Every morning I walk about 15 minutes to the Flushing-Main Street Subway Station. After I take the long escalator down to swipe my monthly Metrocard, I see a very familiar scene before my eyes. There are a total of three tracks in the station and since it’s the last stop on the 7 line, all trains enter from one direction. There is already a train all the way to the right waiting to depart but I make my way to the left and wait for the express. The right and the middle tracks are reserved for the 7 local and the left track is for the express.  Soon the local train on the right makes an obnoxious sound signaling its departure and a few seconds later, I see the express entering on the left. Around 9:30 in the morning, the train is not so crowded and I’m happy to have a seat without all the pushing and shoving so prevalent earlier in the morning around 7-8:30.

I sit on the outer seat of the row as usual. I look around and see people scattered around different seats trying to avoid as much physical contact as possible. Some are sleeping. Some are reading their books and newspapers, most of them not written in English. Some are playing Fruit Ninja on their smartphones while others are texting on their outdated flip phones. Some are listening to music. For breakfast, some eat homemade or store-bought dumplings. My eyelids begin to feel heavier and by the time the train passes Junction Boulevard I drift away into a light sleep.

There are a total of 22 stops on the 7 line. Many transfers are available along the ride from Flushing to Times Square. You can transfer to the E, F, M, R trains from 74th-Broadway. From Queensboro Plaza, you can transfer to the N and Q across the platform. From Times Square, transfers are available to the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, N, Q, R trains. And last but not least, from Grand Central you can transfer to the 4, 5 or the 6 train. Though the 7 line runs from Queens to Manhattan, it has connections to literally every corner of the five boroughs.

The 7 stops in many neighborhoods that are densely populated with immigrants. According to the 2010 Census, 60-75% of the people living in Flushing near Main Street are Asian, mostly Chinese and Korean immigrants. Latinos make up 40-60% of the population in Jackson Heights, Woodside, and Elmhurst, and many of the people riding on the train from various stops reflect this demographics. ¹ This is why the 7 has earned the nickname the “International Express”.

The MTA promises to provide a more convenient service to 7 Train riders with the Hudson Yards Rezoning and Development Program plan, which will add a new station at 34^th Street and 11^th Ave (and possibly another station on 41^st and 10^th Avenue, if the budget allows) to the already existing line that ends at Times Square. This extension will connect the Port Authority Bus Terminal and the Long Island Rail Road to the line. Mayor Bloomberg and his team also began working on a plan to extend the 7 line out of the city to New Jersey. ²