The A train brings a lifeline back to the Rockaways

UPDATED 5/30/13 4:28 p.m.: Seven months after Superstorm Sandy robbed Rockaways residents of their main transit route to the rest of the city, the A train is set to return to the area at noon Thursday.

The above-ground A line in the Rockaways was among the most damaged parts of the transit system after Sandy, and the MTA estimates it costs more than $75 million to repair  the line's mangled infrastructure, remove debris (which included Jet Skis) and fix corroded cables. The A line sustained $650 million worth of damages that will take years to fix completely.

Celeste Kirkland, a power cable maintainer, said she was used to working under the pressure of getting train service back up when she started repairing the wrecked line.

"We're like the Con Ed of New York City Transit," Kirkland said. "We're used to emergencies, but Sandy was something totally different."

Kirkland, a vice chair of the power section for the Transport Workers Union Local 100, said she had never seen sand get inside a cable until she started working on the Rockaways peninsula in January. She and her crew -- responsible for communications, electrical and power lines -- were tasked with pulling out and replacing thousands of feet of cables.

"Cables that were ripped down from their location, green corrosion [was] showing ... That's what we were looking at," Kirkland said. "It just showed us how high the water came up."

In March, the MTA got about $18 million in federal funds for initial repairs to the Rockaways line. Meanwhile, the 30,000 Rockaways residents who depend on the A line have been taking crowded shuttle buses or a ferry to lower Manhattan to commute.

To ensure that the A train can withstand a future storm as powerful as Sandy, the MTA constructed a two-mile seawall on the eastern shore of Broad Channel, a low-lying area that brings the A train across Jamaica Bay. The corrugated marine steel wall is anchored in 30 feet of soil and can resist saltwater corrosion.

Councilman Donovan Richards, who represents part of the Rockaways, said he was initially unsure service could be back in time for the summer. "They pulled a rabbit out of the hat with this one," Richards said.

Struggling business owners will also benefit from more potential customers now that there is reliable train service for Rockaways beachgoers.

"Every little bit does help, especially right now," said Andrew Field, co-owner of Rockaway Taco.

Robert Kaskel said he expects more business for his Jet Ski rental service, located two blocks from the Beach 90th Street station.

"There's a significant segment of business that I'm not able to get without that train running," Kaskel said.

"I think the more the public sees that the Rockaways as a vital, beautiful beach community, the more they'll realize that it's a place of recreation and to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city," Kaskel added.

For residents of the Rockaways, the return of the A train means the return of a normal commute to and from Manhattan.

Kirkland, the power cable maintainer and TWU member, said she would see residents walking home from work or riding on shuttle buses.

"I felt bad for them," she said. "I knew that I was involved in a process that would enable them to get home sooner."