To The Editor:
It seems that the first thing out of anyone’s mouth any time there is a budget cut is the G Train. It seems like these budget cuts give them the excuse to do what they have been wanting to do for years, officially end the line at Court Square.
This comes at a time where ridership and population growth leave the G Train crying out for increased and improved service and they give us the opposite. It is like a slap in the face to the people who rely on the G train and who already suffer from the years of neglect the MTA has heaped upon it.
Simply put, we need more trains more often. Not cuts! Also of great importance is restoring the G from four cars to full length trains and increasing its frequency. I have spoken to MTA chief Lee Sander many times in the past few weeks to let him know how important the G train is.
It has been said that the G line does not need improvements because of low demand. But demand has been going and so has the population.
There are thousands of units of new housing and thousands more slated to be built, all relying on the G train and its four tiny cars that seem to run once in a blue moon.
I guarantee you that ridership will continue to increase even though the G’s bad reputation for being overcrowded and running infrequently is only going to get worse.
The people of my district are begging for the G to be the major mass transit utility that it can be, as are the people of Downtown Brooklyn and Northern Queens.
Time and time again I hear of the great lengths people will go through in order to avoid taking the G train because of its infrequent service especially during nights and weekends. Often, these measures include taking two or three lines and traveling through Manhattan because they do not trust the G line.
Despite that, it is becoming more and more overcrowded. I cannot overstate the damage they will do by reducing service.
Amy Cleary
Brooklyn
