Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I Heart the 4 Train Express

I've been taking advantage of the 4 train express during the AM rush, and I'm in love. The most recent incarnation of the diamond-4 is the second go-round of a pilot program that had a brief run last summer. The summer pilot didn't affect me all the much because 1) as a teacher the summers are non-commuting season and 2) the express didn't stop at Bedford Park Boulevard.

This second pilot-version, which has added Bedford Park Boulevard as a stop, began on October 26th and will run until December 11th. It's the truth.

From 7am-8:20 am there is a diamond-4 express train that runs from Woodlawn, Mosholu Parkway, Bedford Park, Burnside, 149th, 125th, 86th, etc. With 86th as my destination, the elimination of 8 stops or so makes a real difference. Another bonus is that the train is less crowded without the more local commuters.

I hope this pilot program becomes permanent. Next thing to do would be to make a PM 4 train express with the same stops - now that would be amazing.

In any case, I'll certainly call the MTA to express my gratitude and ask for this glorious express 4 train to become a fixture of the incredibly overcrowded green line.

2 comments:

Traci said...

Wow, only an hour and 20 minutes? I sure hope they extend that window.

The 5 train has been running local at all times for awhile now. Maybe 2 months? It's rather frustrating. I think it's scheduled to be over soon. With 3 rails, I never understood why they don't always run the 5 train express, in one direction or the other. 3 hours of express in each direction is not enough.

Unknown said...

I'm spoiled by the D express during AM and PM rush hours. I work on Sixth Ave... so I save time when the D goes from Tremont Ave to 145th St, skipping stops in between. Love it!