Wifi, Cell Service Coming To L Train's Canarsie Tunnel, MTA Says

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Next stop on the L train repairs: Wi-Fi.

The MTA is trying to make the Brooklyn-Manhattan subway line the first in New York City to have full cell service and Wi-Fi connection even as straphangers travel under the East River, the transit officials announced Friday.

“Providing full connectivity to our millions of customers is a part of our continued push to modernize the MTA system,” MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye said. “We’re working to deliver full connectivity across our system and allow our customers to use their commuting time to meet their needs, whether it’s texting with friends and family or communicating with coworkers.”

The transit agency announced it would be adding the service to the L train's Canarsie tunnel by putting out a request for companies to apply to build and operate the broadband wireless infrastructure.

The new service would let L train riders use their phones and other devices between Brooklyn's Bedford Avenue and Manhattan's First Avenue, where service usually cuts out as the train goes under the East River.

The announcement comes as the MTA is wrapping up its repairs on the subway line and its Hurricane Sandy-damaged tunnel.

The year-long L train project patched up the underground tunnel while upgrading stations along the popular subway line, slowing its trains on nights and weekends to complete the work. It is set to wrap up in April, about three months earlier than originally anticipated.

The MTA hopes the wireless services can be added before then, officials said, so that work can be done during already-scheduled construction and minimize more train delays.

"The request for proposals is being issued now so that crews doing work to install connectivity in the tunnel can minimize impact to customers by taking advantage of outages related to the L Project," the MTA said.

Companies that want to build the L train's system should send in their proposals by Jan. 13, the MTA said.