Tunnel Rehabilitation Work Remains Ahead of Schedule as MTA Prepares to Start Accessibility and Stations Work at 14 St-6 Av, Union Square
Access and Mobility Upgrade with New Escalator at Union Square Requires Full 
Track and Station Access Between 8 Av and Broadway Junction Weekend of Sept 13-16; Shuttle Buses Will Be Provided Along with Alternative Subway Options
Starting Accessibility Initiative at 14 St-6 Av Station Means Some Weeknights and Weekends in October and November Will have No Service at 8 Av or 14 St-6 Av; Alternative Subway Options and Additional M14 Select Bus Service Provided
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that as the Project tunnel rehabilitation advances ahead of schedule, it is now able to schedule work for other parts of the project—critical accessibility and stations work.
With the revised approach to the tunnel rehabilitation work, service has been maintained as normal for 88% of weekday customers. This has helped hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers that would have been severely impacted under the original plan to fully close service between 8 Av in Manhattan and Bedford Av in Brooklyn. The accessibility and stations work announced today, which is part of the original Project but separate from the tunnel rehabilitation, will require changes to service in September, October and November this year.
The Project is made up of multiple projects, including tunnel rehabilitation, capacity and accessibility improvements and additional capital projects. As the tunnel work remains ahead of schedule, the MTA is also progressing the accessibility and stations work promised under the original scope of the Project. This is focused on advancing two primary projects:
1. Augmenting access and mobility options and reducing crowding at Union Square Station with a new escalator: The platform at Union Square is among the most congested platforms in the system: 18,700 people use it in the AM peak hour and 16,500 in the PM. Following the successful redesign and construction of the two platform to 
platform stairs under the Project, the planned escalator, scheduled to be fully operable in 2020, will further alleviate congestion while also giving customers an additional mobility option.
2. Advancing accessibility work at 14 St-6 Av Station: Under the Project, the platform and the 
/
platform will be made accessible at this station, a critical connection hub in Manhattan. Additionally, with the next capital plan, the 
platforms, which are connected via free transfer, will also be made accessible. This will be managed as one project to increase efficiency, and will be done in phases with the platform accessibility scheduled for completion first. Details include:
• platform accessibility: This project will provide two elevators from the street to the mezzanine, and another two from the mezzanine to the train platform. Work will start on or before Dec. 31, 2020, and will complete on or before Dec. 31, 2022.
• , platform accessibility: As part of the design and construction of the platform accessibility work, we are also designing and starting preparatory certain preliminary preparatory work for additional accessibility upgrades to the / platform, including two elevators. These additional elevators will leverage the two street elevators that will be installed to support the platform accessibility to also connect the / trains’ mezzanines (both uptown and downtown) from street level and the passageway leading to 14 St-6 Av Station on 7th Avenue. Construction of this project is to be included as part of the 2020-2024 Capital Program Plan proposal, which will seek the right approvals and funding to start construction in that five-year time period.
“While the Project was initiated because of the damage from Superstorm Sandy, it was designed to address many other critical needs—namely, accessibility,” said Alex Elegudin, NYC Transit’s senior adviser for systemwide accessibility. “Advancing this work now at these critical stations as we had promised will help to minimize disruptions later while also getting the accessibility and ease-of-access improvements done as quickly as possible, a huge win for our customers.”
Customers should plan ahead for these service changes in fall 2019:
• Weekend of September 13-16, 2019: No service between 8 Av in Manhattan and Broadway Junction in Brooklyn from 10:45 p.m. on Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. Alternate service will include:
o train: Every 10 minutes between Broadway Junction and Canarsie Rockaway-Pkwy; every 20 minutes during the late nights
o train: Will run every 8 minutes up to 96 St-2 Av, until late nights when it runs every 20 minutes between Metropolitan Av to Myrtle Av
o 
train: Will run every 8 minutes (instead of the normal every 10 minutes) during the day
o Two free shuttle buses: Shuttle bus #1: fare-free as a loop between Lorimer Street and Marcy Avenue 
, making stops at Lorimer St , Bedford Av , Hewes Street , and Marcy Avenue ; shuttle bus #2 runs between Lorimer Street and Broadway Junction in both directions and stops at Marcy Av
o Additional M14 Select Bus Service (SBS) in Manhattan
• October/November 2019, approximately three to five weeks of weeknights and weekends with no service at 8 Av or 14 St-6 Av Stations in Manhattan; dates will be announced as soon as possible. Alternate service will include:
o train: Every 20 minutes between Union Square and Lorimer St; every 10 minutes between Broadway Junction and Canarsie Rockaway-Pkwy; every 20 minutes during the late nights
o train: Will run every 8 minutes up to 96 St-2 Av, until late nights when it runs every 20 minutes between Metropolitan Av to Myrtle Av
o train: Weeknights there will be 5 additional trips between 8:30 PM and 1:30 AM; weekends, trains will run every 8 minutes instead of every 10 minutes during the day
o 
train: Weeknights there will be 5 additional trips from 8:30 PM to midnight; on weekends, trains will run every 4 to 7 ½ minutes
o Additional M14 SBS service in Manhattan
Additional intermittent service changes may be necessary to support these projects, such as bypassing Union Square Station. Customers should listen for announcements and use the Project page for the latest service changes and alternate service options, including accessible routes.
Previously announced service changes at Brooklyn stations between Lorimer St and Broadway Junction will continue as scheduled on weeknights and weekends. The next closure between these stations will be during the weeknights from 9/23-9/27, and the following weekend 9/27-9/29. A full schedule can be found on the Project service change page.
For more information about the service changes or the Project’s progress, visit http://new.mta.info/L-Project.