“The damage to the A line in Jamaica Bay is absolutely unprecedented, and so is the MTA’s response,” MTA Chairman and CEO Joe Lhota said. “Restoring the entire A train will take months, but the MTA is committed to doing it and to providing alternatives to our customers in the meantime.”

Original post: The Rockaways have been devastated by Hurricane Sandy, and that is not just the homes, but the infrastructure, the very fabric of the peninsula. But the city and the MTA have been working nonstop to return life to normal, and that goes for mass transit as well.

The MTA has been working all week to truck subway cars out to the Rockaways from a trestle in Brooklyn so that a shuttle service might be set up between Beach 116th Street and Mott Avenue/Far Rockaway. "We're going to do what we can to get the Rockaways back to normal," MTA chief Joe Lhota told reporters over the weekend, when the MTA was putting together its shuttle plan.

The shuttle became a necessity after Hurricane Sandy caused severe damage to the Broad Channel crossing, all but destroying the A train connection between Howard Beach and the Rockaways. The shuttle will help subway riders commute within the Rockaways, but they will still be forced to take a shuttle bus in Far Rockaway to connect to the A train in Queens to get into other parts of the city.

A better option for commuters might be a new ferry service the Bloomberg administration is launching. The Rockaways got a ferry service to much fanfare in 2008, but the steep $6 fare and hourlong trip could never sway riders off the subway, and the service was shut down in early 2010. Now, without that option, the ferry might start to look more attractive.

A big boon this time around is the ferry service will cost only $2, less than the cost of a subway ride, even. (Update: The service only runs during the weekdays, however.)

“Thanks to quick work by Seastreak and the Economic Development Corporation, residents of the Rockaways will now have an affordable and reliable way to get to and from Manhattan,” Mayor Bloomberg said in a statement announcing the program. “Ferry service is one of the many ways the city is helping these New Yorkers begin the enormous work of recovery from Hurricane Sandy.”

The Economic Development Corporation, which has overseen the popular East River Ferry Service as well, spent the past week creating a temporary ferry landing at Beach 108th Street, with service to both Wall Street's Pier 11 and Midtown's 34th Street ferry landing.

“Community groups, charities and local residents have all rushed to help people living in New York and New Jersey,” Seastreak Chairman James Barker said. “Businesses must also play a part in relief efforts, and Seastreak is doing what it can to bring a sense of normalcy back to the community.”

It will be interesting to see if the experiences of Sandy, and perhaps better fares, might transform this service from a temporary fix to a devastated system to a permanent transportation option for the Rockaways. Here is the schedule for the service for the time being:

Down and out of service. (lesterhead/Flickr)

Update 11/3 3:30:The MTA just provided an explanation for not even the partial restoration of G service. It essentially amounts to low ridership.

Update 11/1 8:09: We finally sort of found out how it is the G train flooded even though it does not go under the East River. Currently, the section of the train running under Newtown Creek is full of water (between the oil, the Superfund sites, and now this, that creek is just the worst).

It was not clear how the water got there, whether it came in due to flooding along the creek in Greenpoint and Long Island City or elsewhere in the system. Water flows downhill, after all, and this is the lowest point in the system, so it could have been flooding anywhere, through the air vents or entrances or other entry points, and this is simply where the water wound up.

It has yet to be decided when the tunnel will be pumped out--after all, this is one of the lowest-density lines, and thus less of a priority, especially since it does not travel into the central business districts in Manhattan. It was also not clear whether the line would begin to run in sections or see a partial restoration of service, as has happened with other subway lines thus far.

Original Post: It's a question we've been getting a lot lately (but we're biased North Brooklynites, so...). All anyone has been hearing and thinking about, quite understandably, is the flooded East River tunnels, which the G does not touch. Meanwhile, the F and N in Queens are running fine into Manhattan, so there are tunnels that have remained dry, though other outer borough lines are also out of commission, like the No. 7. Not that that means this is an issue with elevated lines, because the J is running, albeit only to Hewes Street.

So far, the only explanation the MTA has been able to give is that there is flooding in the G tubes. A spokesman could not say where, or how the water got in, but as soon as we know that, we will update you.

Until then, Brooklynites could turn to the East River Ferries, which are up and running again under a modified schedule starting this morning, though the connection is mainly to Manhattan, not within Brooklyn—for that, you will probably have to rely on buses, which have been taking hours to get most places, but that is quite understandable given the extraordinary circumstances.

Per New York Waterway, the ferry's operator:

The ferries will run on two modified routes: a northern loop, making stops at North Williamsburg, Long Island City, and East 34th Street; and a southern loop, making stops at North Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO, and Wall Street/Pier 11. There will be free transfers at North Williamsburg. In addition, NY Waterway will continue to operate its free bus service from E34thStreet on a limited schedule throughout the day.

The ferries running on the northern loop will carry 149 passengers and arrive at each stop in 15-minute intervals, while the ferries on the southern loop will carry 399 passengers and arrive at each stop in 30-minute intervals. This schedule will allow the ferries to carry the greatest number of passengers.

The first ferries, for both routes, will leave from North Williamsburg at approximately 7 a.m., and the last ferries will leave from E 34th Street and Wall Street/Pier 11 at approximately 6 p.m.

Ferry stops in Greenpoint and South Williamsburg will remain closed until further notice, as damage from Hurricane Sandy continues to be assessed.

Due to damage to ticketing equipment, NY Waterway will be selling tickets on-board the ferry, available for purchase by cash only.

Correction: A previous version of this post said the Q was running from Queens. We meant the N train, from Astoria. The Observer regrets the error. Also, to clarify, the F is not running into Manhattan from Brooklyn, only Queens

Take the ferry to the army... terminal. (NY Waterway)

For an event that’s already starting to feel like an elaborate first date, Open House New York has now gotten mom and dad to agree to let it use the car for the night. The annual architecture touring bonanza has secured free ferry rides at the last minute from New York Waterway that will provide service between Pier 11 on Wall Street and the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park. The terminal, typically dedicated to industrial work, will be open all weekend for guests to peruse.

The Terminal, which we’ve raved about already, is sure to be a highlight of this weekend's events. A cavernous 4.1-million-square-foot military supply depot designed by Cass Gilbert in World War I, it is one of the most imposing structures in the city, especially its massive central atrium. The scale of it is dizzying. It survives today as a hub, currently managed by the city's Economic Development Corporation, for light industrial business and is home to nearly 90 firms.

But throw in a free 22-minute ferry ride with direct access to the site? You had us at hello, OHNY. You had us at hello.

The ferry service, departing from slip C at Pier 11, starts at 11 a.m. and ends with the last Brooklyn Army Terminal bound ferry departing at 4:30. A limited number of bicycles are allowed on board.