M Train to Shut Down for Nearly a Year in 2017

Photo courtesy of the MTA

NEW YORK CITY, NY — The M Train will be shut down for repairs between Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens for 10 months starting in summer 2017, the MTA announced Friday.

According to the New York Daily News, MTA officials believe M Train repairs are necessary to prepare the line for extra ridership during the infamous and impending L Train shutdown, which should begin soon after.

The service disruptions will take place in two phases (here's a subway map to help you follow along):

Phase 1: For two months during the summer of 2017, the M train will not run between the Myrtle Avenue station in Bed-Stuy and the Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue station in Queens.

Shuttle buses will serve the closed stations. A shuttle bus will also run between Flushing Avenue on the J/M line and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue, with an additional stop at the Jefferson Street station.

Phase 2: From the fall of 2017 through the spring of 2018, the M will not run between the Central Avenue station in Bushwick and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue.

During this period, shuttle buses will run between the Myrtle Avenue station and the Myrtle-Wyckoff station.

Also during this period, M Trains traveling to and from Manhattan will run on the J/Z line between the Marcy Avenue station in Williamsburg and the Broadway Junction station in East New York. However, their frequency during peak commuting hours will be reduced by 25 percent.

J/Z trains will make all stops between Marcy Avenue and Broadway Junction, while L trains will operate at peak frequency for extended periods during the day.

Why is this necessary?

According to the MTA, 60,000 people ride the M on the route scheduled for construction on an average weekday — a sum that has increased by 53 percent since 2000.

NYC transit officials say that in order to keep transporting these passengers safety, they have to do major repair work on "two decades-old deteriorating overpasses."

The first is a bridge between Fresh Pond Road and the Middle Village-Metropolitan Ave station, officials said Friday, and the second, a "century-old concrete viaduct" carrying the train between Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue.

In the words of NYC Transit President Veronique Hakim:

“These temporary closures are vital to the long term viability of the M line in Brooklyn and Queens. Both of these structures have deteriorated to the point that there is simply no other option than complete replacement, and undergoing this step will ensure a safe, more reliable experience for customers for decades to come. We will work closely with the affected communities, their elected officials and other representatives to minimize the disruption and address their concerns, and we will do our utmost to complete this work as quickly as possible.”

Photos released by the MTA show some of the serious deterioration that needs to be addressed.