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Sandy-Damaged Subway Tunnel To Be Reopened Monday

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - A subway tunnel connecting Brooklyn and lower Manhattan that was badly damaged during Superstorm Sandy is set to be reopened.

The New York Times reports N and R trains will run through the Montague Tunnel beginning Monday.

Workers had been repairing damage in the tunnel caused by the October 2012 storm. It was scheduled to open next month.

A Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman declined to comment to The Times about the repair work.

But the newspaper says the trip planning function on the MTA's website shows a four minute trip between the two boroughs beginning late Sunday night.

Without using the tunnel, that trip takes about 22 minutes and requires a transfer.

The tunnel not only needed new signals, tracks and other infrastructure, but also other barriers to prevent future flooding, Sen. David Schumer said in October 2013.

"It will be a much better, stronger tunnel than the old tunnel. It'll be much more flood-proof – there'll be barriers to entry so the water can't come in; if, you know, a flood's coming, they will block up the entrances," he said. "And second, the signals, which are going to be modernized – and they're quite old – will be built higher up so even if the water floods, they don't get short-circuited by the saltwater."

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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