The suspension of subway service on the G Line over the summer has caused anxiety for commuters, even as they acknowledge that much-needed repairs to the aging system are probably necessary.
The Met said it would not inconvenience passengers desperate to hang on to trains during the six-week rolling closure that began on Friday, and would provide frequent shuttle bus services running every few minutes during the closure.
But that was little comfort to people who rely on the Brooklyn-Queens Transit Line, which travels between Court Square in Long Island City and Church Avenue in Kensington and is already considered by some riders the subway system’s forgotten child.
“The G train is already frequently delayed,” Giovanni, 37, a Greenpoint resident, told The Post. “I really hate having to wait for the shuttle.”
“I’ve heard some of my colleagues say the shuttle should take about the same amount of time,” he continued, “but you never know what could happen — an accident, traffic jams — and everything on the ground could cause additional delays.”
Other passengers grimaced as they tried to find other transportation options in areas where the G line, which doesn’t go all the way into Manhattan, is often the closest and sometimes only option for commuters, fearing a hit to their wallets.
“My bank account is going to be blown up,” Patrick Hayes, a 22-year-old construction worker from Greenpoint, New Jersey, said Thursday.
“I take the G line twice a day. I’m going to use Uber,” Hayes said, adding that he expects the workaround to cost him about $50 a day. “It’s going to cost me more. The rides are expensive. It’s ridiculous.”
But others said they understand why the MTA is doing it, even if it’s an inconvenience.
“What people need to understand is that maintenance is necessary,” Reggie, 52, said Wednesday. “If you want the trains to run on time and run smoothly, you need to fix them and make sure they run properly.”
“I get that people get annoyed because there aren’t many other train options where the G train stops,” the former building maintenance worker added, “but at least I know that $2.90 is going to good things.”
Transportation officials say they need to close the line so workers can enter the tunnel and remove Depression-era traffic lights that frequently break down.
Instead, they will install new computer systems that will improve reliability and increase the frequency of trains.
“The Crosstown Line, where the G train operates, still maintains the same signal system that was in place when the line opened more than 90 years ago,” he said. The MTA said on its website.
“This system has reached the end of its useful life, so we’re bringing modern, communications-based train control technology to the Crosstown Line. A more modern, reliable signal system means more reliable service for the 160,000 riders who travel on the G Line every day.”
But with technology comes pain, and in this case, that means a partial shutdown that will disrupt lines until September 3rd.
The MTA announced that trains will not run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue starting Friday through July 5.
The section between Court Square and Bedford Nostrand Avenue will then be closed from July 5 to August 12.
Finally, crews will finish off the massive project by moving from Bedford Station to Church Avenue, which will be closed from August 12th until September 3rd.
An MTA spokesman said in an email that the agency had appointed Hugo Zamora “G Train Czar” to oversee service and “ensure riders get to their destinations.”
NYC Transit Monthly Committee Meeting on MondayZamora outlined the MTA’s complex plan to upgrade routes and keep shuttle buses running.
He said the improvements will mean customers will come back to a “brighter, cleaner and refreshed G Line” when they return later in the summer.
Still, the riders weren’t looking forward to the difficult summer ahead.
Teddy Sanchez, 38, of Astoria, balked at the idea of taking the shuttle.
Robert Miller
“I never take the bus,” he said. “I’m a native New Yorker, but I’ve never taken the bus. It’s like Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi. Take your pick. I’m a train guy.”
Instead, he said, he would likely take a Citi Bike to his girlfriend’s house near the Bedford-Nostrand Avenue station.
“At least it’s cardio,” he said.
One rider was particularly disappointed about the project: City Councilman Lincoln Ressler, whose 33rd District includes Greenpoint.
“The G train being shut down is a big burden on the Greenpoint community, especially because the G train is our lifeline. It’s the only train that stops in Greenpoint,” Resler said as he sat on the G train and looked over the documents.
“This is a necessary infrastructure investment, and I’m pleased that the MTA will be upgrading G train signals to allow for more reliable service and potentially more frequent G train service, which is a great priority for our entire community,” he continued.
“But I wish I could do this job in the evenings and on weekends,” he says. “It would be really hard.”
Others were more brief.
“This is the worst,” said Alex Ramos, a 25-year-old grocery store worker who takes the train from Bedford Station to his job near Court Square. “Now I have to take a bus, then another bus, then a different train.”
“There are no buses that come here from Brooklyn,” the young man said.
“I’m not looking forward to it at all.”
