Here's When The L Train Will Stop Running

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Mark your calendars.

The dreaded 15-month L train shutdown will kick off on Saturday, April 27, the MTA announced Tuesday.

The 250,000 straphangers who rely on the L line to travel between Brooklyn and Manhattan each day will have their last full day of service on Friday, April 26 before lengthy repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel, which flooded during Superstorm Sandy, according to NYC Transit president Andy Byford.

“We’re continuing unprecedented efforts at public outreach, responding to local communities and giving as much notice as possible on key dates in this project,” said Byford.

“With the L running as a Brooklyn-only service for 15 months starting after the weekend of April 27, we’ve been hard at work with our partners at NYCDOT and other City agencies to make sure that the alternate train, bus, ferry and bicycle networks work together to get people around successfully.”

In lieu of the L line, transit officials will run five additional bus routes, ferry service and are rolling out a network of bike lanes to transport displaced riders, but the bulk of riders are expected to flee to neighboring subway lines.

The MTA has committed to beefing up service on routes that ferry New Yorkers between Brooklyn and Manhattan by adding more than 1,000 additional roundtrips to help mitigate the swell of new passengers.

Leading up to the shutdown the L line is set for a series of weekend closuring during February, March and April from 8th Avenue in Manhattan to Broadway Junction in Brooklyn. Additional weekend service changes will likely be announced as the shutdown approached, the MTA warned.

Here are the dates for weekend L line closures in 2019:

• Feb. 2-3
• Feb. 9-10
• Feb. 16-17
• Feb. 23-24
• March 2-3
• March 9-10
• March 16-17
• April 27-28

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Culliton/Patch