LIC Community Calls For Improved 7 Train Service

Queens Gazette wrote about the rally to improve service on the 7 train.

Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer, Congressmember Carolyn Maloney, state Senator Michael Gianaris and state Assemblymember Catherine Nolan, were joined by local businesses, transit advocates and residents at a rally on April 28 to demand that the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) expedite repairs to address the frequent unreliability of No. 7 train service and the long-term MTA infrastructure problems facing the rapidly growing area of Long Island City.

“All too often, the 7 train has proven unreliable and is seemingly not equipped to meet the increasing demands. The MTA needs to deliver a comprehensive, thorough solution for all riders who rely on the 7 train, or else today’s problem will become tomorrow’s crisis. Sunnyside and Woodside continue to grow and with several thousand more units of housing planned for the growing Long Island City community, we’ll need the 7 train more than ever, and we need it to be a mass transit option people can rely on,” Van Bramer said.

Community members are outraged over unbearable delays, poor service, overcrowding, constant signal problems and the perpetual lack of communication from the MTA to transit riders. Since January alone, there have been 106 disruption notices.

“When last month’s rainstorm knocked out the signal system and other equipment in the Steinway Tunnel, 7 train passengers were left stranded. Heavy rains shouldn’t paralyze an entire train line. The MTA’s engineers should come up with a plan to bring the 7 train into the 21st century, and eliminate the uncertainty from the morning commute,” Maloney said

The community is calling upon the MTA to come up with a comprehensive plan, present it to the community so that everyone is aware of any service changes needed to complete the repairs, and do the work needed to fix the problems once and for all.

“Riding the 7 train has become a never-ending pattern of delays, unreliable service and impossible to hear announcements,” Gianaris said. “Queens residents rely heavily on convenient and safe mass transit options. As necessary track repairs occur, the MTA must work with our community to identify solutions that minimize the disruption for affected riders especially during morning and evening rush hours.”

Read the full article here.