R Subway Train Still Drying Out

An article in Time titled “New York Transit System’s Openness about Sandy Recovery Makes New Yorkers Hate Them Less,” posted November 8, discusses MTA’s clean-up efforts following Hurricane Sandy, including 15 dramatic video clips uploaded in the past week showing their ongoing efforts.

Relevant to Brooklyn Heights: “The Montague Street Tunnel, which brings the R train under the river between Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan’s Battery Park, was inundated by millions of gallons of water and is still being dried out.” The L train, as we know, is also still AWOL… Sigh… One at a time.

The piece concludes, “The MTA is keeping commuters updated on every movement via YouTube and social media. It’s all very 21st century for a transit system with its roots in the 19th century. Fixing these problems has required bringing in powerful machinery—not to mention an Army Corps of Engineers ‘dewatering’ team from Illinois—as well of thousands of hours of overtime work by MTA employees. And riders, inconvenienced or not, are gaining a modicum of respect for the authority that is normally among the most hated-on in New York City.”

Share this Story:

, , , , ,

  • Monty

    That tunnel floods every time we get a sprinkle. I’m not surprised the hurricane left it devastated. Once it reopens, expect fresh blooms of mold crusting over every pylon.

  • BHer

    The L is back.

  • Teddy

    The R is my favorite line, hope it comes back soon.

  • Chris

    The Whitehall R stop is connected to South Ferry, and the South Ferry 1 stop is “closed until further notice” due to extensive damage. Does that mean there will be no R service through the Montague Street Tunnel, even if it’s dried out?

  • Mike

    Can they extend the R to Canal Street and use the City Hall switch tracks? That would make things a little better on the Broadway line.

  • t

    tony if you are a brooklyn resident & live less then 20 miles from 1 of the biggest disasters to hit NYC & lower case letters bother you. get a life.