tram for residents 1 tram for tourists
- This is just ridiculous at this point. Someone needs to fired. This is unsustainable.
- Unfortunate that this can’t be managed better… Money is the objective here I suppose…
- There should really be a residential sticker that only allows each cabin to have a certain amount of tourists in, however bc this is technically public transport RIOC says there is nothing that can be done. I still say they should have signs explaining the situation to tourists and dissuading them from taking the tram…
- It’s full on Christmas/New Year tourist season. Take the F shuttle
- they are doing work on that particular subway line and I remember a resident of the island asking people to visit after the repairs are finished which I believe would be in April 2024. I like doing research before I visit somewhere so after seeing that info I didn't visit the island again because that would have been a fun experience for me, but a nightmare to residents who just want to get to and from their home.
- Someone should get the courage to fight for the islanders in regard to the crowded tram, many people are thinking getting out of the Island since it become unbearable to catch the tram. It is stressful to travel by tram thèse days
The Roosevelt Island Twitterverse reports:
Honestly, tourists, what brings you to Roosevelt Island? Our wide open spaces? Our fine dining? Our breathtaking vistas, perhaps? Is it really worth it? All you're doing is making our lives miserable by cramming the tram while our subway service is on the fritz. https://t.co/vx6DUCSoGJ pic.twitter.com/WFShdWdkfp
— Peter Szekely (@peszeke) December 30, 2023
I had to ride over the bridge because the Roosevelt Island tram lines are two hours wait with cops enforcing everyone to wait in line regardless of residency on the island. Those stupid tourists could take the ferry for a better view and ride. pic.twitter.com/LApGwOvoMI
— Dr.EB 🇵🇸 (@LNBel) December 29, 2023
And from 2019:
It was yesterday too. I think @RIOCny should absolutely explore tourist pricing for the tram, just like museums do. Separate lines for non-NYC residents too. Tourists would happily pay at least double. Could use that $ to fund projects for the island.
— Minnehanonck (@minnehanonck) October 13, 2019
Tram overcrowding is going to be even worse next weekend when there will be no MTA Roosevelt Island F train shuttle service. According to RIOC:
Dear Roosevelt Island Community:
The MTA has issued the following alert regarding upcoming changes to the F-Shuttle Train in support of the ongoing 63rd St track replacement project. During the weekend of January 6th and 7th, the MTA will be running special shuttle buses in place of the F-shuttle train, which will be offline for the weekend:
Track reconstruction work will be moving to the Manhattan-bound track starting on Monday, January 8th.
In support of this switchover:
- F shuttle train service will be suspended starting on Saturday 1/6 at 5AM through Monday 1/8 at 5AM.
- Starting at 11:00 PM on Friday 1/5 and for the remainder of the weekend, a free shuttle bus will replace the Q95 and Q94 and will extend to connect Roosevelt Island, 21 St- Queensbridge, and Queens Plaza, following the current Q94 overnight shuttle route.
- This shuttle bus will run during daytime and overnight hours for the duration of the weekend and is scheduled to operate approximately every 5-10 minutes.
Beginning on Monday 1/8, F shuttle train service will resume on the Queens-bound track and will arrive and depart from the lower level of the Lexington Ave/63rd St Station. Q94 and Q95 shuttle service will resume with no changes.
Project completion is still slated for Q1, 2024, subject to change.
Other Methods of Travel
In addition to the MTA’s free shuttle bus, island residents may utilize the following methods of off-island transportation during the January 6/7 weekend:
- Red Bus: RIOC runs a weekly Red Bus Shuttle to Manhattan every Saturday and Sunday from 3:00pm – 7:30pm. The shuttle leaves from the Tram Station at the top of every hour and picks up returning riders from the Southwest side of 2nd Avenue, between 58th Street and 59th Street, on the half hour.
- Tram: RIOC is running the Tram on a rush hour schedule every Saturday and Sunday from 7:00am – 10:00pm during the ongoing MTA trackwork.
- NYC Ferry: The NYC Ferry Astoria line serves Roosevelt Island and can provide off-island transportation to Queens and Manhattan. You can check its schedule here.
- Q102 Bus: Travelers can also utilize the Q102 Bus to Astoria for off-island travel. You can view its schedule here.
Please be advised that we expect longer than average wait times for the Roosevelt Island Tram while this track change takes place, so please plan your travel accordingly. Extra PSD officers will be stationed at both the Roosevelt Island and Manhattan Tram stations all weekend to help ensure an orderly travel experience for passengers.
Thank you.
-Team RIOC
Will RIOC allow Roosevelt Island residents and workers priority boarding before tourists next weekend when there is no F Train shuttle? It could be as simple as allowing Metro Card holders priority boarding, as was done earlier this year, since most tourists are using the OMNY payment system.
UPDATE 11 PM: According to the Roosevelt Island resident who took the video at the Manhattan Tram station today:
So RIOC is apparently afraid of a lawsuit for using public tram as a "private" transportation for the island residents. They are not afraid of a lawsuit for using the same tram as their own private transport.While standing in line for 25 minutes you may notice that residents are a tiny minority and that PSD officers conveniently "forget" about fairness when one of RIOC employees bypasses the line to get to the island. In the tram tourists are glued to the windows to take pictures, and inside the tram it's empty (the space for the residents).
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