G train signal upgrades delayed until 2029
G train riders may have to wait an additional two years for long-promised signal upgrades that would speed up service. The $624 million project aims to replace the line’s 1930s-era signal system with communications-based train control (CBTC). Work is scheduled to be completed north of Hoyt-Schermerhorn by the end of 2027, and between Hoyt-Schermerhorn and Church Avenue by 2028. However, the upgraded system won’t be activated until 2029, due to delays in installing 5G radio technology in subway cars—a requirement for CBTC to function across both trains and tracks, agency officials said during an MTA committee meeting Monday.
The delay is especially frustrating for daily G train riders, who endured a six-week shutdown last summer and now face additional weekend and weeknight outages through August 18, expecting that those disruptions would lead to faster, more reliable service.
During these shutdowns, G train riders have relied on fare-free shuttle buses running between Court Square and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues, while train service continues between Church Avenue and Bedford-Nostrand Avenues.
Since the initial 2024 shutdown, the MTA has completed three phases of 24/7 outages spanning nine and a half weeks to modernize the G line’s signaling system and complete critical work, including reconstruction of the Court Square interlocking and upgrades to roughly 30 miles of track.
That summer, the MTA also completed upgrades, repairs, and deep cleanings at 10 G line stations. Work included scraping, priming, and painting 233,645 square feet of platform, track, and mezzanine ceilings; replacing 9,495 tiles; scraping, priming, and painting 1,802 station columns; and converting 4,858 lamps to LED, as 6sqft previously reported.
Jamie Torres-Springer, president of the MTA’s Construction and Development, explained the necessity of the radio technology during Monday’s MTA Capital Program Committee meeting.
“A new technology we need to adopt CBTC across all our subway lines is a 5G radio that will be installed on subway cars to replace obsolete radio equipment,” Torres-Springer said. “That will take longer than the work we’re doing on the G itself. Putting CBTC into operation on the G line will overall take longer than anticipated.”
However, there will be no additional service interruptions related to the installation of the radio technology, Torres-Springer said. The agency plans to begin testing and commissioning the technology at the end of next year.
The technology is currently under development by German-based infrastructure company Siemens and the Japanese firm Hitachi, according to Crain’s. The upgrades are slated for installation in over 600 R211 and R179 subway cars.
Taking advantage of the closures, the MTA has partnered with Boldyn Networks to install 5G cellular service throughout the underground sections of the G line, with public access expected this fall. In May, the agency also announced plans to expand 5G service to the 4 and 5 subway lines.
G line riders have also started benefiting from the rollout of new R211 trains, which began in March. The fleet includes R211T open-gangway models that enhance reliability and rider comfort, and are fully compatible with the upcoming CBTC signaling system.
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