MTA Targets 70 Subway Bottlenecks for Systemwide Overhaul

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has unveiled a new systemwide strategy aimed at alleviating chronic subway congestion by addressing 70 specific infrastructure bottlenecks. The agency’s report, released this week, highlights 25 of these locations as top priorities for future upgrades.

Among the most significant proposals is a plan to untangle the "Crown Heights Cluster" at Nostrand Junction. Currently, the intersection forces 3 and 5 trains to wait for one another to pass. Under the proposed design, the agency would install new switches and track segments to allow 3 trains to operate along the Nostrand Avenue line, while 5 trains would be routed beneath Eastern Parkway.

Transit officials are also targeting the DeKalb Interlocking, a critical junction near the Manhattan Bridge serving the B, D, N, Q, and R lines. The area currently relies on technology dating back to the 1930s, occasionally requiring staff to utilize paper maps to manage train routing during disruptions. The MTA is currently collaborating with contractors to design track modifications that would reduce curve sharpness, potentially allowing for faster train speeds through the junction.

According to Alyssa Cobb Konon, the MTA’s deputy chief development officer for planning, these bottlenecks are largely the result of physical infrastructure that hinders efficient service. Many of these constraints stem from the system’s origins, when tracks were managed by three separate private companies before being consolidated. In some instances, lines narrow from four tracks to two when crossing the East River, a design choice that officials note failed to account for modern demand levels.

Other areas identified for potential improvement include the 149th Street-Grand Concourse station in the Bronx, where the 2, 4, and 5 lines converge, and aging signal infrastructure at 59th Street-Columbus Circle affecting the A, B, C, and D lines.

While the report serves as a roadmap for future mitigation, the agency has not yet finalized which projects will receive funding. Officials indicated that some of these initiatives may be incorporated into the MTA’s next five-year capital plan, which is scheduled to commence in 2030. The agency plans to conduct further analysis to determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of each proposed intervention.