MTA to Restore Brooklyn Bus Lines, Increase G Trains

This article was written by Matt Hampton with additional reporting by Joanna Prisco.

The MTA is using some extra revenue to improve subway and bus service in the city, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday afternoon. 

The biggest change will be the increase in G train frequency. Currently, G trains run once every 10 minutes starting at Court Square in Queens and going to Church Avenue in Brooklyn. The G will now run every 8 minutes between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. weekdays. The MTA said the change will allow the runs to coordinate more efficiently with transfers along the F line, as well. 

"Last week we announced major improvements for G train riders
following the Full Line Review we requested," enthused Sen. Daniel Squadron following the announcement. "And now, one week later, it seems that increased evening rush service will become a reality, allowing the G to keep pace with skyrocketing growth in Brooklyn and Queens... I look forward to working
with the agency, Senator Dilan, and Riders Alliance."

But the G train wasn't the only subway line getting a boost. The M train will also run into Manhattan from Brooklyn on weekends, stopping at Delancey St-Essex St.

In addition, three Brooklyn bus lines — the B37, B70 and B8 — will be restored after previous cuts. The B37 runs along Third Avenue in southwest Brooklyn, while the B70 runs in Dyker Heights on Seventh Avenue. 

"In the last two and a half years, our administration has made real improvements to the nation’s largest public transit system, implementing reforms that have improved services and made the MTA more efficient by reducing costs, cutting waste and putting the needs of straphangers and commuters first," Cuomo said in a statement. 

The MTA is able to spend $7.9 million annually on the restored and increased services, made possible because of fare increases and the new $1 MetroCard fee.

“We have listened to our customers, and we are responding with more bus, subway and commuter rail service as well as enhancements to make that service more reliable and more enjoyable,” said MTA CEO Thomas Prendergast.