A silver lining has appeared in the ever looming dark cloud that is the L-Train-pocalypse. Not only will it be a shorter shutdown, but it will start later than expected.
The MTA Board recently voted on, and approved, plans to reduce the length of the L-Train shutdown from 18 months to 15. This means work would begin on the line in April 2019 rather than January.
More on the L-Train Shutdown:
A $477 million contract was awarded to Judlau Contracting to complete the work in record time. In a statement to The NY Times, Lawrence S. Schwartz, an MTA board member, said:
“I expect this project to be completed in 15 months, […] I want to make sure that Judlau and everybody else who is going to be involved on this project understands that it will not be tolerated or accepted to be 15 months and one day.”
This offers no piece of mind to thousands of commuters who will be affected by the shutdown. While the MTA plans to run shuttle buses and increase service on the G and J trains, many NYers are concerned that the extent of the fallout when the popular L-Train shuts down will not be covered.
Whether you will be affected but the train closure or not, for now, we can be thankful that the winter months will see “regular” (read: “delays… but at least it’s still running”) service.
Featured image source [Flickr | Michael Tapp]