More L Trains, Starting This Weekend
The L train will make nearly 100 more round-trips a week starting this Sunday, AM New York reports, alleviating the absurd overcrowding that has plagued the line for more than a decade. Since 1998, rush-hour trains almost every year have had more passengers than their maximum load allows; ridership has doubled since that year, but service has only increased by 50 percent. With the 16 new round-trips, made everyday from Monday to Friday, rush-hour trains should go to 98 percent capacity from 110 percent capacity, though weekday night trains will still be overcrowded.
Eleven extra round-trips will be added to Saturdays, and seven more on Sundays, the paper reports. The extra service will cost the MTA $1.7 million, and was fought for by State Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district includes Lower Manhattan, DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, and parts of South Brooklyn, Downtown Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Plans for increased service were announced back in October.
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