G Train Entirely Suspended for Four Straight Weekends

Do you have faith in the MTA's maintenance, or is it your fate to be endlessly frustrated with the G train? (it'snotthatfar's Flickr)

Gee, this sucks: Starting, um, tomorrow, the G train will be suspended on four consecutive weekends, from 10:30 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. on Monday, during January 15-18, January 22-25, January 29-February 1 and February 5-8. But don't despair, there will be free shuttle buses! Weeee! And if you're stuck in Long Island City or Greenpoint (there are worse fates) you've also got the fancy new B62 bus at your service. But why mercilessly yank the G now, in the dead of winter, MTA?

The Authority says the suspension is due to several maintenance projects: a switch replacement at Bedford-Nostrand, asbestos removal at Greenpoint Avenue, fan plant replacement at Jackson Avenue and track maintenance work at various locations. "Customers traveling between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Queens Plaza during the day should take the R; during the late night hours take the E. The free shuttle buses operate between Queens Plaza and Jay Street. For service to Church Avenue, customers should transfer between the shuttle bus and F trains at Jay Street." Oh, and the weekend of January 22-25 is really going to be a doozy:

From January 22-25, the free shuttle bus will be extended to 21st Street-Queensbridge to connect to the re-routed E (on that weekend, due to work on the 5th Avenue-Lexington Avenue interlocking modernization, the southbound E is re-routed via the F from Roosevelt Avenue to 34th Street-Herald Square, where it terminates; northbound E operates via 6th Avenue from 34th Street-Herald Square to 5th Avenue; there is no E service from 7th Avenue to World Trade Center).

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By John Del Signore in News on January 14, 2010 2:20 PM

Comments [rss]

Asbestos Removal

It's my pleasure to visit this site.

RSKadish

I try to cut the MTA slack, but they are pulling a fast one here. Four weekends have become five (yes, the G train is again suspended this weekend, including Presidents' Day), but the signs in my station claim it's "three weekends" (they've conveniently forgotten about the first two).

Furthermore, if you go to mta.info and check, you'll see that the G train shutdown is *already* scheduled for the next two weekends! In other words, this shutdown is seven weekends!

I honestly think that the MTA got so much bad press over their seven-weekend 7 train shutdown that they are trying to hide their similar plans for the G train.

Greenpoint60

Does anybody have inside info on any future plans to eliminate G service. My hunch is that the current weekend "repairs" are a test of a G line phase out. They are claiming that they are changing the track foundation'', I contend that they could replace one track at at a time on the weekends and run the G on the other, this has been the routine in the past.

About twenty years ago there was a proposal to eliminate G service on the weekends and from midnight to 6:00 AM on weekdays. That may be on the hidden agenda of the MTA. The political reality in New York dictates that any major cuts must be made after the 2010 elections. What is the MTA planning behind the scenes? The attitude of the MTA has always been that the public should not have first-hand detailed knowledge of future cutbacks until after the general elections

Patrick

From Kensington all the way to Greenpoint - The G contains some of the fastest growing neighborhoods in the city. I was shocked to realize that I didn't want to live OFF the G train when I had to move from Clinton Hill.

Kensington, Red Hook, Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, Williamsburg, Greenpoint.

(I as well would like to keep this notion alive that it's the shittiest train in the city)

laisla

I must have the best G train mojo. For several years, I have taken it all hours of the day and night, and overall I don't think it's too bad. The other night I made it from Union Square to Brooklyn (L > G) in 30 minutes at 4:00 am (yay for flyers!).

It has its limitations, but it has some positives--It tends to come around the same time at certain times of day (rush hour), the conductor will hold the doors sometimes (esp if you do the platform run), it rarely has the signal/overcrowding/delays problem other trains have and you can usually get a seat. Plus it attracts some strange ducks. What's not to love?

I live on top of train so maybe I can intuitively feel it?

dominicapaige

haiku for g train:

G train never comes

Gee, train never comes, really

Satan drives big G.

recite on platform. repeat as needed.

DanShep

Well, since living off the G i learned one thing. if its after 9pm and you have to take the G, your already fucked.

tolu1973

The crappy G train and the elusive B61 bus is the reason that Greenpoint doesn't look like Bedford Avenue. As long as Greenpoint has a reputation for bad mass transit, then less new people move here.

I toast the G(host) train.

longacre

The 7 is going to be effed up also this weekend...Flushing Main St. will be closed...shuttle buses between Willets Point and Main St.

Annnd...no 4 service in Brooklyn, no 5 service below Grand Central. Also, 2 trains run local in Manhattan.

cdpnyc

I though the G train was an urban legend - it actually runs?

Matt

That's what I thought too. I once thought I saw the G train in Brooklyn, but when it came it was just the F. It got my hopes up too.

Gothamist_Cynic

During the day. It's not good if you're an alcoholic who stays out till 5 in the morning though.

TrippinJoJo

what a cluster fuck

Kevin P.

"Customers traveling between Forest Hills-71st Avenue and Queens Plaza during the day should take the R"

But the R isn't stopping at Queens Plaza during the day this weekend: R service advisory

ganghiscon

And also, the G NEVER goes past Court Square anymore, so that's the same as any other day.

barryap

I'm looking for an apartment, and this is the number 1 reason I'm not even considering Greenpoint (of course, it's also the number 1 reason Greenpoint rents are so much cheaper than LIC or Williamsburg).

Gothamist_Cynic

LOL enjoy paying 2-3k a month then. The 7 train is always a good alternative.

JMH

Guess I'm not going to visit my friend who lives in Greenpoint for the next four weekends.

Gothamist_Cynic

You could always take the 7 train.

InWoodside

When did the 7 start running to Greenpoint?? Cool.

Krooklyn

anyone agree with the words, "What the fuck!"?

Jon Draper

fuck this shit. i knew this was coming, but it still sucks

buttface

Let's itemize the excuses for fun and leisure:

"a switch replacement at Bedford-Nostrand" - does this take 220 hours to perform?

"asbestos removal at Greenpoint Avenue" - this wasn't done before 2010 because...?

"fan plant replacement at Jackson Avenue" - again, 220 hours?

"track maintenance work at various locations" - ping pong tournament at break room 26D!!! be there or be square!

americaonline

The G really isn't that bad typically. Atleast we have the good old B61... oh wait. we don't... Atleast we get to freeze to death waiting for the B62..