As a good will gesture to mark the first anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, riders will be allowed free access to the R train all day tomorrow (Tuesday, October 29) in Brooklyn. The R runs between Court Street in Brooklyn Heights and 95th Street in Bay Ridge on weekdays.
In another development, the Eagle reports that the federal government has agreed to pick up ninety percent of the tab for repair work on the Montague Street tunnel, which carries the R between Court Street and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan. While this won’t affect the speed of the repair work, which is expected to last until about a year from now, the Eagle story quotes U.S. Senator Charles Schumer as saying, “Every dollar paid for by the feds is one less dollar that has to be borne by the MTA, putting less pressure on fares and on the agency’s books.” Schumer also noted that the remaining ten percent of the cost could be borne by the MTA, or possibly from other federal sources.
