11/19/2012
By Ivan Pereira
Still unable to get the A train because of a damaged bridge, Rockaway residents today will get some semblance of subway service for the first time since Sandy.
A special “H” shuttle will run between the Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue station and the Beach 90-Holland stops every 15 minutes starting at 4 a.m., the governor announced yesterday.
The Jamaica Bay bridge, which connects the A train to the Rockaways, might not be repaired for months.
“While [repair] work continues, this new shuttle service will help improve travel for people in the Rockaways who are still recovering from Sandy’s effects,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.
Straphangers can take shuttle buses from the Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue station to the Howard Beach station where they can get Manhattan-bound A train.
The shuttle, which won’t run west of Beach 90th because of ongoing repairs, won’t operate between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m.
The MTA spent four nights hauling subway cars by a flatbed truck to the Rockaways and used cranes to place them on the tracks.
“This partial restoration of service is an important step for the Rockaways, but our work won’t be done until the A train is fully restored,” MTA chairman Joe Lhota said in a statement.
