Starting In 2018, N Train To Run Local Between 36th and 59th For 1 Year

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Starting in May 2018 and lasting for approximately one year, the N train will run on the local track between 36th Street and 59th Street, the MTA confirmed Friday. The news was first reported by the Brooklyn Paper.

According to the paper, which cited Community Board 7 transportation committee chair Zachary Jasie, the service change will allow the MTA to "repair rusted beams that are at risk of collapsing" in the tunnel.

When contacted by Patch, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz didn't speak to that, but said that,"Poor drainage and sub-standard drip pans underneath street gratings allowed rainwater to enter the tunnel and corrode structural members."

The Brooklyn Paper also reported that Ortiz dismissed the idea that the tunnel was at risk of a collapse, referring to it as an "unbelievable" notion.

“The tunnel is NOT on the verge of ‘caving in’ as you so eloquently state, and there is no danger to our customers," he reportedly told the paper.

The paper also reported that as part of the construction effort, the MTA will conduct work to prevent rainwater from flowing into the subway line, and that a lane of Bay Ridge-bound traffic will be closed during construction.

CB 7 couldn't immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

[Editor's note: this story has been updated with remarks from Kevin Ortiz.]

Top image courtesy of Heath Brandon on Flickr