Welcome back New York. Just a reminder that this Sunday is Manhattan-henge. Which, for those unawares, is when the setting sun lines up with the Manhattan street grid. So head on out to Roosevelt Island, or Tudor City and check it out. However, getting back from Roosevelt Island may prove difficult given that the F is running on the E going into Manhattan. That and many other problems are presented to riders this weekend. Although truthfully, most line are running near normal this weekend except for the ol’ F line. At any rate, enjoy the sunset. And Happy Tracks New York!

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FRIDAY UPDATE: These are on the map: Manhattan-bound J trains run express between Myrtle and Marcy Aves from 8 to 5 Saturday and Sunday. Also G trains run every 20 minutes, but is this really a change? Three G trains an hour sounds about right.

Welcome back New York! Happy Memorial Day to everyone. And with the arrival of a three-day weekend, there is three days of service changes. First things first, on Memorial Day trains run on a Sunday schedule so don’t try to take the B train or anything like that. Second, most changes do not apply to Memorial Day proper but here is the list of those that do:

All A and C train changes

Uptown D trains stop at 23rd and 14th Sts.

All E and F train changes

R trains extended to 179th St.

That is all of them. Everything else is a normal weekend schedule on Monday. Have a great weekend and Happy Tracks New York!

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SATURDAY UPDATE: I don’t have time to change it on the map but be aware that some Coney Island-bound N trains terminate at Kings Hwy. Be on the lookout for local F trains going to Jamaica. Have a good weekend!

Welcome back New York. Holy smokes is this weekend ever a mess. There’s a lot of major changes with Queens and Brooklyn bearing the brunt of most of the changes. The Queens Blvd line in particular is a major mess this weekend, and I have to admit that there are a few things I am unsure about on Queens Blvd. For one, according to the MTA, Queens-bound F trains run on the V line to Roosevelt Ave. Does this mean that they actually run local between Queens Plaza and Jackson Heights? I could see why they might, R trains are only running Jamaica-bound on that section so a local F would provide a quicker way for those stations to get to Roosevelt an double back. However, this has not been how similar changes have worked in the past. Usually the F just scoots along 53rd St and takes the express track at Queens Plaza just like the E. The other question involves Saturday F trains going express Manhattan-bound between 179th St and Union Turnpike. This would make sense except that the R is running to 179th St. as well. The notice explicitly says that R trains run local in this section, but why? Why would you bypass a section with one train but not another. There’s no possibility for repair. But, in this case I have followed the letter of the notice and indicated that only the F is going express (this change applies to Saturday only). If anyone knows the answer to these Queens Blvd conundrums, send me an email. Thanks, and Happy Tracks New York.

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SATURDAY UPDATE: No 5 trains between E 180 and Grand Concourse, N trains are local in Brooklyn, and because of the E train service alteration, there will be G trains on Queens Blvd. Have a good weekend.

Welcome Back New York! Well, we finally have it. A bailout package was passed by Albany that would enable the MTA to reduce the strain of an increase on New Yorkers. It will mean that there is an $8 increase in the price of a monthly ride and a $0.25 increase in the price of a single ride. There will be no tolls, but steep fees for registering a vehicle and for a driver’s license. Plus yellow cab rides will now cost %0.50 more. It remains to be seen how the yellow cab surcharge will be collected. While the plan is not perfect, straphangers can breather a sigh of relief that the doomsday fare hikes and service cuts have been avoided. Now get ready for next year’s deficit, because this isn’t going away anytime soon. As for the weekend, Midtown is a bit of a mess with E trains running on the F and 1 trains terminating at 14th St. But, the C train makes its triumphant return! Happy Tracks New York!

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Welcome back New York. I have to admit, it gets depressing writing about the lack of any movement on the bailout front every week. Every week a politician stands up to say they have a brilliant idea, and every week a different one says there is no way they could vote for such a heinous idea. And now comes the news that the MTA will have an even larger deficit next year and that more cuts and service changes will be necessary. Elliot Sander has even publicly broached the idea of cutting all late night service. It would be a drastic measure. On the other hand, it seems that Sander is slowly winning the publicity war with what seems to be honest pleas for aid and honest assessments of what has to be done. Let’s hope public opinion becomes strong enough to sway our legislators. This week is very similar to last week, especially the mess in South Brooklyn. Be safe out there, and Happy Tracks New York!

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