More New Yorkers will be able to travel to and from Rockaway Beach on summer weekends solely by train.
The Rockaway Park Shuttle will expand service to accommodate more beachgoers on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing more people to transfer to the A train in either direction through September.
“While we can’t offer trips to Aruba or Greece, we can offer great service to the beaches of the Rockaways in New York,” New York City Transit Interim President Demetrius Crichlow said Tuesday.
MTA officials said the Rockaway Park Shuttle will expand from eight cars to 10. The shuttle will operate from Rockaway Boulevard on weekends from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., carrying beachgoers on trains that make stops on both Lefferts Boulevard and the Far Rockaway Branch.
Funding for the service expansion comes from $35 million estimated in last year’s subway service expansion budget, a move that comes as transit advocates push for shorter train wait times for commuters.
Gov. Kathy Hawkle, who has faced fierce criticism over her suspension of congestion pricing, did not attend an MTA news conference Tuesday to announce the news. Instead, MTA CEO and Chairman Janno Lieber made the announcement along with other transportation officials.
“The MTA is the greenest, most hassle-free way to get around,” Lieber said. “Why sit in traffic when you can avoid it and take a call, watch TikTok, or not have to worry about frustrated drivers or traffic jams?”
But even with the extension, New Yorkers may have to deal with limited access to the city’s beaches and pools as the city struggles to hire enough lifeguards to service all of the city’s beaches, and as of last month needed to hire hundreds more to be fully staffed.
Starting this month, the B, D, J and M lines will operate every eight minutes on weekends during the midday and evening hours, while the 3 and 5 lines will operate every 10 minutes during the same times, according to the MTA.
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed the Rockaway Park Shuttle stop incorrectly.
