The G train extension will not expire, transit officials say.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to make permanent a once-at-risk addition to the G line, agency sources said Thursday.
The five bonus stops — which provide one-seat service between North and Brownstone Brooklyns — will officially become part of the cross-borough train’s route after they are included in the agency’s $29 million dollar budget following a vote on July 23, said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
State Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) touted the news as a victory for Brooklyn straphangers at a press conference on Thursday.
“You will see the G train going to Church Avenue,” he said.
The G train originally terminated at Church Avenue when it first rolled through the borough in 1937 as the “GG,” and continued to do so until 1976, when transit honchos shortened the route to Smith–Ninth Street.
But in 2009, a $257.5 million renovation project on the Culver Viaduct barred the so-called “Brooklyn Local” from switching directions at Smith–Ninth Street — extending the line to the Fourth Avenue–Ninth Street, Seventh Avenue–Ninth Street, Prospect Park West–15th Street, Fort Hamilton Parkway, and Church Avenue stations.
The line add-ons quickly became a beloved link between Williamsburg and Park Slope, which straphangers fought to save as the end of work on the Culver Viaduct drew near.
MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said rescuing the G train extension, along with other service improvements, will improve transit connectivity.
“These service investments are the result of careful analysis, meeting our goal of serving all neighborhoods and areas with the best and most frequent bus, subway or commuter rail service possible under our current financial conditions,” MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said in a press release.
Elected officials showered praise on an agency they more often criticize than laud.
Borough President Markowitz touted the agency’s decision to back the G train as “a true MTA success story,” and Public Advocate Bill Deblasio posted a thank-you-note to Lhota and the MTA board featuring a heart-shaped G train logo on his website.
