MTA Considers Expanding Brooklyn's 3 Train To Gateway Center Mall

EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN — East New Yorkers could one day get a fast-track train to the Gateway Center Mall, according to transit officials.

New documents show that the MTA is considering expanding the Brooklyn 3 line past its current end at New Lots Avenue station to Flatlands Avenue or the Gateway Center Mall, which is now only accessible by car or bus.

The expansion would mean easier travel for straphangers now forced to schlep and extra mile from the subway station to reach the southern edges of the neighborhood.

But, like with any MTA project, neighbors shouldn't hold their breath.

The project is one of two dozen ideas transit officials plan to evaluate as they prepare a docket of upgrades for the next five years. The first step in that process, what's known as a "needs assessment," won't wrap up until October 2023.

Then, if the 3 line expansion makes the cut, it could be scheduled for anytime between 2025 and 2044.

"This process documents which investments are needed to serve the region for the next generation," officials wrote.

As of now, the 3 line project would extend the New Lots Avenue line on an elevated platform through Livonia Yard to a new terminal at either Flatlands Avenue and Linwood Street/Elton Street, or in the vicinity of Spring Creek and Gateway Center Mall, the documents show.

Other ideas for improving Brooklyn's subways include extending the W train to Red Hook, upgrading subway lines near Utica Avenue and a long-debated proposal to connect Brooklyn and Queens with an "Interborough Express" route.

The MTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the New Lots Avenue extension project.