(Photo: Marcin Wichary/Flickr, via New York magazine)
We’re still trying to wrap our brains around news that the L train’s future is in jeopardy. According to officials, the North Brooklyn lifeline is still suffering from the legacy of Hurricane Sandy and in desperate need of a serious upgrade that would increase daily rider capacity (and relieve commuters of the indignity of having to smell another human stranger’s armpits).
Gothamist reported the city is deciding between the tried-and-true bandaid method– ripping it off (closing it down for a full year) or slowly peeling it back (potentially running with limited service each and every weekend for years on end, probably to start in 2017). Neither of which sound like a recipe for morning-commute happiness.
Still, many questions loom. Is closing down an essential subway line– one that’s home to the Bedford Stop which nearly 30,000 people utilize per (week) day, even possible? Can the MTA replace it with a gondola? Are we about to see a mass exodus from North Brooklyn? (And if so, where will Olena and Alex of The Bedford Stop sleep?) Sure, we’ve had our share of trials with the L train– it’s not perfect, that’s for sure– but to abandon us completely? It seems too cruel. Here’s what Twitter had to say:
There was Chuck Schumer comparing the L train to Beyoncé.
Sometimes getting on the L train is harder than seeing a Beyoncé concert. Simply put, we need more trains. https://t.co/ET5F4KyEwS
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 14, 2016
Does anyone in #Williamsburg know #Beyoncé though? https://t.co/mUhIg2KG74 — davecohenm (@davecohenm) January 14, 2016
Lots of people went with mass-exodus theory and predicted real estate plummets.
And watch all of Williamsburg/Bushwick move to LA in revolt. https://t.co/DpbOzAui6s
— Olivia Fleming (@okfleming) January 14, 2016
watch ppl leave Williamsburg and Bushwick in droves lol https://t.co/LHERkp4MJ2 — SOLAECLIPSE (@DrinkSolaPop) January 13, 2016
@vijayp @coops all of a sudden Williamsburg became affordable again
— Cheryle Cranbourne (@CCranbourne) January 13, 2016
@bmvaughn Yeah. Williamsburg just fell off the map. Worse, you now have to take a cab to Peter Luger. — Glenn White (@justicar) January 13, 2016
@ariellec what if the lack of L train service makes Williamsburg an affordable neighborhood again when the finance bros leave
— Allen V. Win (@AllenVWin) January 13, 2016
There was some gleeful schadenfreude on display from Wburg haters.
Is it horrible (yes) that I feel a kind of anti-Williamsburg schadenfreude knowing that the L train may be out of commission for YEARS?
— Anna Dorfman (@doorsixteen) January 13, 2016
This L train news is great because everyone in Williamsburg is suddenly realizing they’re in the middle of nowhere. — Paul DeBenedetto (@pauldebenedetto) January 13, 2016
The MTA’s plan to isolate Williamsburg doesn’t go far enough. We need a big beautiful wall, too https://t.co/oql8R6rbLl
— Caleb Melby (@CalebMelby) January 13, 2016
“If you ride the L train, you should have moved to Queens already, cause now you’re fucked!” — Matthew M (@CJ_Matthews) January 14, 2016
the whiny brats in Williamsburg can just rent limos instead: https://t.co/hlGW1TTzwE
— jimmy crackcorn (@the0ther) January 13, 2016
If I already didn’t have enough good reasons to not live in Williamsburg. https://t.co/CDFg6W2zMe — Steven Santos (@stevensantos) January 13, 2016
Others were already thinking of the consequences.
People of Williamsburg, if the L train does shut down, don’t assume the F train is your savior, OK? (Again, not meant sarcastically).
— Ginger Clark (@Ginger_Clark) January 13, 2016
I think this L Train shutdown is going to usher in a mass exodus from Williamsburg to Crown Heights. Making my rent higher in the process. — James (@jamesohh) January 13, 2016
But one soon-to-be-fired Al Jazeera America dude saw the bright side.
Well, my entire industry may be collapsing, but at least I don’t live in Williamsburg or Bushwick? https://t.co/dWJn4HZy6Z
— David Klion (@DavidKlion) January 14, 2016
Some people were more solution-minded, though.
Williamsburg residents should learn from DJ Khaled and commute via jet ski. — Prof. Jeff Jarvis (@ProfJeffJarvis) January 14, 2016
1. No worries, Williamsburg hipsters own hipster bicycles. 2. #rentdrop? 3. Never seen the L run efficiently. Ever. https://t.co/XP5dUhQ0bb
— lauren rachel (@lauren_in_nyc) January 14, 2016
guys the finance bros that took over Williamsburg will just make a human bridge out of poor people to cross the East River don’t worry — Corey: Episode VII (@coreybeasley) January 13, 2016
MTA should subsidize ferry tickets & have shuttle buses from Bedford Ave to ferry terminals. #Williamsburg — John Fallot (@JohnFallot) January 13, 2016
Sales of Penny Farthings and Tall-bikes just skyrocketed as Williamsburg announces a year-long shut-down of the L train line for repairs.
— Liam Kersting (@LiamKersting) January 13, 2016
L train closing for years lets Williamsburg residents commute via hand-crank dirigibles like they’ve always wanted https://t.co/g18C9OyEMM — Baratunde (@baratunde) January 13, 2016
Or maybe just head over to the L Train’s own Twitter– it has some thoughts of its own.