L Train Shutdown

"Ahead of schedule" and "under budget" are not phrases commonly associated with the MTA, but the agency pulled it out when it came to the L train tunnel project. Originally planned as a major shutdown by the city, the project was downgraded to a partial "slowdown" in January 2019 after Governor Cuomo convened his own panel of engineers. And after work began last April, causing only reduced service on nights and weekends, the governor announced yesterday that L train service will resume on both tracks during overnights and weekends starting today. He also said that the project finished three months ahead of schedule and $100 million under budget.
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L train service will be interrupted over the course of three upcoming weekends

Image by Jason Eppink via Flickr

January 13, 2020

L train service will be interrupted over the course of three upcoming weekends

The rehabilitation of the Canarsie Tunnel is on track to wrap up months ahead of schedule and restore full L train service by April—roughly one year after the revised “slowdown” started—but service will get a little worse before it gets better. As the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) prepares to finish their work, partial L outages will impact service during three weekends in January, February, and March.
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Canarsie Tunnel rehab to wrap up early, full L train service expected in April

Cuomo toured the Canarsie Tunnel with MTA officials on Sunday; Photo courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Flickr

September 30, 2019

Canarsie Tunnel rehab to wrap up early, full L train service expected in April

Repair work of the century-old Canarsie Tunnel will wrap up three months early, bringing full L train service to commuters as early as April, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday. The original construction plan from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority called for the subway line to totally shut down for 15 months during the repairs. Last winter, a few months before work was set to begin, the governor stepped in with a new plan that avoided a full shutdown of L train service.
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14th Street busway pilot program will begin next week after judge gives project green light

Image via Flickr

August 7, 2019

14th Street busway pilot program will begin next week after judge gives project green light

The city is set to begin a 14th Street busway pilot on August 12 after a judge lifted a temporary injunction on the project, Streetsblog reported. The busway had most recently been delayed after several block associations along the street filed a lawsuit against the project, claiming that the city failed to conduct an environmental review for the work. State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower reviewed a traffic analysis submitted by Deputy Commissioner for Traffic Eric Beaton and found that the traffic, health, and safety impacts of the project fall within the city’s routine traffic management work, thereby allowing the project to move forward.
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10 Brooklyn stations won’t have overnight L train service for nine weekends

Via Flickr

July 8, 2019

10 Brooklyn stations won’t have overnight L train service for nine weekends

A large part of the L line in Brooklyn will not be available during overnight hours for nine weekends, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Saturday. Starting on July 16, there will be no L service from midnight to 5 a.m. between Broadway Junction and Lorimer Street spread out across nine different weekends until January. L train service has been reduced since April when the 15-month reconstruction and partial shutdown of the Canarsie Tunnel began.
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Williamsburg shuttle bus route to shrink as L train slowdown goes mostly unnoticed

Image courtesy of MTA.

June 4, 2019

Williamsburg shuttle bus route to shrink as L train slowdown goes mostly unnoticed

By Michelle Cohen

The MTA's long-dreaded Canarsie Tunnel repairs are finally underway, and we're all still here. And, as AMNew York reports, we've even discovered other subway lines that function similarly enough to the beloved L train to meet our transportation needs. The result of the current transit non-apocalypse is that at least one of the backup solutions–the "Williamsburg Link" shuttle bus service intended to mitigate an anticipated crush of stranded riders–is being nixed and replaced by a shorter route after experiencing "extremely low" ridership.
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14th Street busway is back on, private vehicles will be banned during L train shutdown

Via Oran Viriyincy on Flickr

April 24, 2019

14th Street busway is back on, private vehicles will be banned during L train shutdown

It seems plans for a "busway" on 14th Street are back on, according to a draft release of the de Blasio administration’s plans obtained by amNY. The city will ban most private vehicles on 14th Street to help speed up the flow of buses and mitigate overcrowding during the L train shutdown. While the L train Canarsie Tunnel rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin on April 26, the 14th Street changes won’t kick into effect until June.
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April 16, 2019

MTA maps L train service changes and alternative transit options ahead of partial shutdown

Starting Friday, April 26 through the summer of 2020, L train service will be suspended on weeknights and weekends. The halt of train service is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's revised plan to repair the Canarsie Tunnel, proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in January as an alternative to shuttering the line completely. While the L train will run normally during peak times for the next year and a half, service on the line will be reduced starting as early as 8 p.m. on weekdays. To ease the impending headache for commuters, the MTA has released a map that shows service alternatives, transfer points, and planned wait times for the L train.
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L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan suspended for 10 weeknights

Via Flickr

April 12, 2019

L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan suspended for 10 weeknights

Ahead of the revised partial shutdown happening at the end of the month, the L train is shutting down. Starting Monday, April 15, the line will not run for 10 weeknights between Manhattan and Brooklyn from 10:30 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday. The shuttered service allows the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to install signal equipment to prepare for rehabilitation work on the Canarsie Tunnel set to begin April 27, as amNY reported.
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MTA chooses consultant to oversee L train tunnel project

Via Flickr

March 22, 2019

MTA chooses consultant to oversee L train tunnel project

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has chosen a consultant to oversee the reconstruction of the 100-year-old L train tunnel, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The agency tapped JMT of NY Inc. to review construction timelines and safety and environmental concerns for the never-been-done-before project. After Gov. Andrew Cuomo intervened earlier this year, the MTA revised its original Carnasie Tunnel repair plan to not require the L train to shut down for 15 months, but instead have construction work take place on nights and weekends. But the $1.2 million contract--which must be approved by the MTA board next week--does not include a review of the feasibility of the updated L train plan before construction is set to begin on April 27.
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MTA announces public meetings to discuss revised L train repair plans

By Michelle Cohen

The MTA said in a press release that 100 percent of riders during high ridership hours will have full service under the revised approach to L train repairs. Also, added transit options such as more G, 7 and M service, new Williamsburg Link buses and free transfers will benefit evening and weekend riders. Starting in March, the MTA will be holding open houses with the community to discuss the plan.
Open house dates and more info this way

Plan for an all-day ‘busway’ on 14th Street will likely be scrapped as L train alternative

Via Oran Viriyincy on Flickr

February 13, 2019

Plan for an all-day ‘busway’ on 14th Street will likely be scrapped as L train alternative

With the L train shutdown called off last month after years of preparing for its impact on commuters, many New Yorkers were left wondering what would happen to the mitigation efforts planned for both Manhattan and Brooklyn. According to amNY, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority no longer sees the need for a busway on 14th Street, which was intended to limit car traffic during the L train shutdown. While the MTA said it intends to run buses as often as every three minutes on 14th Street when L train service is reduced this spring, critics say buses will move at a sluggish pace.
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Overnight and weekend L train closures will last through March

Image via Flickr

January 28, 2019

Overnight and weekend L train closures will last through March

Beginning on Monday, the MTA is planning a series of overnight and weekend interruptions of L train service that will give commuters a glimpse at what's to come when Governor Cuomo's new one-track plan to fix the Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel kicks in at the end of April. From January 28 and through March 18, L trains will not run between Broadway Junction and 8 Avenue weeknights from 10:45 p.m. to 5 a.m. In addition to the weeknight closures, there will be no L-train service on seven weekends in February and March: Feb. 1-4, Feb. 8–11, Feb. 15–19, Feb. 22–25, March 1–4, March 8–11, and March 15–18.
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Photo courtesy of Blue Point Brewing Company

January 25, 2019

Blue Point wants to help frustrated New Yorkers with ‘What the L?’ beer

The L train shutdown may be canceled, but don't let Cuomo's Superman tactics trick you into thinking you'll get off unscathed. Even without a full 15-month shutdown, there will be a slew of headaches and, like beer company Blue Point Brewing Company says, "who knows what will happen next?!" And when in doubt, an adult beverage can help soften the blow, which is why Blue Point developed its new "What the L?" brew, complete with a very Williamsburg-esque label created by local graphic designer and subway artist Winston Tseng.
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Cuomo’s new L train plan will still bring headaches for commuters, as leaked memo shows

Image via Governor Cuomo’s Flickr

January 24, 2019

Cuomo’s new L train plan will still bring headaches for commuters, as leaked memo shows

With Governor Cuomo's plan to avoid a total L train shutdown for 15 months in favor of a "nights and weekends" approach confirmed earlier this month, questions still remain about just what the alternate plan will entail and how riders will be affected. According to an exclusive MTA memo draft obtained by Streetsblog and the New York Post this week, it looks like the new Canarsie Tunnel repair plan will bring its own set of headaches for straphangers, including 20-minute waits between trains on weekends and an exit-only system at First and Third Avenues on weekends.
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L train shutdown is really cancelled this time, MTA says

Via Wikimedia

January 18, 2019

L train shutdown is really cancelled this time, MTA says

"The total shutdown of both tunnels and all service scheduled for April 27 will not be necessary," reads a statement from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority released Thursday. The announcement comes just a few days after the MTA held an "emergency" meeting to present the agency's board with information about the new L train plan ahead of a vote on the project. But it appears the MTA will argue that the new plan, which would not require a total shutdown of subway service, does not need board approval to move forward after all.
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Five years ago, transit officials rejected L train plan similar to Cuomo’s over safety concerns

Via Flickr

January 15, 2019

Five years ago, transit officials rejected L train plan similar to Cuomo’s over safety concerns

Earlier this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo shocked New Yorkers when he called off the 15-month shutdown of L-train service, part of the plan to fix the Canarsie Tunnel which had been in the works for years. Instead, the governor, along with an expert panel of engineers, presented a new, never-been-done-before plan that would require less construction in the century-old tunnel. But the New York Times reported on Tuesday that a similar plan was rejected by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority nearly five years ago over safety and feasibility concerns.
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Emergency MTA meeting on Cuomo’s L train plan set for Tuesday

Via Gov. Cuomo’s Flickr

January 14, 2019

Emergency MTA meeting on Cuomo’s L train plan set for Tuesday

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday will hold an emergency public meeting for its board to review Gov. Andrew Cuomo's L train reconstruction proposal. Earlier this month, the governor unexpectedly presented a new plan to fix the Carnasie Tunnel that would not require it to close for 15 months and halt L train service between Manhattan and Brooklyn, but instead be repaired on nights and weekends. The MTA board is expected to question the agency on the feasibility of the new plan, which was announced by Cuomo just three months before the shutdown was set to begin in April.
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Cuomo says MTA board must sign off on L train plan, one day after it was presented as a done deal

Via Wikipedia

January 4, 2019

Cuomo says MTA board must sign off on L train plan, one day after it was presented as a done deal

The dreaded 15-month L train shutdown, planned and studied for three years, is canceled. Or is it? Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday presented a proposal for a new L train plan that would no longer require a 15-month closure of the Carnasie Tunnel, the link between Manhattan and Brooklyn and which was damaged by saltwater floods during Hurricane Sandy. During the news conference, Cuomo, along with a panel of experts, engineers, and the acting chair of the MTA, Fernando Ferrer, touted the project as being the shortest and best way to fix the tunnel. But in a conference call with reporters on Friday, the governor called on the MTA board to hold an emergency meeting to vote yay or nay on his new plan, of which most had heard about on the same day it was announced.
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January 3, 2019

Cuomo calls for last-minute halt of L train shutdown in favor of a new tunnel design

Knight in shining armor or kink in the chain? In an unexpected, last-minute announcement on Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he is halting the 15-month L train shutdown in April, calling for a new tunnel design instead that would coincide with night and weekend work for 15 to 20 months. The news comes just a few weeks after the governor toured the Hurricane Sandy-damaged Canarsie Tunnel with engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia Universities. Though he said at the time he was "confident it cannot be done any other way and it cannot be done faster than the MTA is doing it," Cuomo today threw a curveball saying he and the MTA have agreed on a new design that has never before been used in the U.S. and will mean that it "will not be necessary to close the L Train tunnel at all."
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Be the first to reach Manhattan in this L train shutdown board game

Image courtesy of Hunter Fine

December 21, 2018

Be the first to reach Manhattan in this L train shutdown board game

In reality, the L train shutdown will be no fun for anyone, but in this satirical board game, the doomsday situation gets a playful twist. Bushwick Daily first spotted the Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the game, which is called "Escape From Hell." After selecting a hipster character, players roll the dice and follow the path as they try to get from East New York to Manhattan by bus, ferry, bike, or alternate train service.
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December 17, 2018

This map will help you navigate the system when the L train shuts down

By Michelle Cohen

As the dreaded L train shutdown of April 2019 looms ever nearer, the fine folks at Citymapper have created an addition to their interactive mapping app to show you what your commute will look like when the L is not an option. Use the SuperRouter to plan a trip between Brooklyn and Manhattan and see which of your alternative routes works best.
More detai s, this way

December 14, 2018

Cuomo tours damaged L train tunnel four months before shutdown

While the plan to shut down the L train for over a year to perform necessary repairs in the East River tunnel it runs through has been in the works for years, Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided this week to see the damage for himself, four months ahead of the looming closure. During a midnight tour of the Canarsie Tunnel on Friday, which connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cuomo said he saw "a very old tunnel that needed a lot of work," the New York Post reported. The governor toured the tunnel with two engineering experts from Cornell and Columbia Universities to get a first-hand look and determine whether a 15 month-shutdown is the best-case scenario for commuters.
Too little, too late?

De Blasio announces new Delancey Street bike lanes ahead of L train shutdown

Delancey Street via Wiki Commons

November 15, 2018

De Blasio announces new Delancey Street bike lanes ahead of L train shutdown

Mayor de Blasio has announced the opening of a new quarter-mile, two-way protected bike lane along Delancey Street on the Lower East Side. The stretch connects to the Williamsburg Bridge, the most traveled by cyclists of all the East River crossings, and is "expected to play a central role during the shutdown of L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan" when it begins on April 27th. Currently, 7,300 cyclists cross the Bridge each day, and the Mayor expects the new bike lanes to double or even triple that number.
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April 27, 2019: MTA announces start date for L train shutdown

Photo via Flickr cc

October 30, 2018

April 27, 2019: MTA announces start date for L train shutdown