Ffffffffffff train (Photo by MTAPhotos, CC BY 2.0)
Expect massive closures on the F and G lines this summer
The MTA announced that swaths of both lines in Brooklyn will shut down for chunks of the summer to modernize the signals
WTF?! Straphangers can expect substantial disruption the essential F and G lines this summer.
With congestion pricing now off the table, officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority dropped an F bomb this week with the announcement that the F train will be closing for eight weekends in South Brooklyn this summer to modernize the aging line.
The so-called Culver Line — the southernmost part of the F line between Church Avenue and Coney Island — is set to be outfitted with Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC), a modern signaling system that allows trains to be run closer together and at greater speed. (Signal delays were up 57 percent in the first four months of 2024 compared to 2023, according to Gothamist.)
Translation: Expect service disruptions between Church and Coney Island — just in time for peak beach season.
The first weekend of disruption is slated to kick off Friday, July 5 through Monday, July 8 and again the following weekend (July 12 to 15), before being suspended again every weekend from August 9 until September 3. After community pushback, the MTA agreed to offer free shuttle buses and pointed out that there are alternative subway lines to get you out there, including the D, N and Q trains.
The F’s closure comes as the G service is also set to be disrupted, so the MTA can install a “more modern, reliable signal system” for the 160,000 daily G riders.
Trains on that line won’t run between Court Square and Nassau Avenue beginning Friday, Jun 28 to July 5, then they won’t run from Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues from July 5 to August 12. To add to the confusion, the G then won’t run from August 12 to September 3 between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues to Church Avenue.
Anyway, pack your patience and perhaps the MTA app to keep up with this madness.
