MTA Reveals Two Options For Imminent L Train Shutdown

Commuters will be able to provide feedback at the first public meeting tonight at the Marcy Avenue Armory

Just hours ahead of the first public meeting on the imminent L Train shutdown, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), has revealed new details about the closure, the New York Times reports.

As speculated earlier, the agency is currently weighing two options — either close the tunnel between Brooklyn and Manhattan for a year and a half, or partially close the tunnel one tube at a time over a three year period. The latter would mean that trains would run at a frequency between 12-15 minutes during the morning rush hour, compared to the existing three-four minutes. A reduced service also means that the L Train would probably only carry a fifth of the passengers it does today.

In both cases however, the MTA plans to add additional buses going over the Williamsburg Bridge and amp up the ferry service. What's more, passengers will be diverted to the nearby G, and M lines, which the MTA said, will have extra trains running for the additional passengers.

The agency has decided against making repairs on nights and weekends as it doesn't believe that to be a feasible plan, according to the Times. The president of New York City Transit told the Times that some passengers had suggested building a tunnel under the river, the but the agency believes that measure to be too costly.

Already the repairs will cost anywhere between $800 million to $1 billion, though the federal government is footing most of the bill.

In case of a complete shutdown of the tunnel, train service between Eighth Avenue and Bedford Avenue would be suspended entirely. And in case of a partial closure, trains will run on a regular schedule between Lorimer Street and Canarsie, and a slower schedule between Bedford Avenue and Eighth Avenue.

The first public meeting tonight at the Marcy Avenue Armory will be followed by another meeting on May 12 at the Salvation Army Theater in Manhattan. Representatives for the MTA told the Times that they're not committed to making a decision without hearing from the public first.

Shutdown or Less Service? M.T.A. Weighs 2 Options for L Train Project [NYTimes]

MTA Sets First Public Meeting on L Train Shutdown For Early May [Curbed]

from
http://ny.curbed.com/2016/5/5/11595880/mta-ltrain-shutdown-two-options-marcy-armory