Subways, LIRR set for 6 a.m. return; Metro-North still out

Tracks at 145th St.and Lenox Ave under water. Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Leonard Wiggins

While The Post promised subway service by noon tomorrow, the MTA had other plans. Governor Andrew Cuomo and MTA head Jay Walder announced that subway service will begin to return at 6 a.m. on Monday, in time for the morning rush. Full service won’t come back right away, and trains will run less frequently. Meanwhile, Metro-North service will remain suspended throughout Monday while the LIRR will run trains on some routes tomorrow.

“Today government worked,” Gov. Cuomo said. “Days of preparation and coordination prevented much injury and loss. The MTA will begin resumption of subway service Monday morning. I applaud the good work of the thousands of MTA professionals, National Guard and first responders for their advanced planning. Suspending service allowed the MTA to secure equipment, thus expediting the return to service. None of us should underestimate the damage caused by Hurricane Irene. One thing we can all be proud of is how New Yorkers came together as one. In the darkest hours New Yorkers shine the brightest. They did once again.”

While subway service should allow for a mostly normal Monday morning, Metro-North, which suffered the brunt of the damage, remains down, and the LIRR does as well. “We still have a lot of work to do in parts of our 5,000-mile territory that were hit extremely hard by the storm, but we can now see very visible progress,” Walder said tonight.

The 6 a.m. launch is right now just a general guideline. The Staten Island Railway will resume normal service at midnight, and there a a few exceptions for the Monday commute. The MTA is warning that trains will be more crowded and waits longer than usual. The other important changes include the following:

• 3 trains will operate between 137th Street/City College and New Lots Avenue; Substitute bus service will be provided between Harlem 148th Street and 135th Street connecting with the 2 train.
• C trains suspended; A trains will make all local stops from 207th St. to Lefferts Blvd.?
• No service in the Rockaways. (Rockaway Blvd. to Far Rockaway and Rockaway Park)
• 6 trains runs local in the Bronx
• 7 trains run local
• S Franklin Avenue Shuttle (FAS) suspended
• N trains terminate at Kings Highway. Shuttle bus service between Kings Highway and Stillwell Terminal.

For those coming in from outside of the city, though, the story is a different one. The Long Island Rail Road plans to operate regular rush hour service to and from Babylon, Huntingon, Ronkonkoma, Hempstead, West Hempstead and Port Washington while service to and from Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Long Beach, Far Rockaway and Montauk remains suspended.

There will be no Metro-North service at all on Monday. According to the MTA, the problems plaguing the commuter rail are numerous. They include:

• The signal system is not fully functioning on any of the three lines.
• Various sections of track along Hudson line have been damaged by mudslides and washouts. One mudslide in the area of Spuyten Duyvil has also undermined a home that is up a steep hill from the track. Another mudslide in the area of Scarborough has damaged 300-feet of third rail.
• There is no signal or third-rail power on the Upper Harlem Line because of downed transmission poles and water-damaged substations.
• The tracks through Tuckahoe station are flooded with up to 4 feet of water as the Bronx River continues to overflow its banks.
• There is significant flooding at stations and parking lots. The underpass at Beacon Station is completely under water as is the North White Plains station parking lot.
• Trees have fallen on the tracks on all three Metro-North lines.
• West of Hudson, the Port Jervis Line has a dozen severe washouts and both the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines have numerous trees on the tracks.

New Jersey Transit to operate ‘light’ rail schedule on Monday

For those coming in from New Jersey, rail service is nearly non-existent. NJ Transit says rail service is suspended “until further notice,” but the Atlantic City Rail Line will operate. Trains will not run to the Meadowlands for Monday night’s Jets/Giants game, but buses will run from Port Authority. NJ Transit will run bus service on a modified weekday schedule. The Hudson-Bergen Light and Rail and River Line will operate on a weekend schedule while the Newark Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule. All area airports are expected to be open as well.