News R train tunnel to reopen on Monday: New York Post

[FlushingExpress]

I hate the be the bearer of bad news (well, actually I do), but it does not look like the tunnel is reopening tomorrow. The MTA's trip planner and planned service changes now include the Sandy reroute for the R for tomorrow and beyond. Looks like this was one great big hoax. Someone saw the Train of Many Metals along 6th Avenue and Central Park West tomorrow and believe it will be used for elected officials' trip through the tubes, which has been done for previous openings in parts of the subway, like South Ferry in 2002, the north side of the Manhattan Bridge in 2004, and 7 subway extension last year. It looks it will only be open to the officials tomorrow, not the public.

 

 

 

 

[Abba]

Trip Planner is showing the N as running through the tunnel starting Sunday night. So it may be that the MTA is doing a soft opening with the N running through and then having the "grand re-opening" with the R sometime on Monday.

No more.

[Lance]

Oh well. Despite all of the media reports (even the Times picked up the story), the MTA still hasn't confirmed whether the tunnel is actually opening this weekend or next week. While I remain hopeful for an early reopening, this is one of those service changes the MTA would likely announce beforehand and not spring it on the riders, even it it is good news.

[Abba]

I really don't think it looks good.

[realizm]

Man the entire City of New York just got trolled by the IT department at the MTA. =(

[Abba]

The only think I can think of is maybe at that Ride for politicians tomorrow there will be the official announcement

[Abba]

I heard from Second Ave Sagas Twitter that Cuomo is making an announcement at Whitehall St tomorrow at 2:45.Maybe it is opening after all.I think the MTA doesn't want to hint all all till after that announcement .

[Wallyhorse]

He would be a lying two faced hypocrite if Cuomo did so because he started the downward trend by creating a multi million dollar deficit in the MTA causing massive budget cuts and elimitaion of subway and bus service straight across the board in the first place, only to take credit in the end for work he could really care less about? Just because this is his election year? What a scumbag!

Except I believe those cuts came BEFORE Cuomo was elected in November 2010 (Patterson was still Governor when those cuts happend in June/July 2010).

[Quill Depot]

I think subway service was better after cuts rather than before. It's definitely more streamlined now, and easier.

[realizm]

Got a update from the fellow enthusiasts and transit workers on Subchat: http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1312481

 

"A new GO is in effect which covers the Montague Tunnel Restoration until Sunday at 2100 hours.

 

N Train Service through the tunnel resumes on 09/14 @ 2300 hours

R Train Service through the tunnel resumes on 09/15 @ 0600 hours

 

Rail polishing/testing to be performed Sat/Sun which is covered by this GO: R46 and R160 Equipment.

 

There will be a ceremony involving multiple pieces of equipment to be staged at Court/Whitehall (on display, making runs):

 

Event Trains --- Track Geometry Car #4, One R46 Train, Two R160 Sets, and the R1/9's to make an appearance;

 

And speaking of the Nostalgia Train, the R1/9's are scheduled to be at Whitehall St 10AM Sunday.

 

-Stef"

 

====================================================================================

 

This is great news!

 

 

I heard from Second Ave Sagas Twitter that Cuomo is making an announcement at Whitehall St tomorrow at 2:45.Maybe it is opening after all.I think the MTA doesn't want to hint all all till after that announcement .

 

Im sure it was, the confusion occurred over when it will happen. Now I can see why the MTA didnt make an announcement yet must be security protocols.

 

 

The only think I can think of is maybe at that Ride for politicians tomorrow there will be the official announcement

Looks like you were right on the money on that prediction.

[realizm]

...and now the service notices are being posted, the R, also late night N service returns to the Montague Street tunnel on Monday, September 15th at 6AM. Thats that.

[RollOver]

I assume it's safe to say that Montague will run normally for a while or some weekend/night work will continue (but will not affect 24/7 service)?

[realizm]

I assume it's safe to say that Montague will run normally for a while or some weekend/night work will continue (but will not affect 24/7 service)?

Yup! Service will be restored on Monday. Its crystal clear now. As for GOs dont know yet.

 

Id say its definitely time to break out the cameras for the occasion.

 

===================================================================================================

 

R Train To Resume Service Between Brooklyn And Manhattan Monday

 

September 14, 2014 3:22 PM

 

 

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A year after it was shut down for Superstorm Sandy repairs, the R subway line is set to resume service Monday between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

 

The R train will receive the green light at 6 a.m. Monday, WCBS 880’s Monica Miller reported.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast participated in a test drive on the new tracks Sunday, making sure the signals worked.

 

Commuters have been patiently waiting for the completion of the repairs after the Montegut Street tunnel, under the East River, sat in a saltwater days after Sandy hit in October 2012, corroding tracks and signals.

 

The tube, however, wasn’t shut down until August 2013 for repairs.

 

Officials said the project came in under budget by $30 million and is going to be up and running a month before they initially planned.

 

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/09/14/r-train-to-resume-service-between-brooklyn-and-manhattan-monday/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

[Lance]

So it turns out this delay in reopening the tunnel (and informing the riders of this change in service ahead of time) was all so The Governor can have his moment. "The Returns" - is this a subway line or a Friends' cast reunion?

[realizm]

So it turns out this delay in reopening the tunnel (and informing the riders of this change in service ahead of time) was all so The Governor can have his moment. "The Returns" - is this a subway line or a Friends' cast reunion?

Man tell me about it. Its ridiculous with how the MTA is forced to keep the public hanging out there to dry so Andrew Cuomo can make his public announcement. I can see why however. Pendergrast may get the axe (literally fired) if he does not comply with NYS as some has alluded to and I agree.

[alekr]

Possibility for the next few weeks the MTA might be taking a close eye on the tube making sure the signals doesn't break down too often. Also doing weekends construction possible to ensure the signals are working properly. Especially when there is a problem on the Manhattan Bridge sending all 3 lines in the Montague Street Tunnel. Remember what happened during those last GO's when that happened causing congestion and delays.

[leo2car]

I saw the new MTA maps in the station, marked September 2014 with the R train going thought the Montague Tunnel. So MTA confirmed that its before October 1st. 

[MichalkaManiac]

I saw the new MTA maps in the station, marked September 2014 with the R train going thought the Montague Tunnel. So MTA confirmed that its before October 1st. 

Also, (a bit off topic), the new maps (on the stations, at least), added a new wrinkle regarding service hours. Hopefully they'll put this up online as well.

 

http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1312577

[realizm]

Governor Cuomo has made the official announcement: http://www.governor.ny.gov/press/091414-r-train-restoration

 

==========================================================================================

New York State Chief Information officer/Office for Technology

 

Andrew M. Cuomo - Governor

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Early Completion of Superstorm Sandy Recovery Work in Montague Subway Tunnel

Printer-friendly version

R Train Service between Brooklyn and Manhattan Restored Ahead of Schedule and Under Budget

Rebuilt Tunnel Will Better Withstand Future Storms

Albany, NY (September 14, 2014)

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today joined Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders and elected officials from New York City to mark the restoration of normal R subway service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. This announcement follows the successful rebuilding of the Montague Tube subway tunnel that was inundated with salt water during Superstorm Sandy. Regular R service will resume at 6 a.m. Monday.

The $250 million project was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, during an unprecedented full shutdown of the Montague Tube subway tunnel under the East River. An estimated 27 million gallons of water poured into a 4,000-foot stretch of the tunnel during Sandy, which corroded every element of subway infrastructure from electronic signal equipment to tunnel lighting to the steel rails themselves.

“Superstorm Sandy brought incredible destruction down on the New York City subway system – but today we’re taking another huge step forward to repair the damage and strengthen the system to withstand the next major storm,” Governor Cuomo said. “This tunnel is safer, stronger and more resilient than ever before, and everything on this section of the R train is new – new rails, new signals, new pumps and new power supplies. We’ve made it a top priority to reimagine our state to withstand the new reality of extreme weather, and today is another example of how that approach is making this a safer state for all.”

MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast said, “New York’s transit network suffered more damage during Sandy than anyone at the MTA has ever seen in our lifetimes. The effort required to rebuild the Montague Tube was nothing short of heroic. It took more than a year of round-the-clock reconstruction in difficult conditions, but we have restored the R train with a smoother and more reliable ride in a tunnel built to handle future climate risks. We are grateful to the Federal Transit Administration for funding this project as well as to the workers whose efforts made it happen. And of course, I want to thank Governor Cuomo for his leadership in making the MTA and New York stronger, and our customers for their patience while we rebuilt this tunnel from the ground up.”

The R train ran in two sections during most of the work. One train section operated in Brooklyn, from 95 St in Bay Ridge to Court St in downtown Brooklyn. The other operated from Whitehall St in lower Manhattan to 71 Av in Forest Hills, Queens. On weekends, the R train operated in one section over the Manhattan Bridge but skipped six stops in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Montague Tube was shut down Aug. 3, 2013 to allow workers unfettered access to remove damaged equipment from the two tunnels and demolish concrete and terra cotta duct banks in both tubes that had collapsed. Construction crews had to enter the 4,000-foot section under the East River from entry points in Manhattan and Brooklyn, removing all debris and bringing in all equipment and tools through the tunnels themselves. Crews replaced 11,000 feet of track, 30,000 feet of concrete and terra cotta duct banks, 75,000 feet of power cable and 200,000 feet of communications cable.

Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator Therese McMillan said, “I want to thank all the hard-working men and women of the New York MTA for their steadfast support as we aid in New York’s full recovery from one of the worst storm’s in the region’s history. The funds we awarded MTA after Superstorm Sandy have gone a long way to repair and rebuild their infrastructure. We are proud to be able to tell New Yorkers that today, we’re giving them back a vital piece of their system – and it’s stronger than before.”

MTA Fix & Fortify engineers designed the tunnel repairs with a variety of new strategies to limit the impact of any flooding from future storms, including:

A critical signal relay room was relocated from track level to a higher floor in the Whitehall St. station complex,

 

A circuit breaker room in the tunnel providing power to the tracks was sealed with heavy-duty waterproofing and a submarine-quality door,

Emergency lights were installed with battery backups,

New power and antenna cables were selected for their ability to withstand water inundation, and New pumping equipment with additional capacity was installed within the tunnel.

The successful reopening of the Montague Tube is the second accomplishment in recent weeks of the MTA’s Fix & Fortify program, which is rebuilding an infrastructure network that suffered billions of dollars’ worth of damage from Sandy while also making it more resilient against future storms. The Greenpoint Tube, which carries the G train under the Newtown Creek between Brooklyn and Queens, reopened after a first-ever five-week shutdown to recover from flood damage as well.

Nine MTA subway tunnels were flooded during Sandy, the South Ferry subway station was completely inundated, the A train tracks over Jamaica Bay in Queens were destroyed. Two vehicular tunnels under the East River were also flooded, the Long Island Rail Road’s Long Beach Branch suffered heavy flooding damage and long sections of Metro-North Railroad tracks were underwater as well.

###

 

=======================================================================================

 

The MTA homepage has been updated: http://www.mta.info/status/subway/NQR/23512279

 

Sandy Reroute  Posted: 09/14/2014  6:08PM 


 No service at City Hall, Cortlandt, Rector, Whitehall, Court Sts and Jay St-MetroTech Stations
Use  service to/from nearby stations 
Regular service through the Montague Tubes resumes at 11 PM Sunday, Sep 14. 

 

==============================================================================================

 

We were initially correct: It starts in a matter of hours.
 

[leo2car]

MTA R train schedule effective Septermber 15, 2014 with R train thought the tunnel: http://web.mta.info/nyct/service/pdf/trcur_1.pdf

[bstar1]

Plus some subway cars have updated subway maps.

[Abba]

MTA website still has NOTHING on their home page.Lol

[Daniel The Cool]

It was confirm that the FIRST train through was northbound which arrived at Whitehall at 23:05

[realizm]

It was confirm that the FIRST train through was northbound which arrived at Whitehall at 23:05

 

I was on that train, it arrived at Whitehall and was held by the train dispatcher. This is the second one that arrived:

 

 

[Quill Depot]

So it turns out this delay in reopening the tunnel (and informing the riders of this change in service ahead of time) was all so The Governor can have his moment. "The Returns" - is this a subway line or a Friends' cast reunion?

Ha! He wants some kind of claim to fame, before he's gone for good.