ICYMI: How L Train Repair Plans Switched Tracks, From Sandy To Today

It was just last month that the MTA abruptly announced the cancellation of the 15-month L train shutdown and repair plan. WNYC takes a quick spin down memory lane to recall what went into it and what questions remain about the new plan, in the first of a series of reports on the Canarsie tunnel.

While the agency is clear that riders’ convenience is a top priority, and underpins its decision to change the repair plans, it has not communicated details, or reassured the public that in fact the new approach will be less intrusive.

As it stands, transit officials say work will be done on nights and weekends. But it has yet to specify how long the new repairs will last, and why the new plan is more reliable in the long run than the old plan. 

Maybe the most striking change is the MTA's reversal on the need to demolish the concrete bench wall which houses old electrical cables and now will be shored up with a sturdy polymer, rather than fully replaced. It’s a material that’s used on bridges and buildings but engineers concede it has never been used in an underwater tunnel project.