Brooklyn Navy Yard to launch new shuttle service

Direct Shuttle Service to Run Every 10 Minutes, Connecting Yard to 13 Subway Lines

February 25, 2016 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A map of the just-announced shuttle to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Images courtesy of Co-Op Brand Partners

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Getting to the Brooklyn Navy Yard — which is home to 7,000 jobs today and a projected 16,000 jobs by 2020 — will soon become much easier with the addition of a new shuttle service linking the Brooklyn Navy Yard to 13 subway lines and the LIRR. Set to launch this spring, the shuttle is part of an enhanced transportation network that also includes the BQX light-rail announced earlier this month by Mayor Bill de Blasio. The transportation upgrades will accommodate the more than 2-million-square-foot expansion now underway at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The Yard is beginning phased implementation with an improved fleet of comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles that will provide efficient and frequent service. Eventually the shuttles will be Wi-Fi equipped and a shuttle service tracking app similar to the MTA’s bus tracking app will allow passengers to determine the proximity of the shuttle to their location. Shuttle service will be available to Yard tenants, staff and guests free of charge.

The shuttle system will operate on a 10-minute lead time and connect riders to the

F, A/C, G, B/D, N/Q/R, 2/3, 4/5 and LIRR, serving 83 percent of Subway-accessible Yard employees. The plan addresses the size of the Yard with multiple internal drop-off points, bringing all Yard locations within a five minute walk of the shuttle.

“This transportation plan will provide the Yard’s growing workforce with direct access to all corners of the city,” said Brooklyn Navy Yard President and CEO David Ehrenberg. “With our workforce set to double in the next five years, one of the Yard’s top priorities is connecting where our employees live with where they work. As the Yard grows, our transportation infrastructure will be strengthened to meet tenants’ needs.”

“The Navy Yard is undergoing massive growth and more and more jobs every day. We know that transit access is absolutely essential to building a successful economic hub and are thrilled the Navy Yard is making this investment to benefit not only its employees, but also the surrounding neighborhood,” said Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen. “This service, along with the planned BQX, will continue to enable major growth of our outer borough commercial hubs and by extension the continued growth of the new New York economy.”

The plan is the result of Philip Habib and Associates’ detailed assessment of existing Yard conditions, including a comprehensive survey of Yard tenants and their employees’ transportation needs. Four hundred-fifty Yard employees were surveyed to identify user groups, stakeholders and commuting patterns, all while taking into account the unique and dynamic 24/7 nature of the Yard and its workforce.

“We salute the Brooklyn Navy Yard for creating this brand new shuttle program that will provide a crucial link for our tenants and the entire Navy Yard, enhancing connectivity and accessibility,” said Michael Rudin, vice president at Rudin Development, co-developer of Dock 72 along with Boston Properties.

“With over 4,000 employees working at Dock 72 on a daily basis, the Navy Yard’s new transportation network will significantly improve the commuting experience,” said John Powers, executive vice president of Boston Properties’ New York Region.

The initial expansion phase will include two shuttle loops, the DUMBO Loop and the Clinton-Washington Loop. The DUMBO loop will connect the Yard to the F and A/C trains, while the Clinton-Washington Loop will connect the Yard to the 2/3/4/5/, B/D, N/Q/R, the LIRR station complex, the Fulton Street G and the Lafayette Street C station.

The DUMBO Loop

The DUMBO loop will run every 10 minutes during peak hours and have a round trip time of 24 minutes including passenger pickup and drop-off times. The shuttle will exit the Yard from the Sands Street gate, travel west along York Street via Navy Street and pick up/drop off F train passengers at the corner of York and Jay streets (directly opposite the York Street F station entrance).

The shuttle will then continue west along York Street before turning left at Pearl Street, and left again at Sands Street, where A/C passengers will be picked up/dropped off at the existing B67/B69 bus stop (a two-minute walk from the High Street A/C station). The shuttle will then return to the Yard via Sands Street, entering the Yard from the Sands Street gate toward Building 292. The route will include four stops within the Yard, making all Yard buildings accessible from the shuttle via a five-minute walk.

The Clinton/Washington Avenue LOOP

The Clinton-Washington Loop will run every 10 minutes during peak hours and have a round trip time of 27 minutes including in-Yard shuttle stops in close proximity to the planned Yard developments.

The Clinton-Washington route will include three out-of-Yard stops, including stops serving the Clinton-Washington G station, and one stop serving the Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center 2/3/4/5, B/D, N/Q/R and LIRR station complex, the Fulton Street G station and the Lafayette C Station. The Clinton-Washington G stops are designed to minimize travel times to/from the Yard to this priority subway route.

“As this site grows and creates more employment, this new shuttle will allow workers to get to and from their jobs, while minimizing traffic congestion and pollution,” said U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez.

“Brooklyn Navy Yard has become an engine for innovation in our community, where workers are building the Brooklyn brand for an audience that extends around the world,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “This shuttle service will power that engine, providing a needed connection to public transportation, which will allow people to access businesses that support the continued development of our local economy.”

“Throughout its illustrious history, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been an integral component of our borough’s economic growth and development,” said Councilmember Laurie A. Cumbo. “As this industrial space continues to expand, attracting new businesses and creating thousands of jobs, the new shuttle service will make the Yard and local transportation more accessible to the local workforce, area residents and students. These enhancements will generate new opportunities to increase community participation in existing and future programs.”

“Every week there is better and better news coming from the Navy Yard! This enhanced transportation plan will allow for the anticipated growth within the Yard and widen even more the employment catchment area serving this powerhouse,” said state Sen. Velmanette Montgomery. “The future gets steadily brighter as the Navy Yard plans come to fruition! My thanks to David Ehrenberg and all involved!”

“The Brooklyn Navy Yard is the epitome of Brooklyn’s innovation scene,” said state Assemblymember Joseph R. Lentol. “From building ships to building multi-million dollar companies, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has always been on the cutting-edge. By expanding transportation access through pioneering approaches we are showing the world that the Brooklyn Navy Yard is leading the way. I congratulate David Ehrenberg and the rest of his staff for realizing the importance that transportation has on expanding job creation.”