No. 7 Train Riders Voice Concerns At Town Hall Meeting In Queens

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The ongoing delays, shutdowns, and overcrowding on the No. 7 train is topping the agenda for city leaders in Queens.

The MTA is completing three major capital projects on the line that the agency said will "bring a modern, state-of-the-art signal system and reliable, resilient infrastructure upgrades to the 7 line."

But riders said over the past few years, the work has brought them nothing but headaches, including poor service and weekend disruptions.

"What is all this work doing? If the MTA is spending hundreds of millions of dollars over several years to improve the 7 train why is it seemingly getting worse? Those are questions that I know are on the minds of my constituents and people all over Queens," City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer told 1010 WINS.

Riders got the chance to ask questions and voice their concerns to New York City Transit President Veronique Hakim at a town hall meeting Tuesday evening.

"She needs to hear from 7 train riders about the frequency of the problems, the severity of the problems, how it's affecting people's lives," Van Bramer said. "7 train riders from Flushing to Long Island City are going to have the opportunity to ask tough questions and share their experiences, maybe even make some suggestions about how the MTA can do better."

The meeting took place at 6:30 p.m. at the Sunnyside Community Services building on 39th street.

As 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported, the meeting gave riders a chance to get some answers.

Veronica complained about filth underneath the elevated tracks.

"It's peeling. Every time the train goes by the dust comes down," she said.

Hakim said a contract for that problem would be awarded next year.

Jim wanted to know about crowding during rush hour.

"Our select bus service, our bus rapid transit, other solutions need to be a part of this," Hakim said.

Hakim did bring along some good news announcing two new evening trains starting in the fall, and weekend track work wrapping up at the end of the month.