WINNERS:

Brooklyn - That’s right, the whole borough can claim victory this weekend. Out of all of the subway stations in Brooklyn, three have service changes this weekend. There is no J train service at Cypress Hills, no uptown F service at York St, and additional uptown F service at High St. every other station in the borough is running all trains normally. No adventures on the 2 train. No D and N switching track in South Brooklyn. No L train disruptions. A and C trains run normal on Fulton St. No F train changes in Park Slope. It’s a glorious weekend to live in Brooklyn!

Bronx 4 and D train riders - Sure the Yankees games make the train crowded, but they make riding the trains easier. Once again 4 and D trains are running normal for the whole length of their respective lines to ease access to Yankee stadium.

Midtown - Sure, one doesn’t think of Midtown as being a hard-hit area in terms of subway changes. But as of late, Midtown has been getting more than its fair share of disruptions.  But things are very quiet in Midtown this weekend. The only changes are 2 and 3 trains run local, and the S takes the place of the 7 across 42 St. Other than that, it’s all quiet in the busiest part of New York. So if any of you have to work weekends, you shouldn’t have a problem getting there.

LOSERS:

Woodhaven and Richmond Hill - It’s a tough stretch out in Queens recently. I feel badly for the people who live in Woodhaven and Richmond Hill, some of whom I work with. Many people in this area actually take the outbound J train to Jamaica Center where they get an E train to Midtown. That is an already long commute and to have successive weekends of shuttle bus service must be an enormous inconvenience. The bad news is, it looks as if it will continue again next weekend.

Sunnyside - A remarkably specific screwing for this Queens neighborhood. While the 7 train service disruptions affect many riders, the majority of 7 train riders transfer at 74 St or Queensboro Plaza anyways. But for Sunnyside residents, it is a byzantine system to get into Manhattan. From 33, 40, 46 or 52 Sts, you must take a Flushing-bound 7 train to Woodside. From there you double-back on a Manhattan-bound 7 making express stops. Unfortunately, Queensboro Plaza is the last stop and you must transfer to the N (no extra Q service this time). I hope no one from Sunnyside is going to Grand Central because what would normally be a 10 minute trip will involve four trains and three transfers. Yikes!

Allerton - This unassuming Bronx neighborhood has two changes to deal with this weekend. The primary train through Allerton is the 2, but the Manhattan-bound 2 trains skip Pelham Pkwy and Allerton Ave. Well maybe you decide to head over to the 5 train at Pelham Pkwy. It won’t do much good because the 5 train terminates at 180 St and you’ll have to transfer to the 2 making all local stops in Manhattan. It’s a tough weekend in Allerton.

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WINNERS:

Bronx 4 and D train riders - It is a crystal clear ride either down the West or East Side from the Southwest Bronx this weekend. There are no changes for any of these trains in the Bronx OR Manhattan. There are some scattered changes in Brooklyn for both trains, but there probably aren’t too many people trying to get from Norwood to Borough Park.

7 and L train riders - Both of the Manhattan spur lines are running with no disruptions this weekend. Both trains get lots of attention whenever there are changes to the service so let’s give ‘em some love for being well-behaved this weekend.

F train riders - Boy, if the F keeps going like this, folks in Park Slope might start getting used to regular service. No reroutes or disruptions all the way from Jamaica Heights to Coney Island.

LOSERS:

Woodhaven and Richmond Hill - It’s yet another weekend of no service in any direction in these isolated neighborhoods. This also points out some of the inequalities in the coverage of subway service disruptions. When there are significant eliminations of service on the L or especially the 7 line, news teams swarm to the scene. But where is the press for the good folks of Woodhaven and Richmond Hill who have had to suffer through almost a month of no subway service on the weekends? Remember that next time news outlets are wringing their hands about the fate of people on other lines who must be better at causing a stink.

Borough Park and New Utrecht - The shoe is on the other foot this weekend for these neighborhoods that have benefited from the N train running on the D line in South Brooklyn. Well now the Coney Island-bound D is running on the N line meaning it is a long trip home for residents of Borough Park and, especially, New Utrecht.

The Upper West Side - The UWS is just as much of a mess this weekend as last with an exact duplicate of last weekend’s changes. Uptown 5 trains replace the 2. Uptown 1 trains run express from 72 to 137 St. and downtown 1 trains run express from 72 St to Times Sq. Keep it together and keep muddling through the confusion.

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Happy Puerto Rican Day Parade everyone! And those routes serving the parade route are nice and clear this weekend, though that doesn’t preclude being screwy somewhere else on the line. Let’s get right to the medal winners:

WINNERS:

1. Queens Blvd riders - All quiet on the Queens Blvd front this weekend. The E, F, and R trains are all running on their appointed track with no disruptions on any of those trains all weekend. These trains have been magnets for changes recently too with frequent disruptions to the 63rd St tunnel underneath Roosevelt Island and R train service being rerouted over the Manhattan Bridge. Well for one weekend, all the 3 Queens Blvd trains will be able to enjoy an easy weekend. Now if only we could convince the MTA to run the G up Queens Blvd again……

2. D train riders - It’s a long clear shot on the D train this weekend. Plus D train riders are once again the beneficiaries of the N train’s misfortune. South Brooklyn D train riders can take the N home as the N is making stops along the D between 36 St and Coney Island. Rejoice!

3. Q train riders - The Q has been a pretty consistent line in 2008 with few and minor service disruptions along one of New York’s most picturesque route (especially the section through Flatbush). Once again, there is nothing to worry about along the Q train this weekend.

LOSERS:

1. Upper West Side - The UWS map looks like a spaghetti mishap this weekend. The 1 train is express all the way from City College to Time Square BUT not always in the same direction. The downtown 1 is express from Time Square to 72 St, while the uptown 1 is express from 72 to 137 Sts. Add to that the distraction of the 5 train running uptown on the 2 line and the 3 train running only as far as 14 St and it is a mess on the UWS. About the only piece of good news is that the A train is replacing the C train as the local train this weekend so there will be more local service on Central Park West. Good luck.

2. Lefferts Gardens/East Flatbush - Well it appears that the changes to the 2 train are not going away quietly. While you do at least have normal service in the downtown direction this weekend, going uptown to the West Side will once again require a transfer to the 5 train at Bowling Green. At least you’ve got practice at it.

3. East Bushwick, Woodhaven, and Richmond Hill (Saturday only) - These are major changes that don’t last very long out here in Eastern Brooklyn and Southwest Queens. There is no J train between Cypress Hills and Jamaica again this weekend and no L train between Broadway Jct and Myrtle Ave. The good news for all of these is that on Sunday it will be all clear on both the J and L trains.

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