NYC subway tunnel reopens after 13-month shutdown for repairs

NEW YORK -- The commute got a little bit easier Monday for New York City subway riders who take the R train between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Trains are once again rolling through the Montague Tunnel, which was severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy, taking in 27 million gallons of water.

For the last 13 months, the line has stopped at Court Street instead of going on to Manhattan and Queens.

Workers were repairing tracks, signals, communications and other equipment that was damaged by the flooding.

Brooklyn straphangers, who have had to take other trains to get into Manhattan, couldn't have been happier about the welcome sight of the R train Monday morning.

"I had to take the 4 and 5 to the 6 every morning," said Rachel Garber. ('And how crowded were those trains in the past year?') "There were times where from the stop I could not get on," she said.

"It's really nice to have the R train back in general, it's going to make a lot of people's lives a lot easier and you can't argue with that," said another rider, Gerardo Rios.

Workers installed 11,000 feet of new track, three new pumps, and submarine style doors to protect equipment against future flooding, plus the cleanest platforms in the city.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and officials from the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority took a ride Sunday through the reconstructed tunnel.

Nearly two years after Sandy stormed through, the $250 million job is finished - one month ahead of schedule and $60 million under budget, officials said.

Service on the R train under the East River started Monday at 6 a.m., with about 65,000 additional daily riders.

When Sandy hit the subway system, "the most extensive damage was this tunnel," Cuomo said.

The salty water that inundated the tunnel's electrical systems was "a terrible combination," Cuomo said.

On Sunday, MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast and the agency's top engineers squeezed with the governor into a track inspection car. From the slow-moving car headed to Manhattan's Whitehall Street station, the officials examined the illuminated new ducts carrying electrical cables and water-resistant signals.

In addition, the pumping equipment has been upgraded to better deal with any future flooding in the century-old tunnel.

"And not only was it reconstructed, but it was fortified in the reconstruction," Cuomo said.

The massive repairs - funded by the Federal Transit Administration - include not only the 11,000 feet of new track, but also 30,000 feet of new concrete, 75,000 feet of power cable and 200,000 feet of communication cable. About 10,000 tons of concrete and debris had to be removed before work started 13 months ago.

The governor praised the city's forefathers for daring to dig under the East River with far less technology than is available now.

"The spirit of that vision is what makes New York what New York is," he said.

The Court Street station is a bit off the beaten path, but that's why riders like it.

"It is my go-to train all the time because I get a seat on it. I know it's a little bit pokey, and when I called up the MTA they were saying it's a slow train, but I said I don't care, I get a seat," said rider Judy Wilson.