Last week, incensed by the fourth weekend in a row of suspended G train service, I published a ranting op-ed, asking the MTA for a modicum of forewarning. Weekend work is undoubtedly a pain in the butt, but it would be easier to navigate if we had a sense of when to expect it. 

Many of you agreed! And one of you agreed so much that you actually decided to do something about it. 

A Reddit user created the site gtrain.baby to provide real time service updates, as well as track future outages. Case in point — the G train will be out again the weekend of April 17-20. 

The site also tracks recent incidents and compares the G to other lines. 

You’ll definitely want to bookmark it. However, we also have some possible good news from the people actually in power: our article caught the attention of both Assemblymember Emily Gallagher and Council Member Lincoln Restler. 

Gallagher shared on Twitter that she plans to meet with the MTA to discuss the situation soon. And Restler shared in a newsletter yesterday morning that he is also working with the agency to find a solution.

“The G train is the lifeline for the Greenpoint community, and every shutdown impacts the neighborhood’s small businesses and the community’s ability to get around,” said Restler. “We are pushing the MTA to limit all future shutdowns to overnight hours and provide a full 6-month timeline for future work so that we can plan for better alternatives.”

Restler also shared that there will be overnight work on the G from April 13-15 and April 20-April 24.

Local news is built on a foundation of a thousand tiny noticings—a weird smell, a long-dilapidated storefront, a loud neighbor. The G train situation exemplifies why this work matters. Greenpointers was the first outlet to break the story about the summer 2024 shutdown. We’ve tracked every new decision and every update. 

And now our ranting and raving about weekend outages might actually help move the needle (or at least, it inspired a neighbor to create something for the benefit of the community).

I say all of this because you might have noticed that our homepage looks a little different. We’re in the process of revamping the site and, most excitingly, we’ve finally added a way for readers to support us bringing critical news to the community. If you think what we do matters, consider subscribing as a member.

Greenpointers will always be free, but your generous donation helps us keep it that way!