Commuters who ride the G train are in for a major headache this summer.
The MTA plans to shut down swaths of the 11.4-mile subway line — the only train that runs entirely between Brooklyn and Queens — beginning in June to modernize track equipment.
City and state transit officials, in the meantime, are preparing alternatives to help the more than 150,000 weekday riders who rely on the G to get around. Here’s what you need to know:
What is the G train shutdown?
The G train shutdown will happen in three phases over six weeks this summer.
Phase one
Between June 28 and July 5, there will be no G train service between Court Square in Long Island City and Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint.
Phase two
Between July 5 and Aug. 12, there will be no G train service from Court Square to Bedford-Nostrand in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Phase three
Between Aug. 12 and Sept. 3, there will be no G train service between Bedford-Nostrand and Church Avenue in Kensington.
G train shutdown map
Why now?
The MTA is swapping out 1930s-era signal equipment along the G line, which was installed when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. Transit crews are replacing the old technology with modern communication-based train control signals. Sean Fitzpatrick, the deputy chief of staff for the MTA’s construction department, said the change will enable the MTA to run faster, more reliable service on the G line. “I think of it as the single biggest investment we can make in improving service on a line,” Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick added that it’s technically possible for the MTA to update the G line signals without the summer shutdown, but it would be “dramatically more expensive” and would present a longer-term disruption to riders due to work that would unfold over the course of several weekends and overnight.
How will the G train shutdown impact commuters?
Riders will have the option to hop on free MTA shuttle buses along the G train route as an alternative. Fitzpatrick estimates the shuttle buses will run as frequently as every one to four minutes during the morning and evening weekday rush.
Teams at the city’s Department of Transportation and the New York Police Department are working with the MTA to keep roads clear and heighten traffic enforcement to help buses go faster. The average bus speeds in Queens and Brooklyn are 8 and 9 miles mph, respectively, according to MTA data.
Will businesses be affected?
Traffic changes will take place on some major thoroughfares that could impact truck drivers dropping off or picking up goods on streets above the G line. For instance, the MTA and DOT will add roughly a dozen new loading zones to provide dedicated curb space for deliveries along Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn. Transit officials say they intend for these changes to reduce double parking at particularly busy points on the thoroughfare that could bog down traffic.
Transit officials also plan to restrict certain turns onto Manhattan, Greenpoint and Nassau avenues. The authority, Fitzpatrick said, plans to pepper impacted streets and intersections with signage alerting motorists, residents and local businesses to the changes.
How much will the G train shutdown cost?
The total cost of the project is $633.1 million, according to MTA spokesman Mike Cortez.
The lead MTA contractor on the project is Crosstown Partners, which is a joint venture between the Great Neck-based Tc Electric and France-headquartered Thales. Infrastructure giant AECOM is the designer on the project.
Caroline Spivack , 2024-06-04 17:50:05
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