Starting on Saturday, the M train will be shut down for two months as part of the MTA’s $163 million rebuilding and rehab project for the city’s aged subway system.
The M line will terminate at Broadway Junction from July 1 through Sept. 1 as a section of its tracks between the Fresh Pond Road and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue stations and the Fresh Pond Bridge are demolished and rebuilt. The century-old metal bridge gives access to a storage yard for subway cars and crosses over tracks for the New York and Atlantic Railway.
Initial reconstruction will also commence on the 100-year-old Myrtle Viaduct that is between the M train’s Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue stations. However, the majority of the work will take place after the Fresh Pond Bridge work is finished.
While the shutdown is sure to add to the “summer of hell” for city commuters, the M train work is “critical for providing reliable alternative service for our L line customers in 2019,” Darryl Irick, acting president of New York City Transit, said last week.
Here is what straphangers can expect during the M train shutdown
• Service will be suspended between Myrtle Avenue and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue. Four stations — Seneca Avenue, Forest Avenue, Fresh Pond Road and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue — will remain staffed for MetroCard transactions, but M train service will not be available.
• M trains will run on the J/Z line, terminating at Broadway Junction for transfer to the A, C, J and L trains
• Free shuttle buses will make all stops between Myrtle Avenue and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue.
• An entrance at the Flushing Avenue J/M station will permanently reopen, and its Fayette Street entrance will increase capacity to manage commuter flow for the duration of construction. The latter will feature a new turnstile area and four new staircases.
For more info, visit mta.info.
