Rockaway residents won’t be left stranded this winter while the A and S subway lines undergo rehabilitation. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday announced a substitute service plan to ensure reliable transit options for Rockaway residents while the MTA conducts vital resilience upgrades to the A and S lines. The plan includes two free shuttle buses, heavily discounted Long Island Rail Road fares, and a free Rockaway subway shuttle train serving all stations on the peninsula between Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park.
The A train is slated to shut down for four months starting in January to strengthen its infrastructure against extreme weather. From January 17 to May 19 of next year, the A train will not run at all between Howard Beach-JFK Airport to Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street or Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue in both directions. Additionally, Rockaway Park shuttle trains will not run to or from Broad Channel.
The suspension of service is necessary for the MTA to repair viaducts and bridges damaged during Hurricane Sandy, including the crucial Hammels Wye viaduct. The viaduct is where trains first enter the Rockaway peninsula and head east to Rockaway or west to Rockaway Park.
As part of the project, the MTA will fully reconstruct the viaduct and repair the South Channel Bridge as part of a $393 million investment to secure reliable Rockaway line service for the next 50 years.
The A-line is one of the few transit options available to Rockaway residents, serving roughly 9,000 daily riders. The limited service will resemble what riders experienced after Sandy, which took seven months to fully restore service to the area.
During this period, free shuttle buses will operate along two routes for Rockaway residents: the Q97, between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway via Nassau Expressway, and the Q108, running from Howard Beach to Beach 67th Street via Broad Channel and Beach 90th Street.
The LIRR will offer $2.75 tickets for trips from Far Rockaway Station on the Far Rockaway Branch, cheaper than the cost of a subway ride. Currently, an LIRR ticket from Far Rockaway costs $7 during peak travel times and $5 off-peak.
Starting on January 20, a free-fare shuttle will begin serving all stations on the peninsula between Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park for the duration of the service outage.
“While these construction plans and changes will create a faster and more reliable transportation experience in and out of the Rockaways for our New Yorkers, we are also cognizant of the burden it will have on residents’ commutes,” Hochul said.
“This service plan helps us ensure that we can take care of our residents while transforming their transit experience, and ensuring that we provide fair and reliable transportation alternatives as we carry out the resiliency plan.”
The MTA’s General Superintendent, Hugh Zamora, will oversee the shuttle buses and adjust service in real-time based on customer demand. He will also ensure effective communication of service changes to passengers by deploying staff where necessary and installing clear signage.
Zamora also managed the service changes and customer communications during the six-week shutdown of the G train in Greenpoint last summer that replaced the line’s 1930s-era signal infrastructure with communications-based train control (CBTC), allowing trains to run closer together, improving the reliability and efficiency of the line.
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