What to Know
- Overnight and weekend work is set for the L subway line between Broadway Junction and Eighth Avenue from Jan. 28 - March 18
- The work is the long-term reliability improvement work the MTA had originally planned, not the revised L train tunnel work
- The MTA is offering alternative subway lines and free shuttles buses as options instead of the L
Night and weekend work is set to begin on the L subway line on Monday, which will shut down the L train between Broadway Junction and Eighth Avenue for certain periods of time through March, the MTA says.
The MTA said in a service advisory posted Friday, "As part of the revised L Project, we’re still moving forward on the long-term reliability improvement work we had originally planned. This includes installing brand new rail in the tunnel and along other critical sections of the L line, and preparing key switches and signals."
As a result, starting Jan. 28, there will be no L service between Eighth Avenue in Manhattan to Broadway Junction in Brooklyn from 10:45 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Friday, and through all the weekends through March 18 (including Feb. 19, President's Day).
The overnight and weekend work will end on March 18.
As an alternative, customers can take the A, F, J or M between Brooklyn and Manhattan; or in Manhattan along the L train route, take the M14 bus.
In Brooklyn, free shuttle buses are being offered along two routes, both stopping at L train stations between Bedford Avenue and Broadway Junction: between Broadway Junction and Lorimer Street, connecting with Marcy Avenue J subway; and loop between Marcy Avenue J, Hewes Street J, Broadway G, Lorimer Street-Metropolitan Avenue G and Bedford Avenue.
Unlike the revised L train project announced earlier this month -- which narrowly helped avoid a full shutdown on the line -- this part of the project requires full service closures because crews need entire track access while installing rails, plates, ties and cables, and working on the switch.
Ultimately this particular phase of L train work "means our track will be safer and trains will run faster and smoother, and that we’ll have the right signals to run the one-track operation come April," the MTA said.
