Subways are back – sort of

November 1, 2012 By Raanan Geberer Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Subway service returns to Brooklyn today – but without through service to Manhattan.

When this reporter was living on the Bronx side of the Number 1 train, and the Broadway Bridge was being repaired, the 1 line ran in two sections, one on either side of the bridge.
The same dynamic is being played out in the city today, with train service restored in Manhattan north of Midtown and east of Downtown Brooklyn.

The reason for this, of course, is because the subway tunnels in Lower Manhattan and under the East River all filled with water during Hurricane Sandy and have to be pumped out. There is no word about when the job will be totally finished.

Manhattan-bound commuters won’t be left high and dry, however.

There will be two shuttle-bus services over the Manhattan Bridge, one from Jay Street-MetroTech and a second from Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. There will also be shuttle-bus service over the Williamsburg Bridge from Hewes Street. All these routes will make what normally would be subway stops.

In a sense, the Manhattan Bridge shuttle bus resurrects the B51 bus over the Manhattan Bridge that was discontinued in 2010.

The temporary, truncated new Brooklyn subway routes will be:

* The 4 train from Borough Hall to New Lots Avenue
* The 5 train from Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center to Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College.
* The A train from Jay Street-MetroTech to Lefferts Boulevard.
* The D train from Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center to Bay Parkway, running express between Barclays and 36th Street.
* The F train from Jay Street/MetroTech to Avenue X.
* The J train from Hewes Street in Williamsburg to Jamaica Center
* The L train from Broadway Junction to Rockaway Parkway only.
* The M train as a shuttle only, from Myrtle-Broadway to Metropolitan Avenue.
* The R train from Jay Street-MetroTech to 95th Street.

Note that service to Brighton Beach and Coney Island has not been restored, presumably because of the serious storm damage there.

In addition, the Sea Beach (N) and Brighton Beach (B) lines remain out, most likely because parts of these lines are at ground level or in an open-air ditch, and thus were vulnerable to water damage.

The G train, often referred to as the stepchild of the transit system, has also not been returned to service, even though almost of its route is underground.

In addition to the subway system, Long Island Railroad trains will be operating special shuttle trains between Jamaica and Barclays Center-Atlantic Terminal, where Nassau and Suffolk riders will be able to connect with the shuttle bus service.

Obviously, the LIRR tunnel under the East River was subject to the same flood conditions as the subway tunnels. Therefore, for this short period, Atlantic Avenue will serve as the main gateway to New York City for Long Island commuters.