Coalition Wants To Bring Back Weekend X28 Bus Service

Councilman Vincent Gentile and Assemblyman William Colton are joining forces with a slew of community groups to bring the x28 express bus service back on the weekends. According to a press release, Gentile and Colton believe that restoration of weekend x28 service will go a long way in helping commuters deal with the year-long closure of the Montague tunnel, which carries the R train into Manhattan.

Gentile drafted a letter to MTA Executive Director Tom Pendergast, calling for a return of the express service, which covers Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, Seagate and Coney Island.

“Southern Brooklyn residents who travel to Manhattan each day already have a long and difficult commute. Now, with the news that the Montague tunnel will be closed for at least a year, we need to make every viable alternative available. And the x28 weekend service is an important piece to that puzzle,” Gentile said in a press release. “Without the x28, seniors and the disabled who are unable to climb the stairs to the elevated subway are basically cut-off from Manhattan on weekends… and that is unacceptable.”

Echoing these words was Assemblyman Colton, who is also calling for the return of the x28, alongside a roster of community organizations that includes the Bensonhurst West End Community Council, Marlboro Residents Association, St. Francis Cabrini Church, United Chinese Association of Brooklyn, People’s Coalition of Coney Island, and Most Precious Blood Church.

“Neighborhoods such as Bensonhurst and Bath Beach need more options for public transit to Manhattan, especially on the weekends. Frequently, the MTA schedules repairs on numerous subway lines for Saturday and Sunday, which causes delays and infrequency in service. Sometimes, certain trains do not run at all, or certain stations do not have service. By restoring weekend service to the x28, people who have trouble getting to the subway will have another means to travel to Manhattan,” Colton said in the release.

You can see the entire letter from Gentile to Pendergast below: