Summer fast approaches, invoking dreams of beach days, park hangs, and exploring New York City to the fullest. But maybe it’s time to pump the breaks on some of those fun summer plans.
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher shared on X that the MTA plans to suspend G train service for every weekend in June, with additional outages scheduled for later in the year.
“These shutdowns impact social connections, weekend work shifts, and our wallets. They punish people for choosing to live in Greenpoint,” Gallagher wrote on X.
“We were told that last year’s shutdowns would be the end. They made this schedule without communication, much less collaborative planning,” she continued.
The outages will also occur during two weekends in August, and one weekend each in May and September. The MTA will once again suspend G train service every weekend in December.
These prolonged disruptions rub salt in the wounds of a neighborhood exclusively reliant on one train, especially considering how regularly they’ve occured over the past few months. Using MTA newsletter data, I recently calculated that the G train was out most weekends from December 12 through the end of March. Of course, the totality of the outages only became clear near the end, as the MTA never shared details more than a couple of weeks in advance.
The MTA completely suspended G train service for most of summer 2024 in order to implement communications-based train control (CBTC), a much-need update to the train’s antiquated signaling system. We’re grateful for the upgrades, but remain concerned as to how much longer to expect the weekend work; an analysis last year found that the project was significantly behind schedule and would not be completed until 2029.
City Council Member Lincoln Restler and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso will host a press conference tomorrow, April 28 at 12 pm, alongside impacted business owners. The press conference will take place near 85 Nassau Avenue.
Assemblymember Gallagher’s office is planning a town hall for concerned residents to discuss the issue—stay tuned for additional details.