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7 Train Expansion Won't Actually do Much for 7 Train Riders, Yet

By Nicole Levy | August 31, 2015 1:34pm

It turns out 7 train riders won't be the biggest beneficiaries of the new 34th Street-Hudson Yards subway station, which opens Sept. 13 around 1 p.m.

The extension of the 7 line to 34th Street and 10th Avenue from Times Square will save those riders headed for the new station, at most, four minutes of their time, according to a map created by "public transit modeller" and New York Times mobile editor Alastair Coote.

The map below illustrates how many minutes the 7 line expansion will shave off travel times to 34th Street and 10th Avenue. White indicates 0-2 minutes, and dark blue indicates 8-10 minutes.

map

But straphangers traveling on the downtown-bound 4/5/6/ line and making their way to that destination will cut out 10 minutes off their trip once they can transfer to the 7 train at Grand Central, rather than grabbing the crosstown M34 bus.

Astoria residents will benefit, too. They'll be able to shave off 6 to 8 minutes off their travel time by transferring from the N/R to the 7 at Queensboro Plaza instead of picking up the M34 at Herald Square.

The 7-line expansion won't impact travel times for subway riders taking trips without transfers to Penn Station; they'll still find it's quicker to walk to 10th Ave. from 8th or 7th Avenues than catching the 7.

Of course, 7 train riders may find they have more to celebrate once the Hudson Yards development — with office towers, commercial spaces and residences — actually takes shape.