The MTA is exploring the possibility of putting in an entrance at Avenue A for the L train as part of a proposed $300 million dollar plan to improve the overcrowded subway line.
According to a press release from the MTA, the L train “runs from Manhattan to the Canarsie section of Brooklyn through neighborhoods that have seen the largest increases in population in New York City,” and the proposed improvements would add “a 10% increase in service, which could carry 2,200 additional customers per hour.” Those estimates are based on the addition of three power substations that would allow for two additional trains per hour.
Anyone who’s been on the L Train at rush hour knows that Bedford Avenue is the real bottleneck. Indeed, that area “has been rezoned to allow for almost 10,000 new residential units” — but don’t expect that area to get much better, because “ridership is expected to continue to rise.” The best case scenario: the status quo will keep pace with growth.
As for the Avenue A entrance, it “would serve 60% of the station’s ridership, thus eliminating a 500-foot walk (from First Avenue to Avenue A) for 31,000 weekday customers.”
Partial funding for the improvements has been included in the MTA’s 2015-2019 capital program, but the transit service has always figured out a way to squander funds.
(Photo: Bitchcakes)
