Track Work To Disrupt 42nd Street Shuttle Service In January

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Taking advantage of low ridership during the pandemic, the MTA plans to conduct track work on the 42nd Street Shuttle train starting next month, disrupting service on weekdays.

Starting Jan. 4, crews will be reconfiguring the shuttle tracks between the Grand Central and Times Square stations as part of a project to make the shuttle ADA accessible.

The work will entail installing piles and structural steel at the Times Square station, plus mezzanine demolition work at Grand Central. When complete in 2022, the "42 St Connection Project" aims to eliminate bulky columns and large gaps between the platform and track, making the shuttle accessible, less crowded and easier to navigate and board.

The shuttle opened in 1904 as part of the original subway system, the MTA says. In normal times, it serves more than 100,000 riders each day between the two high-traffic stations.

Construction will suspend shuttle service in both directions, but riders will be able to take the 7 train instead — except between midnight and 1 a.m. on weeknights, when neither will run.

Work on the shuttle will run on weekends from 1 a.m. Saturdays to 5 a.m. Mondays, over the following dates: Jan. 9-11, Jan. 16-18, Jan. 23-25, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, Feb. 20-22, Feb. 27-March 1.

Work on weeknights will run from 11:45 p.m. to 1 a.m., Mondays-Thursdays from Jan. 11 to March 19.