Completion of Coney Island MTA Yards upgrades enables through-service on D line

Coney Island is one of the largest transit yards in USA

January 21, 2022 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

The subway. Photo: Bebeto Matthew/AP

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Completion of storm-resilient upgrades to the MTA’s giant Coney Island Yards complex means that D train service between Bay 50 St and Coney Island-Stillwell Av will resume Monday, Jan. 24, according to the transit agency.

New flood walls, drainage, signal, switch and traction power connections were installed to protect the system against future natural disasters and minimize the negative impacts of climate change.

Service to and from Coney Island was served by the F, N and Q subway lines, and free shuttle bus service was provided between Bay 50 Street and Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue while construction was underway. Bay 50th served as the line’s temporary terminal.

The Coney Island Yard complex is the largest of MTA New York City Transit’s 24 rail yards and is one of the largest rapid transit yards in North America, directly serving four main lines of track. It includes three train yards that can store up to 881 subway cars.

The complex is also home to car wash, maintenance and repair facilities, as well as substations, signal towers, and power and communications cables that support operations.

Upgrades include a permanent perimeter wall about 2.5 miles long surrounding the entire facility. This barrier is designed to protect the complex against the flood equivalent of a Category 2 storm, with an additional 3-foot safety factor.

The giant Coney Island Yard complex, which provides repairs, storage and maintenance services for the subway system. Wikimedia photo by Wuse 1007

The adaptations also include drainage improvements and added water retention capabilities. In addition, a cable bridge was constructed to relocate traction power to an elevated, more protected position above the tracks.

“The implementation of these storm-resilient elements in our facilities is an integral part of proactively strengthening our transit system and an ongoing effort of the MTA’s initiative of building a more climate resilient transportation network,” said MTA New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano.

“We’re moving quickly to fortify the transit system against a variety of climate risks including greater rainfall, higher winds, higher temperatures and other severe weather conditions,” said MTA Construction & Development President Jaime-Torres Springer. “This project is advancing on time and on budget.”

This fortification project, expected to be completed in December 2022, is part of the capital program managed by MTA Construction and Development, which seeks to address resiliency needs across the entire transportation network to address climate change-related risks in the coming decades.