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The most massive subway service changes in city history start Sunday, affecting the travel patterns of 640,000 straphangers and half of the system's 24 train lines, Transit Authority officials say.
Schedules or routes have been revised on almost all IND and BMT lines in response to changes in ridership, the Dec. 11 opening of three new subway stations and prolonged repairs to the Manhattan Bridge, according to TA officials. The L and M lines, the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and the entire IRT division are unaffected by the switch, which TA records show is the largest in the subway system's 84-year history.
The big winners under the new program are IND users in the Rockaways, southern Brooklyn and along Central Park West, who will get their first all-day express service. As a result, the wait for non-rush hour trains in these neighborhoods is expected to drop from 10 minutes to five, TA officials said yesterday. K service will be replaced by expanded C service.
Riders on the B and D trains will be able to travel directly from Brooklyn to Washington Heights or to the Bronx for the first time in more than two years under the new system. The lines were broken off...