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Fear and loathing in the subways: F and M train riders stressed over route changes
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Dec 8, 2025
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Stephen Nessen
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Dec 8, 2025
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A big change to the city’s subway map went into effect on Monday, leaving many riders uneasy about their commutes.
The F and M lines have traded East River tunnels between Manhattan and Queens, which affects travel at eight stations. It’s a relatively minor alteration to New York City’s sprawling subway system, but it’s one the MTA says will unclog a train bottleneck that strains service on not just the F and M lines, but also the E and the R.
But while transit officials see the switch as a major improvement for straphangers, Roosevelt Island resident Paul Krikler said he feared it would cause mass confusion among his neighbors.
The island will now be served by the M instead of the F line most of the week. But overnights and on weekends, the MTA says, the lines will revert back to the old route map — meaning riders like Krikler will need to check their watches if they’re heading home late.
“I hope this change does bring us a much-needed improvement to our subway service on the island,” Krikler told Gothamsit. “Personally, I am concerned that a lot of people are going to end up in the wrong place at nighttime because this service switches back to the F train nights and weekends."
Riders on the F and M lines need to get used to a new East River tunnel.
Courtesy MTA
Some riders were dismayed that the MTA would force them to switch trains.
“ This s--- is crazy,” Harlem resident Patricia Mattocks, 57, said when a reporter broke the news about the F and M train switcheroo.
Mattocks frequently visits her 82-year old father, who lives at the Queensbridge Houses. Residents there are served by the F line, but will be forced onto the M, a train Mattocks loathes.
“ The M sucks. It sucks, period,” she said. “I would never take that train.”
MTA data suggests Mattock’s concern might be unfounded. The F train is one of the city’s least-reliable subway lines, with nearly a quarter of weekday trains on the line reporting delays in October. Just over 15% of weekday trains were delayed on the M line the same month, according to the MTA.
Still, transit officials argued service on both lines would improve as a result of the change. The previous alignment required E, F, M and R trains to crisscross at Queens Plaza. When one line was delayed, it would reverberate across all four, hammering commutes for tens of thousands of riders.
“ There are real benefits. … Folks in Roosevelt Island are going to get less crowded trains, whichever direction they head into,” MTA Chair Janno Lieber said during a news conference last week. “The F train coming from Eastern Queens is really, really crowded in the morning. So you have more chance of getting a seat.”
Some riders who aren’t even troubled by the change have other reasons to be concerned: The MTA earlier this year updated its subway map with a new design, replacing all its signs in the system. Now, they’re inaccurate.
“ I actually just recently framed a map of the transit system in my house,” lamented Long Island City resident Clay Wollner, 37. “Now I have to reprint that.”
Tagged
manhattan
new york city
queens
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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