Coalition to Voice Concerns About L Train Mitigation Plans Tomorrow (3/1) at Brooklyn Bowl

The L Train Coalition, “a group of engaged stakeholders, community organizations, businesses, and concerned citizens” will meet to call on the MTA and Department of Transportation for “better, safer L train alternatives” tomorrow (3/1) at Brooklyn Bowl (61 Wythe Ave.) at 10 a.m.

Council Member Antonio Reynoso, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Council Member Stephen Levin, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney will meet with the public and give their feedback on recent developments regarding the L train.

The MTA announced its “Alternative Service Plan” earlier this month for construction on the Canarsie Tunnel to take place during nights and weekends, when L trains will run every 20 minutes from Bedford Ave to Manhattan.

The work will start on April 26, and is estimated to last 15 – 20 months. The previous plans to lengthen the G train and provide shuttle buses across the Williamsburg Bridge are not included in the new plan, but service will increase on the G, M and 7 subway lines.

L service changes are currently scheduled through March 18th according to the MTA:

Weeknights
Jan 28 – March 18, approx. 10:45 PM to 5 AM, Monday to Friday
L trains will not run between Broadway Junction and 8 Av.

Weekends
Mar 15-18, Appx. 10:45 PM Friday to 5 AM Monday
There will be no L trains between 8 Av and Broadway Junction

Why can’t trains run overnight and on weekends during the track and signal work in February and March, like they will during the revised version of the L Project?
As you know, there are multiple pieces of the L Project. The part of the project that was revised was the tunnel rehabilitation work—which is great news for many customers since we’ll have L service 24/7, even with reduced service while we run a single-track operation during overnights and weekends.

For this overnight and weekend times in February and March, we’re focused on long-term reliability improvement work. Here are a few highlights of what we’ll be doing:

Removing and replacing all existing 16,000 feet of rails, plates and the ties supporting the track
Relocating and replacing cables
Rebuilding Bedford Av switches to be ready to support the one-track operation starting in April
Installing continuous welded rail at Bushwick-Aberdeen, between Jefferson and DeKalb, at Montrose and from Lorimer to Graham
The work requires full service closures because:

Track work: In order to perform the rail, plate and tie replacement, we use specialized track equipment that needs the full track access.
Switch work: The tracks south of Bedford Av have an “interlocking plant,” also known as a “double crossover,” which is what allows us to switch trains from one track to another. The switches and signals that form this interlocking are located on both tracks.