We're hoping the MTA just chugged too much whiskey today. Or that maybe they're dreaming, or hallucinating. As much guff as we give them, we really hope they're on drugs or something.
The news we just heard couldn't possibly be true, unless the MTA forgot to take their pills today. Has the MTA noticed how many people rely on the L train? How many people wouldn't be able to get to work without it? How packed the L is every single day?
Right, so knowing all that, you'd think they wouldn't cancel the L train for years. Apparently, though, they might do just that.
This announcement comes at a bad time. Last week, the MTA announced that 30 stations would be shut down for 6 to 12 months at a time to make certain technological advancements. We considered revolting then.
Ask us whether we feel like revolting now? Well, we're not about to round up our militia friends and post up outside of whatever MTA building we can find. This isn't Oregon. We're not traitors. Or idiots.
How will we ever get to Smorgasburg again? Okay, no really. How will people who live off the L line ever get to work now?
[anad]
Gothamist reported that the L train's Canarsie tube was flooded with salt water and wrecked severely during Hurricane Sandy. You remember ol' Sandy, right? The one that flooded New York City?
Well, now that Canarsie Tube needs to be repaired, and it's projected to take three years. The MTA is considering shutting down service between Manhattan and Brooklyn on the L line to get the job done.
Which means that the Manhattan-bound L train would end at Bedford Avenue, and a good chunk of the more than 300,000 riders that rely on the L train on any given weekday would just be SOL.
"Unfortunately we all knew this day would eventually come on the Canarsie line, because this is, once again, the legacy of Sandy," said Richard Barone, the Director of Transportation Programs for the Regional Plan Association.
The MTA is not married to the idea of shutting down all L service for years, which, if they were, get a divorce already. They're also considering keeping one of the two tunnels open while repairing the other, which would limit, but not end service between Brooklyn in Manhattan.
MTA spokesperson Adam Lisberg said shutting down the Canarsie line completely "is one of several options that we're considering."
Okay, before you completely lose your sh*t, the MTA did consider the fact that everyone who uses the L train will still need to get around.
The MTA would increase M train service, add two cars to G trains, and run a system of shuttle buses. So instead of rushing to work on a crowded L train, Brooklyn residents could just rush to work on a crowded shuttle bus and sit in traffic instead.
The work is supposed to begin in late 2017, and would cost more than $50 million. The good news is that the repairs are covered by Sandy relief funds from the federal government.
Here's the thing: We get that Sandy completely decimated the city in many ways, and that we need to recuperate. We just can't get around the fact that we need many, many more L trains-- not none.
[anad2]
"The problem I think that people have today, is that they don't really believe that it will be done [in three years,]" Barone said. "If [the MTA] delivers the Second Avenue Subway in December 2016 as they promised, if they start delivering things when they say they're going to deliver them, then people have confidence."
We're kind of with Barone on this one. We need the MTA to prove to us that they really are capable of getting in, fixing something, and getting out, on a reasonable timeline, and in a way that improves what was taken from us. But one success after consistent failure doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
If the MTA doesn't start demonstrating its trustworthiness to us, we'll probably just all buy helicopters, or move out of the city or something. We really are sorry to bring you this terrible news. We'll keep you updated as we learn more.
Check out the Entire NYC Subway System Will Have Wi-Fi By the End of 2016.
[via Gothamist] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]