MTA Unveils Proposed Alternative Service Plan for L Train

The MTA has announced a proposed Alternate Service Plan for the L subway line during its much-anticipated and talked-about repair work.

According to the proposed plan announced Wednesday, certain schedules and services will face changes.

The Alternative Service Plan includes: 

• Work on overnights/weekends begins the weekend of April 26;
• The MTA does not anticipate closing 14th Street to vehicles, which would have happened under the previous plan;
• The MTA is not  planning shuttle buses or HOV lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge;
• The MTA is not planning shuttle buses or HOV lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge;
• Beginning at 10 p.m. every night, L trains will run every 20 minutes;
• The MTA recommends customers use other subway lines - the G/J/M especially;
• The MTA will not be lengthening G trains as previously planned;
• The MTA will run a “loop bus” from Bedford Avenue to those other subways;
• concerned about crowding at First Avenue and Third Avenue in Manhattan. They are considering making those stations EXIT ONLY;
• Work should last 15-20 months but an end date is unknown

The L train was supposed to shut down completely for 15-months for Hurricane Sandy-related repairs, but, last month, Gov. Cuomo announced a new L train subway tunnel design that will eliminate a full shutdown. Since Cuomo’s announcement, however, safety and other concerns have been raised about the new plan.

As part of the new plan touted by Cuomo, repairs would take place on nights and weekends, with only one tube closed at any given time.

The New York Times on Tuesday, however, reported that the MTA “considered a similar idea nearly five years ago and determined that it raised serious safety concerns, including the potential for the spread of cancer-causing dust that could harm commuters and workers.”

However, Jerry Jannetti of WSP Engineering said, "We wouldn't propose a plan we wouldn't think would be safe and durable."

The engineering firm and the contractor explained that they can now take power cables and hang them on racks in the tunnel instead of burying them in what's called a bench wall. The new option means doing the work on nights and weekends instead of a full shutdown.