Many a Brooklyn straphanger has muttered silently to him or herself, "If only this trip on the F to  Midtown would be a little shorter."

Oh, but it will be. In 2013. Or thereabouts.

The MTA confirms plans are in place to rebuild the Culver Viaduct, which would allow the F train to run express through Brooklyn.  When that happens, the V would pick up the slack in local service.

The net result for commuters could be several minutes saved in each direction, which can really add up to more quality time with family and friends when spread out over weeks and months.

Until then, the downtown V train terminates at Second Avenue in Manhattan.  Not a bad way to get to the Lower East Side. And mid-day, there's almost always a seat on the V.