The MTA is running enhanced service along multiple subway lines for July 4th this Saturday, while celebrating the country’s 250th birthday this year with American flag wraps on some of its trains and buses. At the same time, it is advising riders to be aware of service changes over the holiday weekend.
The transit agency is boosting service across the A, C, F, 3, 4, and 6 lines during the late afternoon and early evening on Saturday to make it easier for revelers headed to the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks display on the East River to get to the viewing areas along the FDR Drive and inside of Brooklyn Bridge Park. There will also be a fireworks display along the Hudson River, with viewing areas on the New Jersey side of the waterway in Jersey City.
The beefed-up service will continue into the late evening, according to the MTA.
“We’ll also have additional staff at different locations to greet customers, get them where they need to go, navigating these crowded spaces,” said New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow during a Wednesday news conference in Coney Island.
“Our folks are really trained to be to there to assist customers [in getting] where they need to go,” he added.
The agency is also advising bus riders to expect delays on Lower Manhattan routes as well as those near the Brooklyn Heights waterfront on Saturday evening, due to crowds from the fireworks show.
Meanwhile, 2 and 3 trains will bypass the Clark St station in Brooklyn Heights between 8 and 11 p.m. on the 4th, the MTA said. But exact timing will be subject to change depending on crowd conditions surrounding the fireworks showcase.
The MTA is also planning to tweak service along the A, D, N, R, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 lines, as well as the Rockaway Park Shuttle, between Friday, July 3, and Sunday, the 5th. The agency is making the changes to conduct signal system upgrades and maintenance work, it said.
Riders can find the specifics on those service alterations on the MTA mobile app or mta.info.
Additionally, the subways, Staten Island Railway, and buses will all operate on a Saturday schedule on July 3.
For Staten Island Ferry riders, there will be no service between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., nor between 8 and 10 p.m. on Saturday, according to the city. It will run increased service every 20 minutes between 4 and 8 p.m. for those headed to the fireworks.
The agency is also getting in the spirit of the nation’s 250th anniversary by adding American flag wraps and decals to several train and bus lines. Those include the 1, 6, 7, and F lines as well as the Staten Island Railway and the bridges it crosses on the Rock.
“We’re all getting into the spirit of the 4th of July and this special anniversary celebration,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said during the Wednesday press event.