B737 FLT CREW REPORTS INADVERTENTLY CROSSING NEW HOLD SHORT LINE FOR RWY 13 AT MFE.

Narrative

AS WE PUSHED; THE TWR INFORMED US OF A GND STOP TO ZZZ AND UPDATE AT XB00Z. THE TIME WAS ABOUT XA15. WE PULLED BACK IN TO THE GATE AND THE CAPT CALLED OPS AND DISPATCH TO CONFER ABOUT THE DELAY. ABOUT XA20 WE RECEIVED A CALL FROM GND THAT THE GND STOP WAS CANCELED AND WE HAD A WHEELS UP TIME OF XA36. WE WERE READY TO GO AND PUSHED BACK AFTER STARTING #1 AT THE GATE. WE RECEIVED A CLRNC TO TAXI TO RWY 13 VIA TXWY A AND UPON REACHING TXWY A; THE CAPT DIRECTED ME TO PERFORM A XBLEED START ON #2 ENG AS THE TAXI IS VERY SHORT. I COMPLETED THE XBLEED ABOUT 1/2 WAY DOWN TXWY A TO RWY 13 AND THE CAPT THEN DIRECTED ME TO DO THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST. AS I WAS DOING THE CHKLIST THE TWR INSTRUCTED US TO FOLLOW A PIPER LANCE TAXIING FROM OUR R TO THE RWY. THE HOLD SHORT LINES WERE RECENTLY RELOCATED AND I DID NOT READ ANYTHING ON THE COMMERCIAL CHARTS ABOUT THE RELOCATION. AS I COMPLETED THE CHKLIST I LOOKED UP AND SAW THAT THE NOSE OF THE ACFT HAD GONE OVER THE HOLD SHORT LINE BY A FEW FT. THE CAPT NOTICED IT AT THE SAME TIME AND STOPPED THE ACFT. THERE WAS NO CONFLICT SINCE THE PIPER LANCE WAS JUST TAKING THE RWY AHEAD OF US FOR TKOF. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY; WE SELF-DISCLOSED TO THE TWR THAT WE HAD GONE OVER THE LINE. THEY PAUSED ABOUT 30 SECONDS AND THEN CLRED US ON THE RWY FOR TKOF. THE NEW HOLD SHORT APPEARED TO BE ABOUT 150 FT FROM THE RWY SO THE PLACEMENT IS VERY UNUSUAL. IT WAS BASICALLY PAINTED ON THE RAMP/RUNUP AREA SINCE IT WAS SO FAR BACK FROM THE RWY SO I DID NOT HAVE ANY ABOVE GND SIGNAGE ON MY SIDE TO ALERT TO THE HOLD SHORT SUCH AS THE RED SIGN OR WIGWAG LIGHT. IT COULD EASILY BE MISTAKEN FOR AN ILS HOLD SHORT LINE SINCE IT IS SO FAR BACK AND YOU CAN STILL MAKE OUT THE OLD LINE UP BY THE RWY. THE TWR ASSURED NO CONFLICT BUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE HAD SO MANY ISSUES WITH THIS SINCE THE RELOCATION ADVISED US THAT WE FILE A RPT. WE WERE CLRED FOR TKOF WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAPT CALLED THE TWR UPON LNDG IN ZZZ AND THEY ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD LIKE THE HOLD SHORT LINE RELOCATED TO THE OLD POS BECAUSE IT MADE MORE SENSE AND IT DID NOT CREATE MANY OF THE PROBS THEY HAVE BEEN SEEING. THEY TOLD THE CAPT THAT THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE IN MFE SINCE THE RELOCATION OF THE HOLD SHORT POINT. THE FLT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. PREVENTIVE MEASURES: BETTER SIGNAGE SUCH AS ON THE R SIDE OF THE TXWY; INSTALL WIGWAG LIGHTS TO ALERT TO THE HOLD SHORT; MAYBE HAVE TWR GIVE AN ADVISORY TO ACFT THAT THE LINE IS FAR BACK FROM THE RWY. UPDATE COMMERCIAL CHARTS WITH THE CHANGE; AND PUT A NOTE WITH AN INCURSION HOT SPOT ON THE CHART. I WILL BE MORE PROACTIVE IN THE FUTURE TO LOOK FOR THE HOLD SHORT LINE AND ANTICIPATE AN UNUSUAL PLACEMENT. MENTION ON ATIS. RECOMMENDATION TO RELOCATE HOLD SHORT BACK TO ORIGINAL POS BECAUSE OF APPARENT CONFUSION WITH MULTIPLE OPERATORS IN AND OUT OF ARPT CONSISTENT WITH TWR CTLR'S PERSONAL OPINION. THEY WERE NOT SURPRISED THIS HAPPENED AND ACTED LIKE IT WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH THE NEW HOLD SHORT. TWR WAS VERY SUPPORTIVE AND APPRECIATED US SELF-DISCLOSING THIS TO BRING LIGHT TO A SAFETY PROB AT MFE. I WILL NOW INCREASE MY VIGILANCE AS SOMETIMES THE SMALLEST ARPT CAN BE THE MOST TRICKY AND NOT TO LET MY GUARD DOWN. IN THIS CASE A STUDY OF THE TAXI CHARTS WOULD NOT HAVE PREVENTED THIS.