Analysis of the potential impacts of the closure of New York City’s L Train. We identify the affected areas and characterize them using socio-economic indicators. We then quantify the impacts on commuters in terms in terms of likely travel time increases, and investigate whether certain communities will be disproportionally affected by the closure.

#####Keywords—L Train; MTA; public transportation; social impact

The L-train (14th Street-Canarsie Local) of the New York City Subway is slated to be shut down in early 2019 for a period of 18 months in order to fix damage incurred during Hurricane Sandy. The closure of this line will significantly impact commuters and other riders of the L, who will need to find alternate transportation services. It will also affect businesses positioned at or near L-train stops and overall economic development in neighbourhoods served by the line. In order to mitigate the adverse effects of the closure on citizens, the city needs to plan appropriate changes to other transit services.

Increased bus service, using a combination of new routing and additional vehicles, will be needed to compensate for the L-train closure, particularly in less transit-dense areas of Brooklyn.