Service cuts come with shorter M train, less frequent G service

Get ready for the M dash.

For Queens riders, the new M train hitting the system Monday will be two cars shorter than the old V route, meaning that straphangers could find themselves running 120 feet to catch the shorter train.

“It’s going to cause more congestion,” said Sally Skinner, 40, a V train rider from Cambria Heights.

The M train — which will replace the V route in Manhattan and Queens but still run to Middle Village — will seat 300 fewer passengers than the V during rush hour, but will still fall within agency guidelines.

The V and W trains are to make their final runs Friday night and are part of the cost-cutting measures the MTA is taking to bridge an $800 million budget shortfall. In addition, 37 bus routes will be eliminated come Sunday.

“Riders are in for a shock,” said Gene Russianoff, of the Straphangers Campaign.
As part of the service cuts not detailed before, the new G train terminating at Court Square will have more frequent service between 9 and 11:30 p.m., though it will have seven fewer runs between 3 and 8 p.m.

“I don’t understand the rationale,” said Shoeb Kabir, 43, a G rider from Greenpoint.

Katherine Lieb contributed to this story

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Some major service changes starting Sunday:
- The W will be replaced with the Q in Queens, and the N will run local for most of its Manhattan route.
- The M will run from Middle Village to Forest Hills along the old V route in Manhattan and Queens.
- Crosstown buses like the M8 and M50 won’t run weekends.
- The B39 and B51 that travel the Williamsburg and Manhattan bridges will be cut.
See mta.info for a list of all subway and bus cuts.