After two state senators and various other elected officials lobbied on its behalf, the G train will receive some special attention now through June 2013 as it undergoes a thorough inspection of ongoing service issues.
Squadron, Dilan and the Riders Alliance get some traction on improving the crosstown local. It is only a study, but getting the MTA to admit that they have a G train is the first step.
The L train is still out, but getting to Manhattan from North Brooklyn should be a little bit easier tomorrow. The M and the J trains are both going over the Williamsburg Bridge. The J will only go as far as Essex Street, but the M will have its full route through midtown reinstated. The 7 train is also running to Manhattan, though you’ll have to a bus to L.I.C. to pick it up – the G train remains suspended (the only line completely out of commission now). The full rundown of service changes is posted at the MTA website.
If you need to get downtown, the East River Ferry is probably your best bet, what the the shortened J and no L service to Manhattan. With the exception of Greenpoint’s India Street landing, the ferry was running regular service as of today (Sunday), and they expect to have India Street open Monday morning. Expect long lines at the ferry, but if it is like last week, everyone will get on.
One quote from [Senator Dan] Squadron though struck a chord. As he noted that some rush hour trains will likely be below the MTA’s load guidelines, he let slip a key line. “This is not going to be the silver bullet, but this is real good news for L train riders,” he said. “Anyone tired of the crushing crowds and overflowing trains will now have an L train trip less likely to feel like hell.” What exactly does Squadron expect? What kind of silver bullet does he want? The MTA isn’t about to build a parallel line through Williamsburg or third-track the L train, and running trains every 180 seconds should be at least sufficient to ease some of the crowding concerns.
I can’t speak for the Senator, but his comments echo my points from last Friday – there is no silver bullet on the L train. Increased service is great, and an extra train every hour or so actually will make a difference. But no amount of automation or optimization is going to going to overcome a sick passenger on a two-track line. So overcrowding and delays will remain a fact of life, and those “residual delays” tweets will keep coming.
Newsday (via Second Avenue Sagas):
The MTA will add nearly 100 trains each week along the L line starting Sunday… 16 additional round trips will run each weekday, 11 more will go on Saturdays and another seven on Sundays, an MTA spokesman said.
The increased service is the result of the automation upgrades that have been going in on the line for what seems like years now. As a result, the MTA is able to reduce headway and squeeze more trains onto the single-track line.
State Senator Dan Squadron – who pushed hard for these service increases – is a happy man: “Anyone tired of the crushing crowds and overflowing trains will now have an L train trip less likely to feel like hell.”
The East River Ferry wants to accept Metrocards. Other non-MTA services already accept Metrocards, so the idea is not that far fetched. But the real innovation would be for the ferry to accept Metrocard transfers – i.e., eliminating the two-fare structure that most commuters using the ferry face (by the way, it’s nice to see Second Avenue Sagas having a change of heart about the ferry). As it stands now, if you want to go from the ferry to an MTA bus or subway, a one-way trip will cost you as much as $6.50. Institute free Metrocard transfers, and the price drops to $4 (the cost of the ferry ride).
Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is joining the effort to continue the G train extension. Unless the MTA decides otherwise, the extra stops on the Crosstown Local into south Brooklyn are scheduled to go away very soon.
Now that the construction is nearing completion, the M.T.A. is considering discontinuing the G-train extension that enabled riders in Greenpoint to go all the way to Kensington without switching trains.
[Via Brownstoner]
You’ve been warned.
The constant weekend shutdowns needed to upgrade subway signals on the L line is taking its toll on the blossoming Williamsburg bar scene — with hipster hangouts reporting huge drops in profits.
Weekend closures are a problem if you have a business located near one of the City’s busiest stations on weekends.
