As the MTA is set to suspend A train service in the Rockaways in mid-January, Queens local council member Joann Ariola has devised unique ways to manage the subway service suspension.
The MTA announced in early November that train service to the Rockaways would be suspended from Jan. 17 to May 19, affecting at least 9,000 daily riders living on the Rockway peninsula.
Trains on the A-line will be suspended between Howard Beach-JFK Airport and Far Rockaway-Mott Ave. or Rockaway Park-Beach 116th St. Additionally, The Rockaway Park Shuttle will not run to or from Broad Channel.
The MTA enacted the suspension for the Rockaway Resiliency Project, which will repair the A-line over a 17-week period. The agency said the line suffered extensive damage after Superstorm Sandy. Although emergency repairs restored service seven months after the storm, MTA officials say Hammels Wye Viaduct and South Channel Bridge, which carry trains across Broad Channel, need extensive rehabilitation and repair work to protect the A-line from further extreme weather events.
Due to the train outages, the MTA has offered multiple alternative service offerings, including free shuttle buses, discounted LIRR fares at Far Rockaway Station, and a free Rockaway subway shuttle extended to serve all stations on the peninsula. Additionally, the city agency announced on Dec 11 that there would be additional select express bus service extensions to Averne and peak bus trips to and from Manhattan.
On a local level, Council Member Joann Ariola, representing District 32, worked with various organizations to provide even more travel support to her constituents living on the peninsula. Ariola presides over the neighborhoods of Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Glendale, Woodhaven, Ozone Park, and the western half of the Rockaway Peninsula.
Ariola told QNS that her office had multiple meetings with the MTA to address the upcoming transportation issues. At the time, she felt it was not enough to accommodate the number of people living on the peninsula who take public transit to work.
The Council Member announced in a Facebook post on Monday, Dec 9, that she’s partnered with NYC Ferry to get a service commitment for larger ferries during the A train shutdown. During the first week of the train outage, the NYC Ferry, which runs out of Manhattan, will run larger 350-person boats in anticipation of increased demand. At the end of the first week’s program, officials will assess whether the larger boats are still needed.
“Rockaway is a transit dessert, we all know that, and when you have to do much-needed repairs on a length of track that’s going to take the only train coming in and out of the Rockaways away for a 17 week period, you have to have alternative transportation mechanisms in place,” she said.
Ariola explained that she recognized that her constituents couldn’t afford to be late for work, which aided in her decision to work with the NYC Ferry service. “ So what was happening is they were going to have to use their cars and then be further victimized by congestion pricing going into the city by having to drive. It was very important for me to find an alternative way for them to get to work,” she said.
Furthermore, Ariola told QNS that she worked with Resorts World Casino to allow commuters to park in their casino parking lot to access the A train at the Aqueduct race track. The parking allowance will be in effect for the duration of the A train track work, beginning Jan. 17, but parking is not permitted in the race track parking lot.
Ariola said she would monitor the project daily and contact the MTA and her constituents to determine whether increased transportation services are needed during the track work. “If we need more shuttle buses, I will be hounding the MTA… It is a very large peninsula,” she said.
“I realized that they [MTA] have to service the entire peninsula, and I will be in constant contact with the MTA… the ferry service, and my constituents to make sure they feel that they’re receiving the right resources to get to and from work,” Ariola said.
Following the MTA’s announcement of additional select express bus service extensions on Wednesday, Ariola told QNS that she was glad the MTA was listening to and implementing suggestions from community members and local elected officials. “This additional transportation into Manhattan will certainly be a help during this A train shutdown,” she said.
