A Community Reconnected
On May 19, 2025, the A train thundered back to New York City’s Rockaway Peninsula, restoring a vital link for nearly 125,000 residents after a 17-week shutdown. This subway line binds a diverse community of working families, seniors, and immigrants to the city’s opportunities. Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA leaders marked the moment, celebrating a $393 million resiliency project completed on time and under budget. For Rockaway riders who navigated shuttle buses and snowy commutes, this victory affirms that public investment can deliver when it centers human needs.
Rockaway’s history is one of grit. In 2012, Superstorm Sandy crippled the A and S trains for seven months, isolating a peninsula reliant on transit. The recent rebuild of the Hammels Wye viaduct and South Channel Bridge fortifies this lifeline against rising seas and fiercer storms. For a community where cars aren’t always an option, the A train’s return signals more than convenience. It’s a promise of connection and dignity.
Why does this resonate? Transit shapes lives. It carries parents to jobs, students to schools, and patients to clinics. The MTA’s work to rebuild this line, stronger and smarter, shows what happens when leaders prioritize the public good over short-term gains.
Defying Climate Threats
The Rockaway Line’s transformation tackles climate change with urgency. The Hammels Wye, a 65-year-old structure, now stands rebuilt with 250 tons of steel, 700 concrete ties, and advanced signals, ready to carry trains for decades. The South Channel Bridge, once hobbled by outdated systems causing delays, operates with overhauled electrical components. These upgrades ensure reliability as coastal flooding endangers 7,500 miles of East Coast infrastructure.
The project’s climate defenses impress. Twelve-foot-high, 900-foot-long wave barriers guard tracks against storm surges, built to withstand disasters like Sandy. Debris shields and riprap boulders counter erosion and flooding, informed by projections of one to four feet of sea-level rise by 2100. This work sets a standard for urban transit facing a warming planet.
Some policymakers advocate fiscal caution, pushing privatization or reduced federal transit funding, arguing markets drive efficiency. Yet, private firms rarely prioritize climate resilience or low-income communities. The Rockaway project, backed by public dollars, demonstrates that only collective action can address massive challenges while serving all.
Transit as a Bridge to Equity
The Rockaway Line serves a vibrant, diverse community where nearly 12,500 daily riders rely on transit. Low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities depend on the A and S trains. During the shutdown, the MTA’s fare-free shuttles and expanded buses, with 100 percent on-time performance for over two months, kept residents moving. Assemblymember Khaleel Anderson’s push for express bus expansions eased burdens for those juggling long commutes.
Public transit levels the playing field. It eases traffic, lifts property values, and connects neighborhoods to opportunity. Across the U.S., 34 million daily trips help seniors, low-income workers, and non-English speakers stay engaged, with transit use three times higher among these groups. The Rockaway project, with future CBTC signals by 2026, ensures this community thrives.
Certain voices prioritize highways or private vehicles, claiming transit is less critical. This perspective overlooks millions for whom driving isn’t feasible. Road-focused policies widen inequality, but Rockaway’s A train proves transit investment fosters fairness and inclusion.
A Blueprint for Progress
The Rockaway project’s triumph—completed on time, under budget, with minimal disruption—redefines public works. Two hundred workers, enduring 20-hour shifts through a harsh winter, rebuilt infrastructure to last generations. This success offers a model for tackling the $152 billion national transit maintenance backlog, where over half of assets are outdated.
Federal efforts like the IIJA and PROTECT grants, allocating $830 million to 80 resilience projects, show government’s potential. Yet, FY 2025’s flat $20.9 billion transit budget warns of future shortfalls. Without steady funding, cities face service cuts or fare hikes that burden the vulnerable. Can we risk that outcome?
Rockaway’s A train shines as proof that bold, equitable investment transforms lives. As climate risks mount and systems age, we need more projects that protect communities, prioritize justice, and build a future where transit lifts everyone.