G Train Runs Again in Greenpoint as MTA Signal Work Moves to Bed Stuy

By Ben Brachfeld, amNY

The northern part of the G line reopened Monday, as the MTA’s major re-signaling work moves southward on the subway route until September.

G service returned between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand on Monday, August 12, ending more than a month of arduous commuting for riders in Long Island City, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Bedford Stuyvesant as they shuffled onto shuttle buses to get where they need to go.

Also on Monday, the final phase of work on modernizing the crosstown line’s signals began, necessitating the closure of the line from Bedford-Nostrand in Bed Stuy to Church Avenue in Kensington until September 3.

B93 shuttle buses will run between Bedford-Nostrand and Jay Street-MetroTech, but south of that riders are advised to take the F train, which shares a right-of-way with the G from Downtown Brooklyn to Kensington.

The overarching purpose of the work is to modernize the train signals on the G, which like much of the subway system date back to the 1930s. Those ancient signals break down frequently and are a major source of subway delays. The G will be outfitted with modern communication-based train control (CBTC), which allows trains to move faster and closer together.

But the MTA is also using the rare 24/7 shutdown as an opportunity to conduct other, related upgrades, like replacing old wooden railroad ties with composite ties that are more resistant to water infiltration. The MTA also replaced the entire interlocking between 21st Street and Court Square, the kind of work that can only be done during a full shutdown and a job that hadn’t been done there in over 30 years.

The first item of business for Phase 3 of the plan is to replace tracks along a sharp curve between the Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Bergen Street stops, the MTA says.

Those looking for updates on the project can sign up for the MTA’s G Train newsletter at https://cloud.info.mta.org/g-train-service-subscription

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in amNY. Click here to see the original story.

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