Riders who rely on the subway's L line, which ferries commuters between Manhattan and several increasingly popular Brooklyn neighborhoods, could have to find alternative forms of transportation for more than a year while work crews make repairs to the line, according to one plan proposed by the MTA.
The proposal is one of several being floated by the agency as it prepares to make post-Sandy repairs to the tunnels known as the Canarsie tubes that runs under the East River and connect the two boroughs. The plans were first reported by Gothamist, worrying straphangers who have few other options to move about the city.
"I don't wanna sugarcoat this for anyone," said MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg. "It's going to be difficult."
It's not the only plan that the MTA is considering, however. Another proposal could include weekend shutdowns over a longer period -- somewhat like what the agency has done on the 7 line in Queens, shutting down large swaths of the Queens-to-Manhattan artery on a weekly basis so upgrades could be made to signaling equipment and rails.
But Lisberg notes that because the tube suffered severe saltwater damage, it could take much longer and would be more expensive to shut the tube down only on weekends.
"It would take a lot more time - years more - and it would be much more costly to do that," Lisberg said.
Under any repair plan, Manhattan-bound trains would likely terminate at the busy Bedford Avenue station in Williamsburg. It's not clear if a second set of trains would run between First and Eighth avenues in Manhattan.
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In the event of a shutdown, shuttle buses would be used to ferry passengers to other stops, likely at the Marcy Avenue J/M/Z station.
If the MTA opts to completely shut down parts of the line near the Canarsie tube, it wouldn't be the first time. The agency stopped running R trains between lower Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn on weekdays for 13 months while repairs were made to the Montague tubes, which were similarly damaged by Sandy's floodwaters.
And the G train, which services many of the same riders as the L train in north Brooklyn, shut down several stations in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Long Island City for five weeks in 2014 so repairs could be made.
But the sheer number of commuters the L train carries could pose extra problems for the MTA. The line's ridership has exploded by more than 300,000 in recent years as Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick see a crush of new development.
And for many of those riders, the L train is the only convenient option as the nearby G and J/M/Z lines either require multiple transfers or long walks to access.
