The L train shutdown, explained

Everything you need to know about the 15-month closure of service between Brooklyn and Manhattan

Brace yourselves, New Yorkers: the L train shutdown is coming.

On April 27, 2019, the Canarsie Tunnel, which connects Brooklyn and Manhattan along the L line, will close entirely for 15 months. About 225,000 people ride the L on a daily basis, and that closure—while essential to fix the tunnel's battered infrastructure—will be a major source of consternation for its commuters, particularly in areas where an alternate subway route is a considerable distance away.

Blame Hurricane Sandy for the closure; the storm devastated the tunnel's infrastructure, and it's only five years later that the MTA is getting around to repairing it. And though the shutdown itself is still a little less than two years away, it's already causing plenty of agita for folks living in the affected neighborhoods (in both north Brooklyn and Manhattan)—not only will commutes change, but real estate in those areas may be greatly affected.

So if you're wondering what the deal is with the shutdown, fear not: We're here to answer all of your burning questions.

Why does the L train have to be shut down?

Blame Hurricane Sandy: When the storm ripped through New York, it caused extensive damage on a 7,100-foot-long section of both tubes of the tunnel. The storm damaged "signals, switches, power cables, signal cables, communication cables, lighting, cable ducts and bench walls," according to the MTA, and without a permanent fix, the tunnel would continue to deteriorate.

The MTA carried out similar repairs on the Montague Street Tunnel for 13 months beginning in August 2013. That tunnel, which shuttles the N and R lines between Brooklyn and Manhattan, also sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Sandy. The MTA determined that a total closure, rather than doing work intermittently, would be the most efficient way to carry out repairs. Service on that tunnel resumed a month earlier than scheduled, so L train commuters can certainly be hopeful for fast-tracked repairs.

What will the Canarsie Tunnel repairs entail?

The MTA will carry out extensive demolition and reconstruction work in the tunnel. This includes "60,000 linear feet of duct banks, 14,400 linear feet of track and track bed, 270,000 linear feet of cable ducts and associated cables, repair of 7,000 linear feet of concrete lining." The tunnel will also get new lighting and fire systems.

Before the tunnel is closed, the MTA will also spruce up the L train stations at Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn and First Avenue in Manhattan, by adding new stairways and elevators to make them more ADA-accessible, and generally improving the flow of traffic.

Finally, construction on a new power substation at Avenue B and 14th Street in Manhattan will eventually allow the MTA to run more L trains along the route when it is back up and running.

How long will the repairs last?

Mercifully for riders, repair work has been shortened to 15 months from the original 18 months. The MTA was, at one point, debating between two repair plans: a partial closure that would last three years, and a complete closure for 18 months. Eventually the agency decided to go with the latter, and later announced an even shorter timeline for completion.

The repairs will cost $477 million, and the two firms carrying out the work, Judlau Contracting Inc. and TC Electric, will receive an additional $15 million to complete the work in the shortened time frame. Repair work is currently scheduled to begin on April 27, 2019.

What will happen during the L train shutdown?

Service on the L line will continue on its normal schedule in Brooklyn, running between Bedford Avenue and Canarsie-Rockaway Parkway. But it'll stop there—the train won't run between Brooklyn and Manhattan, and there won't be any L service in Manhattan at all.

At one point, MTA had contemplated running the L train in two sections: one in Manhattan between First and Eighth Avenues, and the second in Brooklyn between Bedford Avenue and Canarsie. In the end, the MTA decided against it because it would limit access to the Canarsie rail yards; if a train on the Manhattan side needed repairs, for example, there wouldn't be an easy way for it to get to deep Brooklyn.

What are the transit alternatives during the L train shutdown?

The MTA and NYC DOT will tackle the issue by bolstering service on other lines, offering a new ferry route, and amping up bus service.

In terms of the subway, the MTA will offer increased service on the J, M, Z, and G lines, with the shorter-than-average G train also getting additional cars. There will also be additional 7 trains, and more off-peak service on the A, E, F, G, J, M, and 7 lines. Commuters will get free transfers between the G at Broadway and the J/M/Z at Lorimer-Hewes; between the 3 at Junius Street and the L at Livonia Avenue; and between the G at 21st Street and the 7 at Hunters Point Avenue. Other service enhancement efforts include running the M train to 96th Street on the Second Avenue line on weekends and overnight; accelerating repairs at affected stations; and increasing the number of turnstiles and staircases at subway stations that will have to accommodate more passengers.

With the debut of the Lower East Side ferry this summer, there's now a connection between North Brooklyn and Stuyvesant Cove. The 14th Street Select Bus Service will have a stop there, offering riders a connection back to the 14th Street area. Independent of the NYC Ferry, the MTA will also run ferries that can seat up to 240 people at a time, from North Brooklyn to the Lower East Side.

Via MTA

Bus service will arguably be the most important piece of the L train puzzle: There will be bus lanes that connect the Grand Street L stop in Brooklyn to Delancey Street on the Lower East Side, which will run over the Williamsburg Bridge in a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes during rush hour to speed up the commute. On 14th Street, the area between Third to Ninth avenues on the eastbound lanes and Third to Eight avenues on the westbound lanes will be open only to buses during rush hour. The city is also planning to improve the existing SBS service on 14th Street by expanding the sidewalk and adding more pedestrian space.

For cyclists, the city is creating the first two-way, protected crosstown bike lane in Manhattan, on 13th Street, and a new bike parking hub on University Place between 13th and 14th Streets.

Private companies are also taking advantage of the shutdown and offering shuttle services. For example, a luxury bus service calling itself The New L will shuttle commuters between Manhattan and Brooklyn, on weekdays, for $155/month. The bus will come with free Wi-Fi, and a breakfast bar, among other features.

How will the repairs impact Williamsburg's lucrative real estate?

There has been panic among real estate brokers in advance of the shutdown, and perhaps for good reason: A recent StreetEasy report found that demand for Williamsburg rentals is down one percent since October of last year—and while that doesn't sound like much, the severity of that statistic is put into perspective when noting that Williamsburg is the only neighborhood in all of New York City that experienced a decline in rental demand since last year.

For renters, the shutdown may actually come as a boon, with rents in the neighborhood expected to drop. But ultimately, we won't know how the overall market is affected until the shutdown actually happens.

Is the city ready for the shutdown?

That question is a bit harder to answer. As Aaron Gordon wrote for Curbed back in October, in terms of subway mitigation efforts, "everything will have to run perfectly in order for there to be a modicum of success to this plan. And as we all know, the subway does not run perfectly." There are any number of things that can go wrong in the first week—traffic jams clogging bus service, subway delays, etc. etc.

Legislators in the city are doing what they can to ensure that commuters won't have too tough of a time: In September, the City Council passed legislation that will try to make the shutdown a little more palatable to commuters. The legislation calls for the creation of information centers in Brooklyn and Manhattan to provide updates about construction; to employ an ombudsperson that deals with complaints regarding the shutdown; and for the MTA to move expeditiously to replace its existing bus fleet with e-buses.

The MTA and DOT, meanwhile, have vowed to be responsive and ready to make changes as soon as the shutdown is underway. But it's impossible to predict the success or failure of their efforts until the shutdown begins; we'll see how it all goes in just a few short months.