MTA: No Decision Yet on Full or Partial R Line Station Closures During Rehab Work

Pictured: a refurbished R train station. Image courtesy of the MTA

BROOKLYN, NY — The MTA hasn’t decided if it will fully or partially close the three Brooklyn subway stations first scheduled for major upcoming rehab work.

A total of 31 subway stations will be refurbished under a $27 billion MTA plan that received final approval earlier this year. (The plan will also bring new subway cars to the system, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo discussed at a Monday press conference.)

Most of the work will be completed by 2018, the MTA says. The station improvements will include new lighting, new signs, count down clocks, improved cell phone reception, and wifi connectivity.

The agency also confirmed that the first three stations to be worked on will be Prospect Avenue in South Slope, 53rd Street in Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge Avenue in Bay Ridge, all stops served by the R line.

In January, Gothamist reported that the MTA was leaning toward fully closing stations undergoing the rehabs, though an agency spokesperson told the news site that plan could change in situations where customers lacked an accessible transit alternative.

In June, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told Patch that a full or partial closure decision hadn't been made, and on Tuesday, Ortiz reiterated that position.

Any full station closures won’t last more than six months, Cuomo said on Monday.

Ortiz also said the MTA hasn’t decided whether shuttle buses or other transit options will transport passengers to and from the stations during the work period.

He said that riders will be given “plenty of advance notice” before any closure plan is adopted.

The stations aren’t served by any other subway lines. However, several buses run parallel to the R train along 3rd Avenue, while the 63 bus runs along 5th Avenue.

The MTA will begin accepting bids for design and construction work on the stations this week.