Fixing the L Train and Managing the Shutdown

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said it will shut down the L train tunnels under the East River for more than a year to repair the severe damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. That is grim news for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who rely on the L and who will have few easy alternatives to get to where they’re going every day.

But if the crisis is handled properly, it could provide an opportunity to test new technologies and street designs that could benefit New Yorkers in the long term. It also gives the MTA a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the L and address overcrowding and station accessibility issues along the line.

While the MTA and New York City Department of Transportation have not released a formal mitigation plan for the shutdown, community groups, business leaders, elected officials, and transit advocates have been working together to generate their own ideas. Regional Plan Association and Riders Alliance have summarized these proposals in this document. We hope these strategies help guide the L train construction project and the transportation plan put in place during the tunnel’s closure to ensure riders across the length of the L have robust alternatives during the shutdown.

This proposal is based on input from 2,000 riders from Manhattan to Canarsie who filled out surveys this summer and fall, along with dozens of meetings with stakeholders.