Second Ave. Sagas

L-pocalypse arrives as weekend work affects 14 subway lines

Written by

Benjamin Kabak

in

A gap across the East River will leave L train riders scrambling for alternate service. (Click to enlarge)
A gap across the East River will leave L train riders scrambling for alternate service. (Click to enlarge)

So there’s really no good way around this, but for the next five weeks, there’s no L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. This is unavoidable work, but it’s definitely not ideal. The L’s weekend ridership across the river is nearly as high as it is during the week, and the alternative subway service options — the G to Queens, the J to Lower Manhattan, and sometimes the M through Manhattan — aren’t exactly up to standards. The MTA should run the M to Midtown at all hours during this shutdown, but accordingly to their website, this option is available only during the day.

The work, according to Transit, will involve a “number of critical repair, cleaning, and maintenance jobs necessary to keep the line in a state of good repair.” It will also involve “replacement of components, inspection and servicing of fire safety systems, water remediation, pump room improvements, and asbestos abatement.”

All in all, though, this is a tough time for this work (though no time is convenient). With temperatures forecast to be in the 70s on Saturday, Smorgasburg will kick into gear but without an L train. Some vendors have organized a shuttle service, but it too is sporadic at best. So this is the new normal between now and the weekend of May 15.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 4:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, 1 trains are suspended in both directions between 96 St and 242 St-Van Cortlandt Park. AC trains, M3, M100, and free shuttle buses provide alternate service. For service between 96 St and 168 St, use free shuttle buses or the AC at nearby stations. For service between 168 St and 191 St, use the M3 or free shuttle buses. For service between Inwood-207 St and Van Cortlandt-242 St, take free shuttle buses. Transfer between buses and A trains at Inwood-207 St and between A and 1 trains at 59 St-Columbus Circle.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 midnight, Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and April 19, 3 trains are suspended in both directions between Franklin Av and New Lots Av. Use 4 trains and free shuttle buses instead. Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av, making all stops. Transfer between 23 and 4 trains at Franklin Av. Transfer between 4 trains and free shuttle buses at Crown Hts-Utica Av. 4 trains run local between Franklin Av and Crown Hts-Utica Av all weekend.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 19, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 19 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Crown Hts-Utica Av bound 4 trains run express from Grand Central-42 St to 125 St. Woodlawn-bound 4 trains run express from 14 St-Union Sq to Grand Central-42 St due to CPM ADA platform work at 23 St.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 7:30 a.m. Sunday, April 19, and from 11:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service all weekend between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av, making all 3 Line station stops.


From 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, April 18, and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19, 5 trains run every 20 minutes between Eastchester-Dyre Av and Bowling Green.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall bound 6 trains run express from 125 St to Grand Central-42 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Pelham Bay Park-bound 6 trains run express from 14 St-Union Sq to Grand Central-42 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, A trains are suspended in both directions between Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd and Rockaway Blvd. Free shuttle buses provide alternate service via 80 St. Howard Beach/Far Rockaway-bound A trains skip 88 St.

  • For service to 88 St, take the A to 80 St and transfer to free shuttle buses.
  • For service from 88 St toward the Rockaways, take a Brooklyn-bound A to 80 St and transfer to a Howard Beach/Far Rockaway-bound A.
  • A service operates between Inwood-207 St and Howard Beach/Far Rockaway.
  • Free shuttle buses operate between 80 St and Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd, stopping at 88 St, Rockaway Blvd, 104 St, and 111 St. Transfer between shuttle buses and A trains at 80 St.


From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, April 18, Norwood-205 St bound D trains run express from 145 St to Tremont Av.


From 3:45 a.m. Saturday, April 18 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, April 19, Norwood-205 St bound D trains are rerouted on the N line from Coney Island-Stillwell Av to 36 St.


From 12:15 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, and from 12:15 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound E trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hills-71 Av.


From 12:15 a.m. Saturday, April 18 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Jamaica Center- Parsons/Archer bound E trains skip 75 Av and Van Wyck Blvd. To 75 Av, take the E to Union Tpke and transfer to a Manhattan-bound E or F. To Van Wyck Blvd, take the E to Jamaica-Van Wyck and transfer to a World Trade Center-bound E. From these stations, take the E or F to Union Tpke or 71 Av and transfer to a Jamaica Center-bound E.


From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, World Trade Center-bound E trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to Roosevelt Av.


From 10:45 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Jamaica-179 St bound F trains skip 75 Av, Briarwood-Van Wyck Blvd, and Sutphin Blvd.


From 12:30 a.m. Saturday, April 18 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains run local from Forest Hills-71 Av to Roosevelt Av.


From 5:45 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound J trains run express from Myrtle Av to Broadway Junction.


From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, L trains are suspended in both directions between 8 Av and Lorimer St.

  • L service operates between Lorimer St and Rockaway Pkwy.
  • M service is extended to the 57 St F station, days and evenings.
  • Free shuttle buses operate between Lorimer St and the Broadway G station, stopping at Bedford Av, Marcy Av J/M, and Hewes St J/M.
  • Transfer between free shuttle buses and J/M trains at Marcy Av or Hewes St.
  • Consider using the A or J to/from Manhattan via transfer at Broadway Junction or the M via transfer at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs.
  • M14A buses provide alternate service along 14 St between 8 Av and 1 Av, and connect with the JM at Delancey-Essex Sts station.


From 6:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Saturday April 18, and 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, April 19, M service is extended to the 57 St F line station.


From 10:45 p.m. Friday, April 17 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, April 20, Manhattan-bound Q trains run express from Kings Hwy to Prospect Park.


From 6:30 a.m. to 12 Midnight, Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, Forest Hills-71 Av bound R trains run express from Queens Plaza to Forest Hills-71 Av.

Comments

12 responses to “L-pocalypse arrives as weekend work affects 14 subway lines”

  1. subway-buff

    SOURCE: MTA in house web site
    Rockaway Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue on the 3 and overnight 4 are closed for renewal until Summer of 2015. Use Saratoga Avenue or Pennsylvania Avenue

    Reply
    1. Chris C

      These closures are already public information.

      Ben does not include on-going station closures like this in his weekend work posts because the MTA does not include them in their emails / press releases

      Reply
  2. subway-buff

    Two more G.O.s:. Source; MTA Intranet web Site
    Rockaway Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue on the 3 (and overnight 4) are closed for renovation until Summer 2015

    Reply
  3. Nyland8

    5Weeks! It’s a shame they can’t simultaneously take that time to bust through the western wall at 8th Ave and start extending those tubes – at least long enough to store a couple of trains. By this time a year from now, the L commuters might have been able to enter the station at full speed, and not have to stop just before entering it.

    Ahhh … we can dream.

    Reply
    1. Nathanael

      You can say that again.

      Reply
  4. Adam

    It would have been smart to extend the M to 57th Street at all times (or even to Queens). It would also have been smart to have an out-of-system transfer between the Broadway G and the Hewes Street JM.

    Reply
  5. Gus

    Was waiting for a Canarsie-bound L train around 1 this morning and couldn’t help notice what a mess the other side was. The audio announcements were playing the regular “Manhattan-bound” message followed by another saying something like “the next Manhattan-bound L train terminates at Bedford Avenue”, meanwhile the countdown clocks said “Bedford Ave” and when the train arrived its screens said announcements said “Lorimer St”.

    Reply
    1. D in Bushwick

      It’s really quite astounding how very unorganized everything appears to be. Obviously it doesn’t matter.

      Reply
    2. Lance

      For some reason or another, there is no option on the 143s and 160s automated announcement system for the L from Rockaway Pkwy to Bedford Av.

      Regarding the in-station announcements, don’t get me started. While being more wordy than their counterparts on the IRT numbered lines, they have a tendency spout a lot of useless information, especially when the trains are short-turned somewhere. Compare the following:

      IRT 1-line at 86 St: “There is a local, 1 train to 96 St, approaching the station. Please stand away from the platform edge.”

      to

      BMT L-line at Graham Av: “Ladies and gentlemen, the next. L. Train. Is now arriving. On the. Manhattan-bound. Track. Please stand away from the platform edge. This. Manhattan-bound. L. Train. Terminates at. Bedford Av.”

      Tell me which one sounds better to you. Personally, I can’t stand the Canarsie next-train announcements. The fact that the MTA is expanding these announcements to the rest of the lettered lines as opposed to the IRT ones annoys me to no end.

      Reply
      1. Joe

        The L announcements are awful. The lady interrupts and talks over herself. And the displays themselves are erratic, sometimes showing screens only for a split second before switching back to the clock for no apparent reason.

        Even more annoying are the on-the-go kiosk “next train” list. They flip through so fast and the order of the list is so confusing it’s nearly impossible to locate and read the one you need in time.

        Reply
      2. sonicboy678

        Don’t forget the following: “The last stop on this local 1 train will be 96 St.”

        That’s how the information should be delivered. The announcements are only about as long as in-car automated announcements (save for this experimental BS mirroring other cities, which doesn’t work as well thanks to how confusing our subway system can be and because of how much harder it is to adequately receive information).

        Reply
  6. Nathanael

    OK, so for those of us trying to keep score at home, which of the flooded tubes have been repaired already, and which ones are still on the to-do list? (I know all of Amtrak’s tubes are still on the to-do list. I don’t remember which subway tubes are.)

    Reply

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