Cuomo To Tour L Train Tunnel Just 4 Months Before Shutdown Starts

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo will stop by the L train's Canarsie tunnel late Thursday night to see for himself whether the upcoming 15-month shutdown of the subway line is "the best option." But his visit will create somewhat of a shutdown in itself.

Service will slow down for a 90-minute period as the governor and his team of experts visit the tunnel starting around midnight on Thursday. Trains will continue to run in both directions, but one of the two tunnels will temporarily close, MTA officials said.

This means the overnight schedule, which normally starts around 1:30 a.m. will instead begin at 12:01 a.m. with trains running every 20 minutes for the hour and a half.

(Keep up with NYC events and news by subscribing to Williamsburg-Greenpoint's Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

MTA Transit President Andy Byford told reporters Wednesday that the delays will let Cuomo, his experts and MTA's own experts review how the substantial damage in the tunnel has set up the time frame for the upcoming repairs.

"I think at the end of the day the customers would be appreciative of the fact that we're having a further look," MTA Transit President Andy Byford said Wednesday. "It's probably time well spent."

MTA said the morning commute should remain unaffected by the delays. Regular service will start up again at 1:30 a.m., they said.

Cuomo announced his visit just this week on WNYC's radio show with Brian Lehrer. It comes four months before the shutdown starts in April and about three years into the planning.

The governor said he will bring "national and international" experts so he could ensure MTA has looked at every option in repairing the tunnel from superstorm Sandy damage.

"I'm going to review it myself," Cuomo told Lehrer. "I'm going to bring some fresh eyes to the table...I want to be able to say to every New Yorker, 'I know its a pain in the neck. There is no other option — the MTA is right."

Cuomo said he has had "countless" New Yorkers, specifically from Brooklyn, ask him if he's sure MTA's plan is the best way to go and whether the shutdown, starting April 27, could be shortened at all. Byford said Wednesday, though, that officials will have to wait and see whether there will be enough time to take on any suggestions for how to change the work.

Photo by Ciara McCarthy/Patch.