Will major repairs lead to major headaches for straphangers on the L line? Many turned out to a public meeting in Williamsburg Thursday to find out just how bad things could get. NY1's Jose Martinez filed the following report.

Brace yourself, L train riders: come 2019, your commute's going to get a lot tougher. It's just a matter of whether it will be painful - or really painful.

At a Thursday night public meeting, MTA officials laid out the two plans that are being considered once repairs start inside the L's East River Tube, a nearly two-mile link that flooded during Hurricane Sandy.

"We don't want to imply that in any way that the tunnel is not safe for service today. But as had been noted, this project cannot be put off," said Ronnie Hakim, president of MTA New York City Transit.

Pieces of tunnel equipment corroded by 7 million gallons of saltwater were displayed as officials explained what's in store for hundreds of thousands of straphangers.

"The worst storm ever was '93 prior to Sandy, and we lost three under-river tubes. This time, we lost nine," said MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast.

None as heavily damaged as the L's link between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

One option being considered would shut the tube for a year and a half, meaning no L train service from Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn to 14th Street-Eighth Avenue in Manhattan.

"I think you rip the bandaid off quickly and get it done, 18 months," said one person at the meeting.

Also in play: providing limited service in the tube, meaning longer waits between trains and more crowding on an already-crowded line, a job that would take three years.

"Let's just get it done with so that there's not a three-year nonsense going on," said one person at the meeting.

The MTA has said it will add service on the J, M and G lines during the work to the L. Additional ferries will likely move between Brooklyn and Manhattan, where bus service along 14th Street could also see a boost.

"The key is how they're going to is how to fill in the gaps," said one person at the meeting.

The MTA expects to make a decision in the next to three months and says it's hoping for more input from riders.

The next public meeting about the work that's looming in the L train's East River tube is Thursday, May 12 at the Salvation Army Theater on 14th Street in Manhattan.