Unplanned Delays Send Already-Limited L Train Into Chaos

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — For the second day in a row, a series of service change have snarled the L train during the already-limited time that the subway line runs normally.

The MTA announced around 2 p.m. Tuesday that L train service between Brooklyn and Manhattan would be "limited" so that they could make repairs in the Canarsie tunnel. The delays are related to damaged wires that caused trains to run every 20 minutes for about an hour on Monday afternoon, an MTA spokesman told Patch.

This time around, straphangers can expect trains to come every eight or 10 minutes, he said. The transit agency also said some trains headed for Manhattan may stop at Myrtle-Wyckoff station all the way in Bushwick, though it wasn't clear how often this would be the case.

The spokesman did not immediately answer whether there are any safety concerns letting the trains run through the tunnel while the damaged wires are fixed.

The construction delays are only part of the chaotic start to the week for the L train, which already runs normally only during the daytime hours and weekdays due to a longterm repair project.

Smoke from manholes underground on Monday morning and a bike that was left on the tracks at Broadway Junction station on Tuesday also stalled the subway line.

The L train project, which started in April, makes it so the subway line only runs every 20 minutes after 8 p.m. and throughout the weekends for at least 15 months.

On top of that, the MTA is also planning some other slow-downs for the fall to complete accessibility and station work that will piggy-back the Canarsie Tunnel repairs.

Those service changes include no L train service from September 13 to 16 between Eighth Ave. and Broadway Junction from 10:45 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday. Alternative service includes the M and G trains, two shuttle buses in Brooklyn, and additional M14 Select Bus Service in Manhattan.

Then, come October and November, another three to five weeks of weeknights and weekends will have no L train service at the Eighth Avenue and Sixth Avenue stations in Manhattan — though dates have yet to be announced.