G train riders are not looking forward to a summer of partial service thanks to maintenance the MTA says is crucial to keeping the line running.

MTA Chair Janno Lieber hopes the upcoming planned maintenance on the G train over the summer provides more frequent, reliable service for the 160,000 people who — on average — ride it every day.  

What You Need To Know

  • G train riders are not looking forward to a summer of partial service thanks to maintenance the MTA says is crucial to keeping the line running

  • The work will require parts of the line to be shut down for weeks to replace the more than 90-year-old, 1930s-era signaling system

  • The shutdowns will take place at three different stops from July 5 to Sept. 3

The work will require the line to be shut down for weeks to replace the more than 90-year-old, 1930s-era signaling system he said is falling apart during a press conference at the same G train station Wednesday.

The goal is to replace tracks, install signal technology called communications-based train control — or CBTC — and also renovate some G train stations.

“The basics: Track, signals, the interlockings and switches, which are also from the 1930s are all being replaced,” Lieber said.

G train riders are already planning for future commutes without train service.

“I do use it for work," rider James Jibaldi said. "I’ll probably wind up taking the ferry. I work in downtown Manhattan.”

It’s an inconvenience Lieber said is necessary to avoid having the work drag on for years.

The G train summer schedule is as follows:

  • There will be no G train service from June 28 to July 5 between Court Square and Nassau Avenue.
  • G train service will be shut down from July 5 to Aug. 12 for for six weeks between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues.
  • Finally, there will be no G train service rom Aug. 12 to Sept. 3 between Bedford-Nostrand Avenues and Church Avenue.

The service suspension can also impact businesses located next to the G train, like a newspaper stand on Manhattan and Greenpoint avenues operated by Nadi Abdo Aldafari.

“What can I do? They want to fix the train," Aldafari said.

The MTA said it's hoping the timing of the shutdown — in the summer — will have the lowest impact possible.

It's also hoping to mitigate any disruption with a shuttle bus system that includes increased personnel for bus lane and bus stop enforcement, automated bus camera enforcement, more loading zones to prevent double parking and restricting turns at certain intersections along the route.

The agency has also appointed a G train weekend czar: Hugo Zamora, who previously ran the MTA's rail control center.

“The name of the game is to get everyone to work together and make sure all of the moving parts of the project are working cohesively," Zamora said.

Even after the shutdown, the work won’t be done. There will be night and weekend outages to complete the project through the first half of next year.