Straphangers Left in the Lurch as G, L Train Service Restoration Lags Behind

Commuters from around the borough awoke Monday morning to the prospect of a commute of up to four hours due to the continued suspension of G train service and L train service to Manhattan.

And even transit officials are unsure of when it will get better.

On Saturday, MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said the L train tunnel under the East River remained "wall-to-wall" with water. Transit officials also said the G train tunnel underneath Newtown Creek had seen flooding and damage.

Lhota said his best estimate of full restoration of service was "later this week."

So as almost every other subway line was restored in time for the Monday morning commute, G and L train riders remain in same spot as last week — stranded.

Though the G train does not go into Manhattan, riders using Clinton Hill-Washington Av station north to Greenpoint Av station depend on the service to connect to other subway lines.

Councilwoman Letitia James, D-Fort Greene, called on the MTA to institute shuttle bus service along the G train line and shuttered stations along the L line.

"The shuttle buses were very helpful in helping residents travel during the halted subway service," James said. "It would be wonderful if the MTA could provide temporary shuttle service along the L and G subway lines until full service is restored."

Williamsburg residents have the option of taking East River ferry service operating on a close to normal weekday schedule. The Greenpoint ferry landing remains closed due to damage from Hurricane Sandy.

That leaves riders reliant on the G and the L with one option that even Sandy can't take away: walking. 

"The G train was just an experiment gone bad. Forget it ever existed," joked Doug Marino on Facebook.