New York City Transit to close subway tunnels for major post-Sandy repairs

MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) Greenpoint subway tunnel will be shut down for 12 weekends starting July 6 and the Montague subway tunnel will be closed for up to 14 months starting in early August to repair extensive damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, NYCT officials announced yesterday.

The tunnels require major repairs and the rebuilding of vital systems in order to ensure rider safety and reliable service, NYCT officials said in a press release.

The Greenpoint Tube carries the G train under Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens. The Montague Tube is a mile-long pair of tunnels that carry the R train under the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Temporary repairs done to restore the tubes after Sandy struck the Northeast Coast in October 2012 were not enough to provide reliable service, said Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Acting Chairman Ferndando Ferrer.

"Closing these two subway tubes is a difficult but necessary step to restore them to the condition they were in before Sandy struck," he said. "This is unfortunately the reality of recovery from Sandy: the damage is insidious and continuing, and repairing it will take billions of dollars over several years."

After service was restored post-Sandy, signal and other component failures "rose dramatically," said Thomas Prendergast, MTA's interim executive director.

"The chief area of concern is the tubes' mechanical and electrical systems that were subjected to salt water accelerating the deterioration of these vital systems and reducing their reliability over time," he said.