G train will run normally in December after the MTA drops holiday shutdowns
Tunnel repairs under Newtown Creek finished early, so the three December weekend closures are off. Some October weekends still have outages.
The MTA has called off the three G train weekend shutdowns it had planned for December, saying the tunnel repairs behind them are already done. Riders in Greenpoint and Long Island City can expect regular G service through the holiday season.
Why the G train December closures were dropped
The work centered on the tube that carries the G under Newtown Creek between Greenpoint and Long Island City. Hurricane Sandy badly damaged that tunnel in 2012. Earlier this year the agency found it needed far more repair than first planned and added three back-to-back December weekends to the calendar. Crews have since finished ahead of that timeline.
MTA spokesperson Laura Cala-Rauch said crews completed more than 6,400 feet of grouting and leak control inside the Greenpoint tube, which allowed the December outages to be removed. She said the agency would keep working with local officials so the rest of the project finishes with as few outages as possible.
In Greenpoint, where the G is the only subway line, the reversal follows months of pressure from shop owners. A Shop Small Greenpoint survey found most businesses lost at least 22% of their sales on shutdown weekends, and 39% cut staff shifts or hours. Perri Salka, who owns WonderMart and co-founded the group, said December holiday shopping brings in a quarter of her store’s yearly revenue. A coalition of local businesses had written to the MTA asking it to rethink the June and December closures, and elected officials had pressed the same point.
State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez thanked the agency for finishing the work “without disproportionately impacting small businesses during the busiest time of year.” Salka called the decision proof “that when a neighborhood organizes, it gets results.”
G train weekend outages still ahead in October
The G project is not over. The line had full and partial shutdowns in September, and a few October weekends still carry service interruptions while the MTA installs Communications-Based Train Control, a signal system meant to deliver faster, more reliable trips. That installation has caused periodic disruptions since 2024.
Related coverage: more North Brooklyn subway service updates.
Quick answers
Will the G train run in December 2026?
Yes. The MTA dropped the three planned December weekend shutdowns, and the G is expected to run normally through the holiday season.
Are there still G train weekend shutdowns?
Yes. A few October weekends still have service interruptions while the MTA installs Communications-Based Train Control.
