The MTA will be shutting down entire sections of the subway during night hours this year, according to Transportation Nation.
Starting next Monday, January 9, the 4/5/6 will be shut down in both directions between Times Square and Atlantic Avenue, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. until Friday morning, January 13.
Several other lines will be experiencing similar shut-downs in 2012, as part of MTA's "Fastrack," an initiative that will increase efficiency and safety for transit workers, while simultaneously reducing costs, according to the MTA's website.
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Four sections of subway lines that will be closed for repairs in 2012 are:
- Lexington Avenue 4/5/6 from Grand Central-42nd Street to Atlantic Avenue
- Sixth Avenue B/D/F from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to West 4th Street
- Seventh Avenue 1/2/3 from 34th Street to Atlantic Avenue
- Eight Avenue A/C/E from 59th Street-Columbus Circle to Jay Street-MetroTech
Each of these sections will be shut down in both directions for four consecutive nights between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., four times this year.
Find out what's happening in Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Over the course of the year, this should save the MTA between $10 to $15 million. However, residents of the city that never sleeps will be largely inconvenienced. An estimated 10 - 15 percent of New York's 250,000 weeknight riders will be affected, and although the MTA plans to increase service on nearby routes, there will not be any replacement shuttles.
"There's some good arguments, particularly about worker safety [and] not having trains do movements around repair sites," Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign told Transportation Nation. "But it's a big change for the riding public and for some riders it could mean serious inconvenience."
