Other subway lines called inadequate to handle L-Train shutdown
Limited capacity and narrow platforms on other lines may make MTA’s alternative service plans during the L train’s upcoming 15-month shutdown difficult.
The majority of riders who will continue to take the subway to Manhattan will most likely use the J-M-Z lines. However, Curbed said, the J-M-Z’s Marcy Avenue station has more unreliable signals and narrower platform space than the L’s Bedford Avenue station.
In addition, while MTA expects around 7,700 more riders per hour to take the J-M-Z, the transit agency is only adding capacity for 3,480 riders per hour, Curbed reported. Three extra trains per hour is the most that the line can handle.