The absurd story of the L train

[@jeffbloch2305]

The L was once a neglected line until hipsters showed up and when the area around one station was too expensive to live in, they moved on to the next.

[@JWFdocumentaries]

It’s true

[@barrybshrekson864]

Yep they're getting near broadway junction now

[@DragoMusivini]

Kind of like parasites or s sexually transmitted disease.

[@eattherich9215]

In 2019, I stayed in a Broadway hotel hard up against the elevated line and noticed how much new construction was going on nearby and the newly renovated houses on the side streets.

[@glenbearh9109]

Yep! Manhattan North and South is the speedy way. Sadly there are big blocks of the city which are deserts such as East-South Brooklyn and East Bronx

[@TheAffluenza]

I lived on the L train during peak ridership. It was a bit humiliating and dehumanizing to squeeze in like a sardine. When you realize how many of those people could do their jobs from home, and continue to do so after the pandemic, it’s really amazing what we all put up with for basically no reason.

[@jimmyboy131]

I hear you on the work from home thing. However, while some of us often have the option to work from home, but for various reasons it's sometimes better to go into the office.

[@justshady]

@@jimmyboy131nah, better for managers

[@Allenryan819]

Still the best train line by far! Especially compared to the E and D lines

[@mlx8898]

you should visit Tokyo then

[@unspeakablek5750]

I remember one time the green line in Dublin (Ireland) closed out of nowhere, supposedly for track maintenance. And everyone was going absolutely crazy because it was closed for over a week. It was only after the closure that most people found out that only the city centre section was shut down. XD

[@saulchapnick1566]

There was a time in the 70s, when living in NYC, that the L train was always empty. The neighborhoods it crossed in Brooklyn at the time were high crime. Not a safe train. Took it 3x a week from my apartment near Alphabet Land.

[@saulchapnick1566]

@@Pandemicjoe yes! Many of the neighborhoods had burnt out buildings and one subway platform was made of wood planks. At one point, someone burnt down the planks. The funny thing is, I never thought twice about taking the L line. It was part of the New York experience.

[@ejtattersall156]

Luckily, now, no one can live there but out of state rich kids.

[@bobsnow6242]

@Pandemicjoe Williamsburg is pretty much fully gentrified and Bushwick is rapidly getting there too but East New York and Brownsville are still extremely rough.

[@qolspony]

1983 I took a nap on this line from Broadway East NY (what the station was called back than) and 8th Avenue. Had the motorman (called train engineer today) not woke me up, I would have ended up in Carnarsie. And I did not want to be no where near Brooklyn's Howard Beach. Before this time, no one entered the car I was on. And during this time, the subway had it lowest ridership of all time.

[@qolspony]

The "G" was another subway line that no one was hardly using. This was now the 1990s. I got on the Northern Blvd. Not a single person got on in the car I was in. It was the head car with the train controller. This was rush hour going towards Brooklyn. Looking across at the "E", which was filled to the brim. I knew the "G" future via Queens Blvd was sealed. This was not the 1980s. The system had recovered already. The E/F was covering about 85 percent of the Queens Blvd traffic. The "R" about 14 percent.

[@RCfromtheNYC]

The funniest thing I found about the "L Train Panic" is that nearly all of the other tunnels crossing the East River, some of which were older and carry nearly as many people as the L, were repaired by either weekend or overnight shutdowns with very little huff and puff.

[@JaymeSplendid]

Man, that L train tho during rush hour, good Christ... I live right under the J now but used to live in this old warehouse pseudo squat thing that we paid VERY LITTLE rent. 8 of us paid about 180$ a month and built rooms and had two bathrooms and two showers right at the L stop off of Morgan between 2008 and 2011. Getting on at Union Sq around 5 pm was a NIGHTMARE. Of course, 70% of the riders ALL got off at Bedford so, go figure. No other trains I have been on have ever came close to the L in terms of how packed it was between 4:30PM to 6:30PM. I used to hustle on the trains (former heroin addict, 9 years clean now) and I would AVOID the L even AFTER moving out of the Warehouse during those hours.

[@ExploringFate]

I remember this. There were people who were pissed because they left Williamsburg prematurely and when they tried to move back because so many others were doing the same they ended up paying double or triple the rent. As opposed to those who stayed and 50/50 either the rent stayed the same or was lower because landlords were trying to keep people for the next 2 to 3 years.

[@lawfrmtheave]

I grew up directly in between Bushwick Ave-Aberdeen St and Chauncey St on the J line. Loved when they ran R40 slants on the line. Gentrification really changed the L drastically. I used to get empty trains after Lorimer St.

[@jamesorlando8178]

I appreciate this so much! I had forgotten how catastrophic this felt, and then the humor of it all being resolved during the pandemic when train ridership was at its lowest. And it’s interesting to think how the normalizing of WFH during quarantine has dramatically reduced the strain on train crowd capacity

[@pixytori28]

the L is still crowded during rush hour actually. you haven’t been paying attention lately.

[@balazs2000]

This was interesting. Now I am reading, all this was the consequence of Hurricane Sandy in Dec 2012 where the communications infrastructure was damaged and salt water corroded the cables. The modern technology was fiber optic sensor cables that would detect shifts or cracks in the tunnel wall.

[@stevenroshni1228]

The plan was to dig out all the old infrastructure and Cuomo decided to put the new stuff on top the old stuff.

[@anlasbry]

The L train is a mess when it actually works. Luckily I usually don't have to deal with it. When I do, I try to add extra travel time in the even that something goes wrong.

[@Westerner78]

Well the lack of serious investment since the 1930's is catching up with people! Just think of all the rail transportation that is GONE! All the EL:'s in Manhattan and Brooklyn all the trolleys. The truck and highway lobby runs the transportation policy across the country. AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE SERIOUS INVESTMENT IN NEW AND UPGRADED RAIL PASSENGER LINES! Most cities if they have trains at all are once a day in the middle of the night! Reservations keep you off when full. The same lobbies that hate intercity Amtrak hate city rail of all types. The L train by the way is the BMT! Of the past.

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

You can thank Robert Moses for spending 45 years funneling money away from mass transit infrastructure and right into the automobile industry! Red-lining properties so non-white citizens can't profit from the American promise of upward mobility. Whole neighborhoods demolished to run highways along city boundaries and out into segregated suburbs. Meanwhile, look up the Second Avenue Subway Line. Guess how many years it took to open a BMT Line with just 4 new stops?

[@the_kombinator]

I went to the subway museum in NYC a few years ago - that was very interesting.

[@DChatburn1]

I too had a love/hate relationship with the L train, but I think that overall the L was much cleaner than many of the other trains. The station that I used was Montrose and I would ride to 14th Street and transfer to the uptown 4/5 for work. When I was offered a position in Budapest, Hungary, I originally planned on renting out my flat in East Williamsburg for a year or two in case I decided to return to New York. But my realtor told me that I shouldn't wait because of the pending shutdown of the L train. She said that my apartment would not be worth as much if I decided to sell closer to the shutdown. True, I might have gotten a bit more if the future shutdown was not on people's minds, but overall, I am glad that I sold it when I did. And now that I am retired, I have decided to stay here in Budapest. The city is beautiful and our transit is amazing; clean, safe, inexpensive and frequent. Whenever I go back to New York to visit, I think to myself just how lucky I am to not have to put up with NYC any longer.

[@sensesfail10792]

Cool story nerd. Stay in Hungary!!

[@alk61695]

The NYC Subway is definitely a love hate relationship. When everything is running smoothly, it is the best way to get around. And then when there are problems, well it gets bad.

[@Allenryan819]

You forgot about the ear popping once you pass Bedford .😂

[@yourlocalnoob6902]

Meanwhile In DC: The Yellow Line closes for 7 Months and reopens truncated to Mt Vernon Square but Washingtonians are all used to the Yellow shutting down as it only serves 2 stations exclusively in Virginia and it’s mainly just a convenient way to get from downtown to DCA.

[@richshort8120]

I remember that story of the L train shutting down. I honestly thought it did shut down until I listened to your L storyline here. I never been on the L train I grew up by the 36th 45th subway station on 4th ave in Brooklyn. My grandma live next to the St. Michael's Church on 42nd st. I was born in Brooklyn but in 1959 my family moved to Staten Island when I was 3 Thanks again for the story of the L train, take care 😎👍

[@foisixes677]

I can't get enough of your videos, especially the ones about the Subway system. Keep up the great work!

[@iron_lion940]

All these transplants are rushing to move into Williamsburg and greenpoint areas with limited Subway service and infrequent bus service.

[@CaradhrasAiguo49]

I had to drive in the D.C. suburbs that day in March 2016 when the entire Metrorail system shut down because of an earlier fire caused by failed 3rd-rail jumper cable. There was a definite Carmageddon "Doomsday" feeling then

[@ramencurry6672]

Best New York KZbinr

[@yusefkhan1752]

Agreed

[@7DenshaMaster]

See the L train was never designed to handle the influx of passengers it now receives (thanks gentrification) so now the overcrowding issues attribute to a number of delays on the line. In the 2000’s the weekend closures were always due to the installation of the CBTC system that now allows for 90 second intervals for trains (crews permitting)

[@PickleRicksFATASSCOUSIN]

Do you know how a passenger train works?...

[@JoseNunez-hh1yr]

I hated working the L !!! For most of my career, it was five grueling round trips in eight hours. Believe it or not, the running time one way is 35 minutes...of watching paint dry. Only a restroom break at 14/8av. Canarsie still is hard to get around and find parking. Rather work the G, at least had the cab to myself. I left in 2014, so I wasn't here for this, but if it was anything like the nonsense with the 7 line, I feels ya.(I worked during the Manhattan Bridge closure, fun.)

[@bigEEE]

I love these videos! You always do such a great job, i learn So much on each of your videos

[@Westerner78]

I know it would be a nice conversation about these lines. She should join THE ELECTRIC RAILROADERS ASSOCATION! It would be a great fit for both her and the group.

[@toddteagarden2200]

I often visit my friend in Astoria (36av stop) on the N, W train, and they always shut it down for maintenance on the weekends.. every time I’m there. When I’m not there my friend says it runs fine.

[@stevenroshni1228]

The L train slowdown was nights and weekends, one train every 20 minutes for Bedford Ave and Manhattan, as they closed one tunnel. When COVID hit, without the office workers or entertainment they were able to have 15-20 frequency 24/7.

[@the0ne809]

I think most trains during late night hours have about 20 minutes between trains.

[@the_kombinator]

When I came to visit in 2016, I was on a western train (not sure of the line but it was outside mostly) and there were railworks happening. There were 15 workers on the tracks - ONE was actually doing work. Everyone else was standing around talking. Occasionally one other worker would pass a tool or screw to the one attaching the rail. This went on for 20 minutes. The fact that the repairs were done ahead of schedule is hard to believe - part of me thinks nothing was done at all ;)

[@RayWyland]

Great video! I lived in Greenpoint in the early 2002's and the L Train was my lifeline into Manhattan. I could not even imagine trying to get around NYC with out the L!

[@cyb3rm4x1]

OMG you brought back all bad memories of the L train shutdown saga - loved the retro!

[@WebSoak]

About overcrowding on the L: Being the last Dual-Contracts line to open, the Canarsie Line came with longer platforms than Dual Contracts lines that opened earlier. At the time, the BMT, which built the letter line stations that have the mosaic patterns all over them, operated BMT Standard subway cars. There were also various Open Gangway BMT Subway Cars. Anyway, these BMT Standards ran as 3 car sets instead of singles like the IRT & IND. This meant that when a full length train was assembled, it was only 9 cars instead of 10 (3+3+3). The majority of BMT stock was like this until the introduction of the R27s in 1961. It was also around this time that Broadway (N/Q/R/W) and 4th Avenue (D/N/R) were connected to the IND lines. The IND ran 10 car consists from day one, so all overlapping BMT stations were lengthened to accommodate 10 cars. Unfortunately, the BMT Eastern Devision remained at its 9 car platform length. In the 1960s the BMT Standards were retired. New trains at the time ran in 2 car sets instead of 3. Which added up to 8 or 10. This meant that Canarsie & Jamaica were downgraded from 9 to 8. BMT Standards were also 67 feet long instead of the roughly ~60 feet long predecessors. Capacity was thereafter lost on the entire BMT Eastern Devision. In present day the L line runs a majority of R143s, which an extreme minority of R160s. R143s are built as 4 car sets, which combine into 8 car trains. R160s came in either 4 or 5 car sets. For the L to increase up to 9, R160s would have to be downgraded to 9 on other lines to allow the sets to add up. The only real solutions are the fallowing: -Lengthening Canarsie Line Platforms to fit 10 Cars, which is difficult because of the frequent island platforms, which would require rebuilding a bit of the tunnel east or west of island platforms -Build an express line below the original line like Lexington Avenue -New order of 9 car trains, unlikely to fix the overcrowding because 1 car won’t change much at this point

[@declanftbl]

Hi WebSoak!

[@keevsteev]

i love your channel so much omg. i could watch these all day. tysm.

[@prck4630]

I was part of that project, because the contractors did not have the full shutdown, the tunnel was only patched up, not really fully fixed.

[@JoseTheRover]

3 years? I lived in Bushwick for 20 years and the L has always been shitty… weekends have always been terrible

[@sparker7768]

Grew up in NYC. I don't recall the L being reliable, so I often thugged it out across town: I walked! I wore stylish coats and was in the best physical shape of my life 😅

[@MichaelBarazia]

When it was the LL back in the day it had the oldest rolling stock... including wicker seats, ceiling fans, and no air conditioning.

[@brandenburgBBQ]

Nice Story. I 'm relieved that there are so many incompetent local politicians not only in Germany. End of septembre i will visit new your for two and a half weeks and can experience it for myself. We are in a hotel in flushing and will use the line 7 very often. I celebrate your videos. Many thanks.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

The L train is weird in that it mostly goes through residential areas and then suddenly spits you our downtown. This was more true years ago. My memories are mostly during gentrification, so people were starting to live along the L more, but nobody went to those places unless they lived there. So some people relied heavily on the L and most New Yorkers forgot it existed. And the G train never worked.

[@abbyaidanandalexacosta6656]

I think the L train needs a line supporting it I propose this line we would call it the K and some peak direction express service in Brooklyn between Broadway, Junction and Canarsie Rockaway Parkway is I think they should bring back the extension to Canarsie pier but it would rise up onto an elevated structure

[@abbyaidanandalexacosta6656]

Hi

[@DrewK971]

Absolutely! The ridership would definitely be there with the # of hi rise buildings and anyways we need more subway access to the South Brooklyn shoreline.

[@daveh893]

Thanks for the video. Back in the 80s I took the L train every workday. Living in Greenpoint and working in Chelsea, it was the best way to get to work. I can imagine what a hassle it was during the shut-down.

[@norifromreallife-di7hi]

I’ve been taking the L for a while now, and it brings it back home EACH time with that powerful nostalgia

[@danielbocelli]

I visited my cousin in Williamsburg during that time and the sentiment at that time was really bleak! Glad it was resolved

[@mstrmren]

I liked the subway when I visited NYC but I was shocked by how unfrequent the trains ran. Sometimes every 10 minutes while cities in my country (Germany idk about other parts of the world) are currently planning to install new systems to bring the frequency of trains up to every 2 minutes instead of every 5 minutes.

[@bobsnow6242]

@mstrmren The sad thing is that NYC's public transit system is by far the best and most efficient large metro system in the US. Other cities that even have proper subways and rail systems aren't nearly as extensive or reliable, and most of the country barely even has local bus service let alone trains. The whole country's culture and infrastructure is hyper-fixated on cars, so NYC is the closest you're going to get to European-style mass transit.

[@mstrmren]

@@bobsnow6242 And I really appreciate that! Honestly I were to move to the US, NYC would probably be the only city I would survive in.

[@monica012077]

Our wait times you used to be better but they've been slowly creeping up. And night it's 20 min but at least the service runs 24/7.

[@Demopans5990]

There is just the problem that train lines in the city share tracks with other lines. Only the 7, L, and G have their own track, while the rest sometimes interleave

[@i_am_a_toast_of_french]

@@Demopans5990 the 7 local has to share tracks with the 7 express which is why the 7 used to be more frequent before express service was introduced the g train has to share tracks with the f train between bergen st and church avenue, and most of the capacity has to go to the f train which is probably why g train frequencies kinda suck

[@valmarsiglia]

Really glad I never had to rely on the L in the 20 years I was in Brooklyn. My local stops were either Grand Army Plaza (2,3) or or Carroll St (F).

[@osagiee.guobadia-secondytc4624]

Awesome video about the L Train, Thea. : )

[@badgerden7080]

Thank God I moved to Astoria, Queens in late 2001. But then again, I also had the option of taking the A and J trains to Manhattan from where I used to live.

[@seprishere]

Said wait reminds me of my wait yesterday from Caerphilly to Cardiff. At least THAT train was uncrowded when it came. It still was the distress purchase, as I wanted the direct bus to Newport which would have been another hour.

[@blueblobfish69]

0:55 small mistake: the B and D trains don't stop at 14th St-6th Av

[@ianclarke1683]

I lived at the Manhattan 14th and 1st L train stop through the 90s and rode the L train every day. I never once rode it into Brooklyn and it always had plenty of available seating when it pulled into 1st Ave from Brooklyn.

[@501lilspoon]

Lmao the ending "L line completed ahead of schedule with no shutdown" 😂

[@moisesdavila2211]

All these details were real and painful, but you nicely shared them.

[@lightning77125]

The NYC subway system has express lines. And what more can you ask for. CHAMBERS TO 96 IN 12 MINUTES VIA THE 2/3??!! Best thing ever! Chambers, 14, 34, 42, 72, 96. In other parts of the world, the commute would go: Chambers, Franklin, Canal, Houston, Christopher, 14, 18, 23, 28, 34, 42, 50, 59, 66, 72, 79, 86, 96. The 1 train.(or the equivalent). Sure, other systems are better kept and the locals may be better kept than ours, but express service is great. I know some cities do have express service, but only in the CBD, in other words

[@mtavideocapture]

an L train just a few days 2 or 3 days ago derailed at East 105 Street on a switch.

[@soullfire]

Just like the weather and MTA transits, politics is also very unpredictable. I have a hard time believing that some "new" technology from Europe just sprung up to save the day at the last minute. Knowing the reality of politics, what likely happened was someone suggested the idea early on among the other options and it was shot down as being too expensive/difficult in favor of the other options. Then they spent time trying to force feed their solution to the general public but as time progressed it became clear that there were NO feasible alternatives to a complete shutdown with so many needing to get into the city daily. The costs and difficulties finally made it clear that they needed to change tracks and viola, now they go with the Europe option. What's worse than a planned shutdown is when you get an impromptu one without warning, as in standing on a platform where the train just never comes as minutes turns to hours and the station get more and more packed and you have to decide to either wait and hope or leave to find an alternative route. Even "better" when it happens during the winter months. ;-) Great vid on the situation - thanks!

[@ExploringFate]

As far as trains finding the right spot you have to plan it or be fairly familiar with the train & stations (leaving or arriving at), in addition to this the time of day plays a big factor as well. For example: The E train the very first stop in Queens (Parson & Archer) the stairs or entrance & exit points to the platform is in the middle or the front if arriving or back if leaving. So those tend to be the most crowded. So if you are leaving you want to walk all the way to the front to get a seat or have space. But if you are arriving depending on your preference smoush in the back and wait because half way through the trip it will be empty and empty when arriving, or crowd in the front or middle if you want to exit quickly.

[@christianburgos5956]

I literally anxiously await your uploads every week at this point lol ❤

[@laurasnow7822]

I’ve only ever lived on the L. Now I spend more time in my neighborhood and less time in Manhattan post Covid so I bike more train ride less.

[@hirampriggott1689]

Who would guess that getting between Brooklyn & Manhattan would be so messy for the last three centuries?

[@noslentocs]

Our lines in Chicago are all colors and we call the entire sub system "the L" for "elevated." Red Line/Blue Line/Brown Line/Green Line/Orange Line/Pink Line/Purple Line/Yellow Line

[@williamerazo3921]

40 minutes from one end of the line to the other is pretty good

[@ratuldeoun7228]

No wonder why it's called the L Train 😂

[@abbyaidanandalexacosta6656]

Read my idea

[@davidrubel6295]

Ah the Canarsie train (it's REAL name)... back in the 80's the Guardian Angels used to ride... in large groups... that tells you something about how it used to be

[@adventureswithcarl123]

Interesting story! I haven't had a issue with The L Train and then I transfer to The A, C. Or E Train that's the train I usually have to catch to get to midtown manhattan but only in nyc twice a year! .Thanks for sharing beautiful lady😘😘😘 xox

[@SamAronow]

I was completely baffled when Transport for London's construction projects were _slowed down_ by the pandemic instead of sped up.

[@Nam3y123]

As someone living across the country from NYC (Portland, OR), I'm always bummed out hearing about the inadequacies of the NYC Subway. Mostly because the NYC Subway is undoubtedly the best train system in the United States if not all of North America. Here in Portland, we get slow Light Rail that comes every 15 minutes. That said, we do seem to have better plans around needed closures, which is good. For example, the Red Line is currently closed for track improvements, so they have implemented shuttle busses that run once or twice every 5 minutes. It is still a disruption but it isn't catastrophically bad.

[@cleokatra]

I'm not bummed out, I'm salty lmao... TriMet talks a big game about "frequent service" and MAX, but in reality, we have nowhere even close to a world class transit system. I grew up in Nashville, and even they have more 10 minute service than PDX now! It's interesting to hear a NYer talk about how far from the mark MTA is, and it irks me knowing that if NY can't be the gold standard, then there's no hope for the rest of the nation 😂😂😂 Maybe I will be proven wrong - I'd be happy about that...

[@bobsnow6242]

@cleokatra As a New Yorker I grumble about the MTA while I'm here but miss it dearly and develop a much healthier appreciation for it when I leave town and go visit other parts of the country where public transit is effectively nonexistent and everything revolves around cars.

[@virusj216]

ngl i was completely oblivious to this. I lived in eastern queens and didn't take subway often.

[@StickwithBrooklyn]

8:48 Through 8:58 Made me Think about, Yes, what she said, But also how Its the Biggest Transit System in America.

[@BxJRP]

Love your vids ❤😊

[@ChuckConnNYC]

We need to invest more in our subway system. Paris, London, Tokyo.... always building, integrating (LIRR should be a MetroCard swipe from Jamaica or flushing), yet here we are. So sad

[@ourcore]

I still live in the same spot I did before they announced the shutdown and I thought it was hilarious that the full shutdown never happened, especially after my roommates at the time moved out of the East Village because of it. Unless it affected my commute, it seemed unnecessary to me

[@GobbiExists]

I wasnt affected much by the L train shutdown, but 14th Street sure does feel more lively now

[@bhavyachheda7899]

L train is like the entire public transport system of Mumbai. 3 rail lines carry 8 million people a day. trains are 12 or 15 cars long and in peak have frequencies of 2 mins and still those are not enough. So, I think if I ever come to NYC, L train would feel like home.

[@josephyoung6749]

enjoying your videos...

[@MauroErazo]

Great Video!

[@SirHeinzbond]

what i can see from here, Thea, is that America is not good in maintenance at all, i mean bridges Collapses, Tunnel where Flooded because there were no Pumps and working Doors...

[@MarkBustos2]

Did you forgot the MTA also had to fix the M Train between Myrtle Ave to Metropolitan Ave and then Myrtle Wyckoff Aves. Afterwards sending the M Train to 96 St 2 Ave on Weekends and around 10 PM to 1 or 2 AM. The M14A & M14D became Select Bus Service Routes because of L Train shutdown.

[@tonymanzo3766]

My job was providing public address audio and video for the numerous hearings on the proposed shutdown of the L train. One was at a huge armory in Brooklyn and another at Broadway and myrtle that was actually a dance club. I made a lot of money on overtime for these events

[@kaicandoit]

The L train's biggest mistakes involve its creation. I dont think the MTA ever expected the L to manage the capacity it's seeing today. Most of the Brooklyn tracks (above grade) are repurposed from old lines + there was never express tracks built because it was 1. they didn't expect capacity like this and 2. when it came up, it was too expensive to conceive. It also doesn't help that the L is one of the few, that connects lines M, J, Z, A, C, 3 lines closer to the edge of Brooklyn, as opposed to being just a 'destination' line where its only cross connections occur closer to Manhattan.

[@Harry_16710]

What a crazy story...gotta love MTA! 🚇

[@KymanitheCaracal]

I can tell so many passengers ended up at Canarsie after falling asleep

[@lovesplus3879]

I worked off the l train while it was under construction. I was coming from LI at the time. Had to take three trains every weekend. Really should be that hard to go from one part of LI, to the urban part of the same island. Or from queens to BK, or from one part of BK to another. Ahhhh, we’ll anyway after that job moved the L train completion was announced.

[@sonicbfdiag7050]

the L Train shutdown was nuts in my opinion although I don't rely on the L as much as others (I'm an A Train Rider, and sometimes the A ends up in worse situations, such as that time where A Trains weren't going to my neighborhood (Far Rockaway) cuz of Flood Maintenance) the shutdown has affected another line worth mentioning that being the M Train I remember that time the M Train was shut down to prepare for the mass influx of L Train Riders sandwich packing on the M Train, and then that time the M went to 96th Street during Late Nights (which is a better alternative than Essex Street tbh as that won't affect J Trains at all) so when the L Train Slowdown took effect, lots (and I mean LOTS) of L Train Riders flocked to the M, I remember seeing a Manhattan Bound M Train being just packed with riders, like Lexington Avenue Rush Hour style packed, as basically a lot of people didn't want to risk the G as much as the M as it is pretty convenient in Brooklyn

[@APSATAUTTPLeader]

even worse an A train derailed, which I have a spider sense that one of the most known derailment situations

[@keshavrawat4949]

This new technology from Europe clearly worked. We should use it to fix all our problems. I'm sure a clogged toilet, deflated tire, United kicking you off the flight would all be fixed with this technology from the heavens. In all seriousness, the fact that the L train carries 400K riders per day and they still shut it down shows the seriousness of the damages caused by Hurricane Sandy. Great job once again Thea, looking forward to more train line videos!!

[@rafasha2222]

Seriously curious what this "new technology from Europe" actually is! 😅😅

[@agthaog1986]

all iknow is that that L train run more frequently then most trains. other day i missed a train and literally it was another one 3 mins away. behind that was another about the same amount of time. almost everytime i take the L im not waiting more then 5 mins

[@MultiScooter68]

How about doing a video on the way overcrowded 7 train?

[@andrewstevens3555]

When you say L Train, it could be confused with EL train or Elevated train.

[@JuanJohn013]

Yeah when hipster moved into Williamsburg and Greenpoint was the worst and made everything more expensive

[@Venom3254]

I hate taking the L train, especially when I have to get on Broadway Junction.

[@lactran7475]

"If trains were coming at every 3 to 5 minutes". Well, the ideal spacing time in a good system is 2 minutes, and it had being said that MTA subways can run at 90-second (1.5-minute) headways, meaning 2 minutes spacing is totally possible. Three to five minutes of spacing is ridiculous and they should double the schedule.

[@povertyisapolicyfailure6130]

Why are y’all acting like the G, M, and J line are not there. I hate these transplants.

[@TuMalditaMadre]

Let's put it this way. The L train was technically the closer line to my house growing up. My mom would rather walk to the M train than take the L.

[@kendon1]

I wasn’t there, I’m from Flatbush Q train line. But if I was there I’d be pissed smh lmao 😂

[@med7870]

What happened to the Canarsie tunnel after Sandy???

[@tylerory9745]

We’re a lot better at predicting the weather than “50%” 🙄

[@BalooUriza]

I'm still waiting for the L train shutdown to end in Tulsa. Might be a while, it hasn't opened yet. Or been planned. Or thought of by anyone in charge.

[@blanchiep]

So glad I left NYC.

[@GilmerJohn]

Assuming there is a true rush hours, you can take the train the wrong way and just stay on the train.

[@JohnSabini-p2b]

Took L in the 70s and 80s. Empty. Saw a shooting once.

[@blakemcnamara9105]

My mother remembers the Canarsie Line from the '80s. It was desolate and crime-ridden. R27 and R30 subway cars covered in graffiti. Now it's a hipster line. Glad I don't ride it.

[@nyrmetros]

I was hoping your L Train video was starting in 1890, not 2016...... Please make a video about the history of the L train!

[@caakshaypatil3764]

Please make a comparison video of NYC Subway Vs Delhi Metro.

[@PUPGRLPDX]

Big ups liquid richard.