The W train makes its triumphant return

Though the timeline for the Second Avenue Subway reopening is slightly uncertain at this point (the MTA says it’s on track for December; the MTA’s independent engineer is not so sure), at least one step toward the line’s debut happened today—and it involves reviving a once-dead subway line. The W train officially returned to service this morning, with the first train leaving Astoria around 7 a.m. Thanks to some unexpected service interruptions, trains—which are scheduled to stop at Whitehall Street in Manhattan—made it as far as Brooklyn this morning, too, with your Curbed editor spotting one at Court Street.

The W train was retired from service in 2010, along with the V line, as part of cost-cutting measures by the MTA. But with the changes coming to the NYC subway as part of the Second Avenue Subway’s debut—trains will run from 63rd to 96th Streets as an extension of the Q, whenever it actually opens—the MTA decided to bring the W back in order to avoid too much of a disruption along the Broadway line.

The MTA has a handy map of how this will affect service along the N, Q, R, and W lines here; and here are some photos from around the subway system from today. It’s good to have you back, W.

• All Second Avenue Subway coverage [Curbed]