G Train Ridership Has Surged with Extension, MTA Data Shows

G train ridership has surged in the past few years between Smith–Ninth Street and Church Avenue, MTA figures show, and transit advocates say that’s reason enough for the extension to remain, says the Brooklyn Daily.

According to the article 4,700 additional riders used the G train since it was extended past Smith–Ninth Street in 2009 due to Culver Viaduct renovations.

Between 2008 and 2011, weekday ridership was up 17.3 percent at the Seventh Avenue–Ninth Street station, 15.7 percent at Fourth Avenue–Ninth Street, and 12.4 percent at Church Avenue, says the Daily.

“It’s more accessible, it makes traveling much more convenient and useful for people in Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, and Kensington, and I think it’s a success story that should continue,” Gene Russianoff of Straphangers Campaign, told the paper of the extension.

But an MTA spokesman told the Daily that the increase in subway riders at the Seventh Avenue–Ninth Street and Church Avenue stations is more likely due to straphangers who have changed their route following service disruptions and weekend shutdowns at the Fort Hamilton Parkway and Prospect Park West–15th Street stations.