The 12 days of Christmas could spell 14 days of headaches for some straphangers.
That’s because the Pelham Parkway Station on the 5 Dyre Avenue subway line is set to close Monday, Dec. 9 as emergency work gets underway for the following two weeks. Trains from both directions will skip the stop until Dec. 23 when crews are expected to finish.
“It was necessary to close this station for two weeks to execute this emergency asbestos abatement and minor repairs,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
The station, in a quiet area just north of Pelham Parkway, appears severely rundown with paint flaking, stark lighting. Tracks are missing between the two platforms of the station, once an express stop for the defunct New York, Westchester and Boston Railway.
The project’s timing comes during the busy holiday season as Bronxites prepare for Yuletide gatherings while hitting the local big box stores for gifts.
But Ortiz noted the “relatively light” ridership numbers, with the station ranking 7th in lowest commuter use, implying few commuters will be affected.
The holidays aside, news of the closure didn’t sit well for Muhamed Caba of Fordham, outraged the closure will add another 15 minutes to his walk to the nearby Morris Park Avenue station.
“I need this train to go to work every morning,” said Caba, a teacher’s assistant. “That means I have to get up extra early.”
Priscilla Almonte, a sophomore at St. Catharine Academy, was surprised to learn about the station’s temporary shutdown as she waited for a downtown train to take her home. Notifications were posted days before the closure went into effect.
“This is a huge problem for me,” said Priscilla. “I take this every day.”
News of the disruption will even affect Brian Gonzalez, manning his pastry push cart in front of the Esplanade station where morning and afternoon straphangers stop for coffee and donuts.
But Janice Smith, staring at a service change notification sign, welcomed the closure for the sake of commuters.
“It needs to be fixed,” she said, pointing at the rundown walls. “All this is painted lead. People have to walk here every day!”
Straphangers will have to rely on free shuttle buses that will run between the Pelham Parkway and nearby Morris Park stations.
Or they can jump on the Bx12 bus on Pelham Parkway South and White Plains Road at the No. 5 train stop, shuttling to the Morris Park station.
The two-week snag pales in comparison to the 6 subway line rehabilitation project, which has already knocked out service for the Castle Hill and Middletown Road subway stations. Facelifts for the Buhre and Zerega 6 line stations will happen shortly.
Much like the 6 line stations, the MTA intends to upgrade Pelham Parkway though the 2015-2019 MTA Capital Budget Plan, expected to be voted on by Albany next year.
Bronx legislators are also lobbying their fellow colleagues to include the Metro-North expansion plan into the upcoming, five-year budget.
