FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com october 23, 2014 • The QUEE NS Courier 17 Riders happy to finally get Wi-Fi-enabled subway stations BY ANGY ALTAMIR ANO aaltamirano@queenscourier.com @aaltamirano28 Queens subway riders are now joining Manhattan straphangers THE COURIER/Photo by Angy Altamirano The Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue station is one of 29 Queens subway stations receiving wireless and Wi-Fi service. 7 TRAIN WEEKEND SERVICE SUSPENSIONS CONTINUE THROUGH THE FALL BY CRI STABELLE TUMOLA ctumola@queenscourier.com/@CristabelleT No. 7 train riders will not get any relief as service disruptions drag on this fall. Five planned service suspensions for the line this season between Queensboro Plaza and Times Square-42nd St, which began on Saturday, Oct. 18, will continue on the weekend of October 25-27 with 7 trains suspended between the two stations in both directions from 2:00 a.m. Saturday through 5 a.m. Monday, according to the MTA. During the weekends of November 8-10, November 15-17 and November 22-24, service will be suspended between Times Square-42 St and Queensboro Plaza in both directions from 11:30 p.m. Friday through 5:00 a.m. Monday. The E, F, N, Q and S lines and free shuttle buses will provide alternate service. During the service suspensions, the MTA is advising customers to use the E, F, N or Q trains to travel between Manhattan and Queens. They can transfer between the 7 and E, F and R trains at 74 St-Roosevelt Av. Q service will be extended to and from Astoria- Ditmars Boulevard on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Free shuttle buses will operate between Vernon Boulevard-Jackson Avenue and Queensboro Plaza, making stops at Hunters Point Av, Court Sq and Queens Plaza. In Manhattan, the 42 St S shuttle will also operate throughout the weekend from 12:01 a.m. Saturday night to 6:00 a.m. Monday morning. As another alternate, the Long Island Rail Road will accept displayed MetroCards from customers traveling in both directions between Penn Station and Woodside. The suspensions are just the latest in a number of service disruptions along the same portion of the line that have taken place during the weekend this year and during many in past years, upsetting residents and business owners in the Long Island City area. “The ongoing work on the 7 remains absolutely critical to the line’s reliability, safety and longevity. We understand that these service disruptions are inconvenient to the customers who depend on the 7 train and we appreciate their patience,” said MTA NYC Transit President Carmen Bianco in a statement. “When completed, this work will result in a more reliable subway line with the ability to run more trains and improve performance for growing neighborhoods in Queens.” in staying connected while underground. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the MTA announced the completion of the second phase of expanding wireless and Wi-Fi service to 40 more subway stations throughout the city, 11 in Manhattan and 29 in Queens, adding to the 36 already wired stations in Midtown Manhattan. “Adding and improving wireless service at more subway stations provides a much-anticipated boost to riders’ experience in one of the world’s busiest and oldest subway systems, while offering an added level of security,” Cuomo said. “A more stable network below ground ensures that riders and first responders can seamlessly communicate in event of emergency, which is essential in a system that carries millions of passengers every day.” The 29 Queens stations include Jackson Heights- Roosevelt Avenue, Court Square, Forest Hills-71st Avenue, Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike, Queens Plaza and more. Queens straphangers said they find the service will be both helpful and provide a sense of safety while waiting for the trains underground. “I think it’s awesome because it’ll give people something to do while waiting for the train and for me it’ll help if I need to check up on anything while I head to class,” said 19-year-old college student Nestor Roche, who takes the train daily to school. “It also makes you feel a lot safer knowing that if you need to, you can contact the police or anyone else for help.” Subway rider George Burris said he is happy to see the MTA has finally included the borough in the list of Wi-Fi-enabled stations. “With almost every store having free Wi-Fi of some sort it’s really nice to see the subways here are finally catching up,” Burris said. “I’ll probably check some emails while waiting for the train to show up.” The completion of the first two phases are part of the company Transit Wireless’ sevenphase plan to have all 277 underground stations featuring wireless and Wi-Fi service by 2017. Phase three of the project is expected to bring service to 39 more stations across the city by spring of next year including the Flushing-Main Street station and the new 34th Street stop for the No. 7 train. “It’s good that they are doing this but I just hope it doesn’t make people more distracted on their phones and paying less attention to what’s around them,” said subway rider Yasani Coronel. “But I definitely can’t wait to try it out.” For the full list of wirelessenabled stations visit http:// www.governor.ny.gov/sites/ default/files/images/PHASE_1_ PHASE_2_stations.pdf.
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