4. L Train Renovations

Image from Wikimedia Commons by the MTA

Since Hurricane Sandy, the L train’s Canarsie Tube has been seriously damaged and flooded by salt water. Earlier last month Governor Cuomo announced a plan to completely close down 30 subway stations for months long to be renovated, but the announcement that met with more rancor was the proposal to close down portions of the L train (either a section in entirety or one side of the Carnasie tube at a time).

The subway line that experiences more than 230,000 riderships everyday is estimated to be renovated in three years with partial closures, one to two years with a complete shutdown. While it is inevitable that the L train will have to be closed down to some extent, Streetsblog has proposed that a BRT will be a great alternative solution to reduce disturbances to L train passengers. However, if we consider the 35/100 rating of New York’s current BRT system, that will probably create another set of challenges for the MTA. There are no confirmed plans at the moment, but the project is due to commence in 2017, and anxious commuters will have to wait and see how the plans unfold in the next year.