The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) W subway line used to connect Queens to Lower Manhattan but has been out of commission since 2010 when it was eliminated by the agency amid major budget cuts.
However, the W line may be revived when the first portion of the Second Avenue subway opens later this year. When the Q train is diverted to serve the Second Avenue line on the Upper East Side, the W line would offer a new service option between Midtown Manhattan and Astoria, Queens.
According to the MTA, the Second Avenue Subway's first phase will serve an existing F train station at Lexington Avenue and 63rd Street, as well as three brand new stations at 72nd, 86th and 96th streets. And when it opens later this yaer, the new four-station route will represent "an unprecedented accomplishment in the MTA's modern existence," the agency said in a statement.
Thomas F. Prendergast, the authority’s chairman, said in a statement that the agency was getting closer each day to “fulfilling a promise first made to New Yorkers in 1929.”
“Opening the Second Avenue subway will provide new options for our customers and relieve congestion on Lexington Avenue 4, 5, 6 trains,” Prendergast said.
