NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Monday night marks the first day in which overnight service on the L train will come to a halt.
No trains will operate from Manhattan to Lorimer Street in Brooklyn between 10:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. Tuesday. The work will take place every weeknight until April 26.
The work will lead up to a larger project to upgrade the East River Tunnel, which will begin April 27.
The MTA estimates that the work will last 15 to 18 months, but are confident it will be closer to the 15-month mark. The repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel are expected to be complete by summer 2020.
The L train was supposed to shut down completely for 15-months for the much-needed repairs after the tunnel was ravaged in Superstorm Sandy. In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new plan that prevented a total shutdown.
Since Cuomo’s announcement, safety and other concerns have been raised about the new plan. Though, the MTA assures locals that the construction is perfectly safe.
Train service was further delayed Monday evening after a person was fatally struck by an L train at the First Avenue station in Manhattan.
The incident was unrelated to the repair work scheduled to begin later on.