NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has added to bus service to help offset an upcoming 17-week shutdown of the New York City Transit subway A line to the Rockaway Peninsula.
The MTA had previously announced measures including free shuttle buses, shuttle trains on the peninsula, and discounted Long Island Rail Road fares [see “MTA sets four-month closure …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 17, 2024]. The closure, beginning Jan. 17, will allow rebuilding of the Hammels Wye viaduct, where trains enter the peninsula and are routed to either Far Rockaway or Rockaway Park.
The new measures include extending some QM15 express buses beyond their regular terminus at Howard Beach, and addition of an additional peak-period round trip for the QM16 bus to western Rockaway and the QM 17 to eastern Rockaway).
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a press release that the MTA has shown during a previous G Train shutdown that it can provide reliable alternatives during a maintenance outage. “Building on that successful playbook and running robust express and shuttle bus service,” he said, “we will ensure that riders in the Rockaways can get around the city while we improve their line.”
More details of the new bus service are available here.
The MTA noted that much of the work is in response to extensive damage caused by the superstorm Sandy. It took seven months to restore service to Rockaway after Sandy in October 2012. On the other hand, the relaed announcement gave no indication that NYC Ferry service from Rockaway would be expanded while the upgrades are underway.
Dr. Güntürk Üstün