Changes Coming To UES Subway's Rush Hour Service, MTA Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Lexington Avenue express trains are getting a new weekday rush-hour schedule early next week, the Metropolitan Transit Authority said.

The 4 and 5 trains, which stop at East 59th Street and East 86th Street on the Upper East Side, will shift some of their trips to earlier or later during morning and evening rush hours, to better align with commuting patterns, according to the MTA. The first day of the new schedule will be on Monday, May 18.

The change aims to curb trains from getting into traffic jams, which can lead to delays across the city's system, MTA officials said.

The trips that have not been moved earlier or later will be realigned to service peak rush hour times, the MTA officials said.

Here's what's changing:

On the northbound 4 train, the system is adding an extra journey at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., and a 10 a.m. journey is getting cut. On the southbound 4 train, one trip is moving from 8 a.m. to 5 a.m., and one 9 a.m. journey is being cut. Overall, the 4 train is losing one journey.

On the northbound 5 train, two extra trips will be made at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., and 6 p.m., while one run will be removed at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m.

On the southbound 5 train, one trip from both 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. will be moved to a 6 a.m. trip.

Similar changes are also coming to the 2 and 3 trains.

"These changes enhance service by reducing potential delays which improves reliability for 1.2 million daily riders across all four lines," the MTA wrote. "Service adjustments are in response to feedback from customers and are part of New York City Transit’s ongoing efforts to utilize detailed ridership and operational data analysis to reduce delays, increase reliability and improve performance. "

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