The MTA giveth to F train riders and the MTA taketh away.
Four rush hour express trips are coming to the F line in September.
But that means four fewer trips for riders at six local stops, which are some of the busiest on the F line.
"I would love it, I'd be very into it, but I know it would inconvenience a lot of other people, so it's a double edged sword," said one rider at the Church Avenue station, one of the express stops.
There will be two morning rush hour trains heading into Manhattan between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.
Two express trains will run to Brooklyn between 5 p.m. and 5:40 p.m.
The trains, marked with a diamond symbol, will hit the Jay St.-MetroTech, 7th Avenue and Church Avenue stations.
Brooklyn had F express trains in some way or another between 1968 and 1987.
But more recently, the MTA has run an unofficial F express service.
Riders are now accustomed to surprise announcements that their F train will be suddenly skipping stops.
"You're packed on a sweaty train and they'll let you know on the speakers as you pull in that the train won't be stopping where you need it to stop," one rider said. "At this point, it's more or less expected. It's probably once or twice a week."
"I get anxiety and my blood pressure probably skyrockets," a rider said at the Bergen St. station, a local stop. "It just means more time that I won't be in my home."
It's a unexpected benefit for the commuters who use one of those express stations.
"When I get on at Jay St.-MetroTech and it says we're going express, it's music to my ears," an F commuter said. "It just gets me home faster and half the people get off the train and I get a seat."
The MTA has split Brooklyn politicians. Officials in the southern part of the borough hailed it as a "welcome change" and a "step in the right direction."
But Councilman Brad Lander, whose district covers this piece of the F line, said the MTA is pretending to help riders.
"The MTA is failing to add any service here and all they're doing is pitting riders against each other," Lander said.
An MTA official said it's offering what it can.
Riders are only getting four trips under the F express service because the MTA lacks the cars, crews and modern signaling system to run extra trains.
When the service starts, MTA officials will be monitoring it to see if any changes are needed.
MTA: More Limited Express F Trains Coming in September
PUBLISHED 6:45 AM EDT Jul. 10, 2019