The L Train isn’t the only train that’s gotten overloaded in recent years as a result of Brooklyn’s burgeoning popularity, but it’s been the hardest hit. The L line had the most number of stations among the Top 50 fastest growing stations around the city, followed by the N train, according to the recent report from the Center for an Urban Future. The Bedford L stop, which gets a lot of attention for its crowdedness, ranked 11th in Brooklyn in terms of rate of change over the past decade: Brooklyn’s original hipster station saw an increase of 111% between 1998 and 2008, placing it behind the Avenue U and 8th Avenue N train stops as well as the York Street F train. The Bedford L is still almost unrivaled in terms of absolute number of riders, with over 18,000 on an average weekday. Overall, Brooklyn had 51 of the 111 stations in New York City that saw ridership rise at least 50 percent over the past decade. As the report points out, all of this data is particularly scary in light of the potential MTA cutbacks. Gulp.
Report: Transit Overload [Center for an Urban Future]
Transit Overload in Brooklyn Confirmed by Center for an Urban Future