When Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York City and its public transportation system last fall, the R train was one of the hardest-hit lines. Four thousand feet of that line’s East River tunnel flooded, filling with 27 million gallons of water, rendering travel from Brooklyn to Manhattan and back on the R impossible for nearly two months.
The train has been running fine since December, but now, the same tunnel may be closed for another year or more, as the MTA plans repairs beginning in August that will last twelve to fourteen months. No word on how the transit authority plans to accommodate commuters.
Lest R train riders feel they are getting unfair treatment, the MTA also announced extensive repair to (wait for it) the G train, which will see its Brooklyn-Queens tunnel close for 12 weekends this year, with the possibility of more prolonged closures in summer 2014. Happy riding!
(Photo: Adam Kuban/Flickr)
