Major weekday and weekend service changes are coming to the all-important 7 line throughout May, with many extended into 2027, as part of the MTA’s ongoing overhaul of the Manhattan-Queens line, the transit agency announced on Wednesday.
The most immediate change will occur this weekend and Memorial Day weekend. 7 trains will not run between 74 St-Broadway in Queens and 34 St-Hudson Yards in Manhattan in either direction from 11:30 p.m. on May 8 to 3:30 a.m. on May 11.
Additionally, the 7 will not run between 74 St-Broadway and 34 St-Hudson Yards from 11:30 p.m. on May 22 to 10:30 a.m. on Memorial Day, May 25.
The changes are needed, according to the MTA, in order to complete station renewal work along the line and to shore up flood protection within the Steinway Tube, which carries the train under the East River.
Rush hour service on 7 line impacted
The 7 will skip multiple stops in Queens throughout most of May, including during rush hours, starting on May 11.
From 3:01 a.m. Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 22, Manhattan-bound 7 trains will skip 69 St, 52 St, 46 St-Bliss St, and 33 St-Rawson St in Queens.
For service to and from bypassed stations, the MTA recommends using the nearby 74 St-Broadway, Woodside-61 St or 40 St-Lowery St stations.
For service to skipped stations, the MTA said riders should take the 7 to Woodside-61 St, 40 St-Lowery St or Queensboro Plaza and transfer to a Flushing-bound 7. For service from skipped stations, riders can take the 7 to 40 St-Lowery St, Woodside-61 St or 74 St-Broadway and transfer to a Manhattan-bound train.
All trains at Woodside-61 St will board from the Flushing-bound platform. There will be a temporary platform located at 40 St-Lowery St, transit reps said.
7 train changes through 2027
Commuters should brace themselves for long-term changes on the 7 starting May 25.
From 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 25, through 2027, Flushing-bound 7 trains will skip 52 St and 69 St in Queens as the platforms undergo reconstruction.
Here is what the MTA recommends during this time period:
For service to/from bypassed stations, use nearby 46 St-Bliss St, Woodside-61 St, or 74 St-Broadway stations.
For service to skipped stations, take the 7 train to Woodside-61 St or 74 St-Broadway and transfer to a Manhattan-bound 7
For service from skipped stations, take the 7 to 46 St-Bliss St or Woodside-61 St and transfer to a Flushing-bound 7. All trains at Woodside-61 St will board from the Manhattan-bound platform. There will be temporary platforms located at 33 St-Rawson St, 40 St-Lowery St, and 46 St-Bliss St.
During rush hours, Manhattan-bound 7 express trains will run local from 74 St-Broadway to Queensboro Plaza. Flushing-bound 7 trains will run local from Queensboro Plaza to 61 St-Woodside, skipping 74 St-Broadway.
Delayed over ‘unexpected’ deterioration
This month’s service changes are part of the MTA’s years-long effort to update the train line. The project was supposed to be completed last year. But last year, the MTA said workers discovered severe, unforeseen deterioration of steel supports that hold up the train on parts of the line above Roosevelt Avenue, including at the Woodside station, so the work is not expected to be complete until May 2027.
Construction inside the Woodside-61st St. station in May 2026.Photo by Gerard Lennon
“Our initial plan was straightforward,” Bill Montanile of the MTA’s Stations Business Unit said in 2025. “Replace the track and platform, replace select steel elements, and repair the majority of the existing structure. However, once concrete demolition began, the situation changed dramatically.”
Decay at the Woodside-61st St station is not new. In 2019, QNS, now a sister site of amNewYork, reported on extensive rusting, peeling lead paint and deterioration at the transit hub. The report came on the heels of several incidents in which debris fell off the 7 line and struck vehicles below on Roosevelt Avenue.
Work being done at the 7 train’s Woodside-61st St. station in May 2026.Photo by Gerard Lennon
More information
For more information on planned service changes for the 7, as well as alternate routes, visit the 7 train page at mta.info.