Disgruntled Commuters Demand Better Service On No. 7 Subway Line

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Disgruntled commuters in Queens held a rally Wednesday morning demanding better service on the No. 7 subway line.

New York City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer joined straphangers as they voiced their concerns and expressed their outrage outside the 40th Street station in Sunnyside.

"I had to let 10 trains come in and out of the station that were too full for anyone to get on before I could get on a train. I got to work an hour late," one woman said. "It's incredibly frustrating to have no idea how long your commute is going to take in the morning."

Van Bramer said he organized the rally after being overwhelmed with complaints about a line he calls a disaster, WCBS 880's Mike Xirinachs reported.

"This is a nightmare that must end and it must end now," Van Bramer said, adding that 7 train service has gotten so bad, people are beginning to abandon it.

Riders are tired of disruptive construction and poor service, 1010 WINS reported.

"The truth is we've endured 10 years of weekend closures and yet service is getting worse," Van Bramer told 1010 WINS. "The MTA should stop hiding behind our legitimate claims that they get this foot off the throat of the people of western Queens on the weekends."

The MTA said riders can't have it both ways and construction is necessary to improve service.

"We understand that there are issues on the No. 7, which is why we're doing the work," MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told 1010 WINS. "We're already out there replacing signals and tracks and doing Sandy-related repair. We ask our customers to bear with us as we get this work done, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel."

Ortiz said the ongoing work "remains absolutely critical to the line's reliability, safety and longevity."

Riders said platforms are overcrowded and trains have been breaking down or bypassing stations for months.

Just last month, commuters were forced to take shuttle buses after a train lost power near Queensboro Plaza. Subway service was shut down for hours as the MTA also dealt with icy rails.

Van Bramer is hoping the MTA will do something about the problems, but one rider said he's not holding his breath.

"It's going to be like this all the time," one commuter said.

Once work is completed, Ortiz said riders can expect "a more reliable subway line with the ability to run more trains and improve performance for growing neighborhoods in northern Queens."