By Philip Newman
The MTA says the G train needs more service and other improvements, including abolition of the G Train Sprint, a maneuver involving passengers running in pursuit of trains that stop far from where straphangers wait.
The transit agency, which examined the G at the request of two state senators, said more service and trains were needed at more even intervals.
The G train serves the fast-growing neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn and is the only regular numbered or lettered line not serving Manhattan.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said the cost of increasing service alone would cost about $700,000. It would be subject to approval by the MTA board, which meets next week.
The review of the G train was requested by Sens. Martin Dilan (D-Brooklyn) and Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn), who represent areas serviced by the G.
“The line is a vital connection for customers in fast-growing parts of our service area and this review will be an important tool for making both short-term improvements and long-term additions to our service,” said MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast. “We are pleased to be able to take these steps to improve service for all of our G train customers.”
Squadron hailed the MTA’s plans for the G.
“Now, G train riders will be en route to much-needed relief that may one day lead to the G meaning ‘great.’ These recommendations will allow the G to keep pace with skyrocketing growth in Brooklyn and Queens and make the notorious G Train Sprint a thing of the past,” Squadron said.
The MTA’s recommendations for improving G train service include:
• increasing G train service by 25 percent in the afternoon and evening, running more trains from about 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• running trains at more even intervals rather than having some bunched together and some with long waits in-between
• adding public announcement systems at 12 G train at stations that now lack them
• making changes in train operations, like opening all doors earlier on trains waiting at Court Square so passengers can spread throughout the trains instead of bunching together near the one open door
Reach contributing writer Philip Newman by e-mail at timesledgernews@cnglocal.com or phone at 718-260-4536.
