following damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The reduction of tunnel capacity (from four to three operational tunnels) during renovation, resulting in the need to share additional track space with Amtrak and NJ Transit, was cited as a reason for reduction in service to Penn Station in the draft timetables. , renovation work was expected to begin no earlier than 2024 and take about three years to complete. Critical reception These changes have met generally positive reception for introducing additional flexibility to peak commuters, especially those traveling to the East Side, and facilitating the development of job centers on Long Island for reverse commuters. In the June 2022 MTA board meeting, chairman Janno Lieber described increased reverse peak service as having a "potential boom to Long Island's economy". Some proposed service changes were not well received. The new timetables have been criticized for greatly reducing the amount of through service to Atlantic Terminal and not sufficiently augmenting peak service, with some stations even seeing a slight reduction in peak service. Additionally, reconfiguration of the track layout of Jamaica station will require Brooklyn-bound riders to perform up-and-over transfers to a new Platform F; this has been criticized as being much less convenient than cross-platform transfers, especially for disabled customers. Riders have also criticized the elimination of timed connections at Jamaica, which will no longer be built into the schedule; the MTA claims that this change will reduce delays and allow more trains to run. Some have stated that poorly-timed connections, especially to and from Brooklyn shuttles, could lengthen their daily commutes by over 20 minutes. Diesel branches are also not slated to see considerably increased service, as noted by one blogger. Despite this backlash, Lieber urged customers to "give it a chance" and declared that the MTA was "making no apologies" for the proposed service plan. On September 28, 2022, following backlash from customers, the MTA announced the restoration of three express trains serving Penn Station on the Port Washington Branch, which were initially cut from the draft timetables. The February 2023 timetables were likewise met with mixed reception, with some commuters anticipating newfound flexibility, and others criticizing the MTA for not responding to community feedback on the draft timetables. Implementation of changes A shuttle service, Grand Central Direct, operated between Grand Central Madison and Jamaica between January 25 and February 26, 2023. Grand Central Direct trains ran hourly during rush