Entire M line resumes service after amazing renovation
RIDGEWOOD, Queens (WABC) -- Good news for straphangers! The entire M line is running again.
Last summer, a portion of the M line underwent a massive renovation. The elevated section along Myrtle Avenue is more than 100 years old.
Instead of patchwork fixes, the MTA committed $163 million and eight months to completely rebuild and modernize the structure.
Check out this amazing time lapse
On Sunday, the transit system announced they were on budget and on time, and the brand new elevated M line reopened Monday at 5 a.m. just in time for rush hour.
For a group of commuters in Ridgewood, Queens, a trip to Midtown was taking more than an hour the old way. Now that the renovations are complete, their commute is back down to 35 minutes.
MTA Chairman Joe Lhota applauded the renovation.
"This is a major win for our customers," he said. "We promised to modernize and stabilize the subway system, and we thank our customers for their continued patience."
Transit President Andy Byford greeted commuters at Fresh Pond Road and hopped on a Manhattan-bound train himself.
"I rely on public transit, that's how I get around from A to B," Byford said. "I also think it would be bizarre if the president of transit didn't use the service."
At the station, commuters gave him an earful.
"He's actually here talking to us, and he's actually listening to me," commuter Lloyd Z. said. "And I'm really happy about that."
The M line connects Manhattan with Brooklyn and Queens. As neighborhoods in the outer boroughs have grown, so too has demand for service. The new elevated tracks are supposed to be smoother and quieter, and it was also designed to handle the extra passengers from the L line when it shuts down next year.
The L line is scheduled to be down for 15 months starting April 2019 so the MTA can finally fix the Canarsie Tunnel, which was damaged during Superstorm Sandy.
----------
