A-train subway repair work and partial shutdown begins in the Rockaways
FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (WABC) -- A 5-mile stretch of A-train service is shut down in the Rockaways for repair work.
Service will resume in May, just in time for beach season.
The service suspension impacts 9,000 commuters a day, starting at Howard beach-JFK Airport and Far Rockaway.
The Rockaway Park Shuttle is also suspended between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street.
During the A-train shutdown, the MTA says workers will repair damage from Superstorm Sandy.
The line was damaged in 2012 by Sandy, and then was cleaned up and service restored, but it never fully recovered and remains vulnerable to future storms.
The repairs also include preparing it for future extreme weather events.
The planned upgrades were first announced in November.
"This project is literally taking that narrow causeway from Broad Channel back to the mainland of Queens, and redoing the structure of that little narrow causeway and the track," said Janno Lieber, MTA CEO.
In place of the subway, there are reduced fares offered on the Long Island Rail Road, and free shuttle buses:
Q97 Nonstop
- Howard beach-JFK
- Beach 97th Street, stopping at Broad Channel and Beach 90th Street
There are ferry options as well.
ALSO READ: A train to partially shut down for much-needed repairs in the Rockaways
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