Brace yourselves, strap-hangers: The MTA is shaking up your subway routine. Starting in December 2025, the F and M trains will swap tunnels under the East River on weekdays, a reroute aimed at easing delays and overcrowding across a major transit artery in Queens.
In the new setup, the M train will take over the 63rd Street tunnel, primarily served by the F. That means M trains will start making weekday stops at 21st St–Queensbridge, Roosevelt Island, Lexington Ave–63rd St and 57th St—stations long dominated by the F express. Meanwhile, F trains will shift south, crossing into Manhattan via the 53rd Street tunnel, with stops at Court Square, Queens Plaza, Fifth Ave and Lexington Ave–53rd St.
The swap is more than a quirky shell game. It’s part of the MTA’s plan to unclog the tangled interlocking under Long Island City, where F and M trains currently cross paths. By rerouting each train along a straighter, more direct line, the MTA hopes to minimize delays caused by complex switching patterns and reduce crowding on key platforms.
“Any time you have to wait for a switch in order to run your service, it is going to take additional time,” NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow told The New York Daily News, citing the time savings and improved reliability riders can expect. According to Crichlow, the E train will share tracks with just two lines instead of three and the M train will go from four sharing partners to three, a significant service untangling that could benefit the entire Queens Boulevard corridor.
The change is also a win for Roosevelt Island riders, who currently face sardine-can conditions during the weekday rush. Locals say they often have to wait for multiple packed F trains to pass before squeezing aboard. With the M train sliding into the 63rd Street slot—and arriving from a less-crowded origin point in Queens—it’s expected to offer a less-stressful boarding experience.
The tunnel swap will run weekdays from approximately 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with F and M trains reverting to current routes on evenings and weekends. The MTA is still conducting outreach with local stakeholders, but the initial response has been positive.
Expect signage—and probably your subway map—to get a fresh update.
