MTA Working To Restore Transit Service In Wake Of Historic Storm

Local, Limited-Stop and Express Bus service will operate as close to a normal weekday schedule as possible today, as NYC Transit and MTA Bus continue efforts to restore service following Hurricane Sandy. As was the case yesterday, bus service will operate on a fare-free basis.  Subway service remains suspended on all lines, as clean up and water remediation efforts continue, especially in underwater tunnels linking Brooklyn and Manhattan that were flooded during the storm.

Access-A-Ride will begin limited service on Wed Oct 31.   If you need a trip of medical necessity (dialysis, chemotherapy or radiation) please call 1-877-337-2017, and every effort will be made to provide the trip.  Please note that all subscription trips for Wed. Oct 31 and Thurs Nov 1 are cancelled.  On Wed Oct 31 beginning at noon, we will begin to take reservations for travel after 12pm on Thurs Nov. 1.   This will begin the resumption of Access-A-Ride service.

Both Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad service remains suspended today, as damage assessment and repair work continues on the nation’s two largest commuter railroads continues. All of the bridges operated by MTA Bridges & Tunnels are open to traffic with the exception of the Cross Bay Bridge. The Hugh L. Carey and Queens Midtown Tunnels remain closed.

At first light Tuesday, thousands of MTA workers fanned out across the system to inspect and begin repairing the damage caused the massively destructive storm of historic proportions.  No corner of the 5,000 square mile MTA service region was spared.  Metro-North Railroad lost electric power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and east to New Haven on the New Haven Line. The Long Island Rail Road sustained damage in its West Side Yard and suffered flooding in two East River tunnels. Both railroads spent the better part of Tuesday removing downed power lines and trees along the right of way, in addition to removing mud and other debris that washed up on to the tracks. In the case of Metro-North, that means a pleasure boat that washed ashore near the Ossining Station on the Hudson Line.

Bridges and Tunnels suffered major damage with flooding of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel from end to end and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water.  Damage is extremely heavy in downtown Manhattan where several subway lines converge.  The South Ferry station was filled track to ceiling with water as were several of the subway tunnels.

It is still too early to say how long it will take to restore the system to full service. This is will be an exhaustive, time-consuming process with one goal: to restore safe and efficient service to 8.5 million daily MTA customers.  It must be noted, however, that this process could have taken much longer had we not taken the pre-emptive measure of suspending all service to safeguard our equipment and prepare facilities to the best of our ability.