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Get A Taste Of The Dreaded L Train Shutdown With Special WEEKEND L Suspensions In May
By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2017
Modified Apr 12, 2018
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By
Emma Whitford
Published Apr 28, 2017
Modified Apr 12, 2018
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The widely-dreaded L train shutdown of 2019 is still two years away, but New Yorkers who live along the line will get a preview in the not-so-distant future, according to a Friday afternoon press release from the MTA.
"New York City Transit will conduct critical repairs and preparatory work on the L Line's Canarsie Tunnel starting in May in order to ensure the tunnel can remain open until the planned April 2019 closure of the tunnel for full rehabilitation from the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy," the authority stated.
In other words: we're closing the tunnel so we don't have to close the tunnel... before we close the tunnel.
Work will take place over the weekend of May 6th, from 12:00 a.m. Saturday until 5:00 a.m. Monday, and over Memorial Day Weekend, from 12:00 a.m. Saturday May 27th through 5:00 a.m. Tuesday May 30th. Service will be suspended between 8th Avenue and Broadway Junction, with regular service between Broadway Junction and Canarsie.
"In order to minimize the impact of the outages, the work is being done on weekends because the ridership is lower and on a holiday weekend when an extra day can be utilized, which will result in one less weekend outage needed," the MTA said.
Crews are planning to replace ties on the impacted section of track, which make for a "smoother ride," according to the authority. The MTA will also survey the Canarsie tubes—a task that requires clearing the tracks and deactivating the third rail.
Read the service changes and weep.
Between Manhattan and Brooklyn:
During both weekends, on each Saturday from 6 a.m. to midnight and from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. each Sunday, M trains will operate from Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue to Manhattan via the Sixth Avenue B/D/F/M line, stopping at Lexington Av/63 Street F/Q, then on to the Second Avenue Q line to 96 St.
Late nights on Saturday into Sunday, M service will operate its regular scheduled service between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue to Myrtle Avenue.
In Manhattan:
The M14A and M14D serve L line stops along 14th Street.
In Brooklyn:
Shuttle buses will operate along three routes:
Between the Marcy Av J/M and Lorimer St L stations, stopping at Bedford Av L and Hewes St J/M
Between the Lorimer St L and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avenues L/M stations, making L station stops at Graham Av, Grand St, Montrose Av, Morgan Av, Jefferson St, and DeKalb Av
Between Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs L/M and Broadway Junction A/C/J/L, making L station stops at Halsey Street, Wilson Avenue and Bushwick Av-Aberdeen Street
The MTA is also planning overnight work on the L between Lorimer and Broadway Junction from Tuesday, May 23rd to Friday, May 26th, and from Wednesday, May 31st to Friday, June 2nd. Shuttle buses will operate along the L line in Brooklyn, stopping at all impacted stations.
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Emma Whitford
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