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MTA plans to boost subway service on A and L lines
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 22, 2025
Modified Jun 23, 2025
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Marc A. Hermann / MTA)
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jun 22, 2025
Modified Jun 23, 2025
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The MTA plans to make life better for A and L train riders later this year by adding service to the busy subway lines, according to documents published Friday.
Transit officials want to run an additional round trip train on each of the Lefferts Boulevard and Far Rockaway branches of the A line midday on weekdays. They also aim to add four round trip runs on the L line during the morning rush, which would allow the agency to run 22 trains per hour in each direction on the route from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays.
The L line can currently only handle 20 trains per hour, the agency wrote. Officials can increase capacity on the line after crews upgraded its electrical power systems.
The MTA also plans to shift some weekend trips on the L train from the mornings to the evenings, which could help accommodate late night partygoers in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The changes were sent to the MTA board for review this week, and would go into effect in November.
“At a time when subway service is the best it’s been in a dozen years, this makes it even better," NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow wrote in a statement.
MTA officials said the changes are in response to shifting ridership patterns, which remain affected by the move to hybrid and remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic. The subways now see around 4 million riders per weekday, which is down from the 5.5 million weekday riders the system handled in 2019.
The MTA reported the additional service would cost the agency $600,000 annually.
Tagged
brooklyn
manhattan
new york city
queens
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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