MTA to increase L train service as M train undergoes repairs in 2017

An unlikely hero has emerged to save straphangers from the brunt of yet another MTA closure: the L train. In a statement released this morning by the transit agency, beginning June 2017, another 50 roundtrips will be added to the L line while repairs are undertaken on the M line at the Myrtle Avenue stop in Bushwick.

As the press release explains, the MTA will demolish and completely rebuild the more-than-century-old Myrtle Viaduct and the Atlantic Railway Bridge at Fresh Pond Road. The work is being completed in anticipation even bigger repairs to be done on the Canarsie Tunnel and tracks of the L line, which is slated to begin in 2019.

As many already know, work on the tunnel is expected to put the L train out of commission between Manhattan and the Bedford Avenue station for 18 months, leaving the JMZ trains to pick up some of the slack through added service. The repairs to the M line infrastructure would support this increased use.

“Our subway system turned 112 this year, and it never gets a break. In order to keep up with demand, we must work now to shore up our infrastructure so trains can keep running for another hundred years,” NYC Transit President Ronnie Hakim voiced. “Adding more trips helps get our customers where they need to be faster, but we also must balance that extra strain on our equipment and fleet with a robust maintenance program and an eye on investing in our future.”

All in all, temporary long-term service changes to the L, J,M, and Z lines will include:

• 11 additional roundtrips during weekdays on the L
• 12 additional roundtrips during Saturday mornings and afternoons on the L
• 27 additional roundtrips on Sundays from morning to evening on the L
• On weekdays, M trains will operate between the Forest Hills-71 Avenue EFMR station and the Broadway Junction ACJZL station. Some trains will operate between Forest Hills-71 Avenue and the 2 Avenue FM station during afternoon peak hours. Alternate bus service will be provided to M stations that are closed during the reconstruction projects.
• JZ trains will make all stops between Broadway Junction and Marcy Avenue

The MTA reports that these service changes will cost $1.7 million and could run up to ten months.

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