Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Year : 2, Issue: 10
ABC7 News: Thousands of passengers who ride the A train in Far Rockaway, Queens will be impacted next year, when the subway line shuts down in the Rockaways for five months, starting in January. For many riders who live in that part of New York City, that’s the only available subway.
The A train is a lifeline for people who live, work and go to school in the Rockaways. But beginning in January, a section of it will be shut down for crucial repairs from Jan. 17 to May 19.
That includes Howard Beach/JFK Airport to either Far Rockaway/Mott Avenue or Rockaway Park/Beach 116th Street.
The A train was trashed in Superstorm Sandy 14 years ago. It was cleaned up and service was restored, but it never fully recovered and remains vulnerable to future storms. The repairs and upgrades will be similar to work performed on the G train this past summer.
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber insisted that it’s unavoidable.
“This project is literally, you know, taking that narrow causeway from Broad Channel back to the mainland of Queens and redoing the structure of that little narrow causeway and the track,” he said.
MTA officials say shuttle buses will run 24/7 and enhanced LIRR service is under consideration.
