Spring has almost sprung and so has a new plan for shuttle service that will connect 13 subway lines – including the LIRR – to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
Part of an enhanced transportation network set to launch this spring, the shuttle, along with plans for the BQX light-rail connector – a streetcar that Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in February that, if it comes to fruition, would stretch along the waterfront for 16 miles between Sunset Park and Astoria, Queens – will accommodate the over two-million-square-foot expansion now underway at the Navy Yard.
According to the Navy Yard, the direct shuttle will run every 10 minutes and connect to the F, A, C, B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains, and the LIRR, serving 83 percent of Yard employees – a number that currently sits at 7,000 but will increase to a projected 16,000 by 2020 – who utilize the subway daily. With the size of the Yard in mind, each drop-off point sits within a five minute walk of the facility.
“This transportation plan will provide the Yard’s growing workforce with direct access to all corners of the city,” said Brooklyn Navy Yard President and CEO David Ehrenberg. “With our workforce set to double in the next five years, one of the Yard’s top priorities is connecting where our employees live with where they work. As the Yard grows, our transportation infrastructure will be strengthened to meet tenants’ needs.”
The free shuttle will feature an improved fleet of air-conditioned vehicles that will provide efficient and frequent service, according to the Navy Yard. The shuttles will eventually be equipped with Wifi and a shuttle service tracking app similar to the MTA’s bus tracking app. Shuttle service will be available to Yard tenants, staff and guests at no cost.
“Fast, efficient transportation options are essential for attracting and retaining the high quality jobs and employees that have made the Brooklyn Navy Yard such a success,” said City Councilmember Stephen Levin. “By linking the Yard to the rich public transportation networks in surrounding neighborhoods, the new shuttle system will make it easier for workers from communities across Brooklyn to connect with the great opportunities unfolding there.”
“The Brooklyn Navy Yard has become an engine for innovation in our community, where workers are building the Brooklyn brand for an audience that extends around the world,” added Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. “This shuttle service will power that engine, providing a needed connection to public transportation, which will allow people to access businesses that support the continued development of our local economy.”
The shuttle is set to launch this spring with the initial expansion including two shuttle loops, the DUMBO Loop – which will connect the Yard to the F and A/C trains – and the Clinton-Washington Loop – which will connect the Yard to the 2/3/4/5, B/D and N/Q/R lines, the LIRR Station complex, the Fulton Street G, and the Lafayette Street C Station.