Brooklyn’s lawmakers yesterday gave mixed reactions to the MTA’s good news, bad news announcement concerning restoration of the F Train express to Coney Island depending on their district.
The good news is the MTA will again run express F Train service during the rush hours between Church Avenue and Jay Street-MetroTech, saving commute time for the thousands of riders living south of Church Avenue to Coney Island.
The bad news is they will do so without increasing the number of trains, which will cause longer commute times for riders at Ft. Hamilton, 15th St, 4th Ave, Smith/9th, Carroll St, and Bergen St. – the stops that the express trains will skip.
Following the announcement, City Council Members Brad Lander and Stephen Levin, State Senators Daniel Squadron, Jesse Hamilton, Velmanette Montgomery and Kevin S. Parker, and Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon released the following statement:
“We are extremely dismayed by the utter lack of process on the part of the MTA regarding proposed new F-Express service between Church Avenue and Jay St-MetroTech stops in Brooklyn. The proposed service change harms more people than it helps, ignores our request for increased service, and pits Brooklyn residents against each other, creating ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ without sufficient information or dialogue.
But City Councilman David G. Greenfield (Midwood, Borough Park) was joined by seven other elected officials from southern Brooklyn including City Council Members Chaim Deutsch and Mark Tryeger, Senators Diane Savino and Simcha Felder, and Assembly Members Bill Colton, Pam Harris and Steven Cymbrowitz in thanking MTA officials for taking first steps to restore express service to the F line in Brooklyn.
“I’m very happy that the MTA has finally released this report, and I’m thrilled that after a decades-long absence, the F express will finally be returning to Brooklyn,” Greenfield said. “This is a long overdue move that will drastically cut commute times for riders in southern Brooklyn and restore transit equity to neighborhoods that have languished in transit deserts for decades.”
Greenfield noted, however, that he would still like to see increased service along the entire F line. “I look forward to having constructive conversations with the MTA and with my colleagues in the Council and in the state legislature on how we can make that happen,” he said.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said while it has been a goal of Brooklyn’s elected officials to bring back express F train service for some time, it has been clear from the beginning that it should not come at the expense of existing local train frequencies and the growing communities that depend upon them.
“The MTA’s newly announced proposal, which was made outside of consultation with local representatives and impacted straphangers, seeks to pit Brooklynite against Brooklynite in a fight for quality transportation. There are critical transportation needs in southern Brooklyn just as there are along the Brownstone Belt, and the increased ridership along the F line necessitates real investment beyond this limited plan,” said Adams.
“It is time for the MTA to come to the table with stakeholders along the F line and devise a comprehensive community vision for the restoration of express service, one that protects the interests of commuters who rely on local service as well.”
