Elected Officials Continue To Press MTA For Express F Train Service

On the heels of a letter sent last month urging the MTA  to improve transportation in southern Brooklyn, elected officials gathered beneath the Neptune Avenue station Monday to call for the return of express F train service and other improvements to the area’s public transit.

“The time has come to restore the transportation options that our communities have lost. Southern Brooklyn deserves its fair share. The ridership on the F-train continues to grow, yet service has not improved,” said City Councilman Mark Treyger. “We are not asking for luxury, we are asking for necessities.”

A press release from Treyger’s office pointed out that between 2013 and 2014 ridership at the Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue station rose by 6.2 percent. The number of straphangers boarding the West 8th Street/Aquarium stop increased by 5.5 percent during the same period. Express service on the F line was necessary to accommodate the swell passengers, Treyger argued.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed last month to a $26.1 billion capital program to maintain and expand the MTA’s transit system for the next four years. However, the plan left out many improvements in southern Brooklyn, prompting elected officials to write a letter requesting changes to many of the bus and subway lines in the area.

The letter was signed by Treyger, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Borough President Eric Adams, Senator Diane Savino, Assemblyman William Colton, Councilman David Greenfield, and Councilman Chaim Deutsch.

Officials at Monday’s press conference also urged the MTA to install an elevator at the Neptune Avenue station to accommodate the high concentration of disabled and senior citizens in the area.

“Public transportation is an important part of the daily commute for the elderly, disabled, and our community in general,” said Colton, who joined Treyger at the press conference along with Savino and Adams. “This affects the seniors who are traveling to and from the doctor’s, the small businesses who lose potential customers, and the students who are traveling to and from school. Bringing back these services will restore the vitality of our great neighborhood and tight-knit community.”

Officials also pressed the MTA to reinstate the x29 and x28 bus lines, which were cut from the MTA’s 2010 budget, as well as have faster service for the B1 and B82 buses.