Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit on Flickr
The A train will shut down in the Rockaways for four months starting in January to strengthen infrastructure against extreme weather. From January 17 to May 19 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. During this period, the Rockaway Park Shuttle, which normally runs to Broad Channel, will instead operate between Rockaway Park and Far Rockaway, with no shuttle service running at all during the first week of the closure
The suspension of service is needed so the MTA can repair viaducts and bridges damaged during Hurricane Sandy, which hit the city over 12 years ago, and protect the line from future storms. The A-line serves about 9,000 daily riders.
The piece of infrastructure in most need of fixing is the structure and track on the Hammels Wye viaduct, where trains first enter the Rockaway peninsula and head east to Rockaway or west to Rockaway Park, as reported by AMNY.
The limited A train service will be similar to what riders experienced after Hurricane Sandy, which took seven months to fully restore service to the Rockaways.
“Consistent with what has been done in the past for the L train Canarsie Tunnel project and G line modernization work, this next phase of the A train resiliency work has undergone internal and external expert review to weigh alternate delivery and construction methods,” Mark Roche, the MTA’s deputy chief development officer of delivery, told AMNY.
“It was determined that the plan presented is the best option for getting this work done as quickly as possible, with the least impact to commuters.”
During the first week of closure, free shuttle buses will run nonstop or make local stops from Howard Beach to Far Rockaway and from Rockaway Park to Broad Channel and Howard Beach.
Over the following 16 weekends, the Q91 shuttle bus will run nonstop between Howard Beach and Far Rockaway, and the Q109 shuttle bus will make local stops between Howard Beach and Beach 67th Street, stopping at Broad Channel and Beach 90th Street where riders can transfer to the shuttle train.
The MTA is hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, November 14 at the YMCA on Rockaway Beach Boulevard in Arverne to discuss the service changes with local community members.
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