The F and M trains are getting switched. Here's why that's good.
Improving Subway Service in Queens
UPDATED 6/22/2025: This article previously had “probably” in the title, because I was unable to confirm if the service change was actually happening. However, the service change is happening, and this has been confirmed by the MTA (see page 6 of the linked PDF). As such, some minor wording edits have been made.
Please enjoy this quick and dirty explanation of a future service change. To the two or three people I know who will directly benefit from less crowding at Lexington Ave/53rd Street, I greatly envy you getting to actually experience this.
The F and M trains are going to switch places in Midtown East and Long Island City this winter. For the three or four of you who read this blog and might find that information useful, consider this your early warning. However, I wanted to write a short piece to talk about why exactly these trains need to be switched, and why I think this is a slam dunk decision.
What is changing?
Currently, the F and M share tracks in Midtown; they make local stops along Sixth Avenue from West 4th Street to Rockefeller Center. After Rockefeller Center, however, they branch off from each other. The F travels to the 63rd Street Tunnel, allowing passengers to transfer to the Q at Lexington Ave/63rd. It also serves Roosevelt Island and the Queensbridge Houses before merging with the E on Queens Boulevard. The M, meanwhile, travels along 53rd Street with the E, stopping at 5th Avenue, Lexington Avenue, Court Square, and Queens Plaza before continuing onwards to Queens Boulevard.
The current plan is to change this setup so that the M would be sent up to 63rd Street, serving Roosevelt Island and Queensbridge, while the F would be sent to 53rd Street. This is incredibly beneficial for the IND (lettered) lines of the New York City Subway, and will increase service at stations that desperately need it.
The routing changes that will go through this winter.
Why is this a good thing?
Anyone who takes the train from Queens can tell you that the Queens Boulevard Line (henceforth referred to as QBL) express trains (currently the E and F trains) are packed with Manhattan-bound commuters. This is because, unlike in Brooklyn, there are only 3 subways in Queens: The N/W to Astoria, the 7 to Flushing, and QBL. By the time the F gets to Roosevelt Island, it’s usually packed full of people who either transferred from QBL local trains or took a bus to the QBL express. Passengers at Roosevelt often have to wait for the next train because they simply cannot fit on the first one that arrives. By replacing the F with the M at Roosevelt Island, we can reasonably expect that trains will be less crowded, and Roosevelt Island residents will have an easier commute. The M, a QBL local train, has less crowding in Queens after Jackson Heights - Roosevelt Avenue than the F.
The other reason this is good is because it reduces merging conflicts. As you can see in the diagram above, the current service pattern requires trains to cross over each other and do all sorts of crazy shenanigans. This is bad for capacity - more merges mean fewer trains. It also causes ripple-effect delays, because if something happens to one train and it’s late to merge, it causes a backup for all of the QBL services.
The proposed swap eliminates some of this ripple effect. With the swap in place, a delay on the R train would affect only the M train, leaving QBL express service, which has higher ridership, unaffected. Meanwhile, delays on the E or F trains have no effect on the M and R trains, improving reliability across the entire system.
Is there any downside?
Yes. The three stations served by the F will see a slight service reduction, because the M runs less frequently than the F. Due to the fact that the M shares tracks with the J/Z train, frequency at these three stations will decrease. However, the trains that do show up will be less crowded than the F, and subject to fewer delays. At that point, the decreased frequency might not actually be a downside, but I’ll leave that to Roosevelt Island residents to decide. Another downside to the plan is that it impairs the commute of someone living near QBL local stations and working in Midtown East. However, I don’t think that’s too many people, and they should have an easier time finding a seat on the less crowded M train compared to their current, overcrowded F train.
What will happen now?
Assuming the plan is approved, there will be more frequency on 53rd Street, the QBL express will be more reliable, the M and R will be more reliable, and fewer delays will occur on a regular basis. As far as the general public is concerned, this is just a service increase with extra steps. Additionally, the MTA just might see how effective this simple change is, and investigate other problematic merges and junctions. If nothing else, it’s good to see the MTA is actually acknowledging that even with advanced signalling technology, the final barrier to break down in the fight for more frequency is our own routing choices.
That philosophy is known as de-interlining, and if the concept interests you, you can read my own post about applying de-interlining to Brooklyn. You could also read some of Andrew Lynch’s wonderful blog posts on the subject, or watch a video by Brooklyn Tech’s own Joint Transit Association about the subject.
ADDENDUM 06/22/2025: It’s come to my attention that another de-interlining project is picking up steam in Brooklyn, regarding the 2, 3, 4, and 5 trains. Stay tuned for a post about that coming soon-ish.