The city slowly began its march toward normalcy this morning as subways, dormant since Sunday, begin their severely limited runs through the city. Manhattan south of 34th St. is still without power — and thus without subway service — but many bound for the isle were able to complete their commutes thanks to a flotilla of buses. Still, it was far from easy-going.
According to various reports sent to me by those in motion, commute times ranged from around 70 minutes to two hours. Lines at Jay St., the Barclays Center and Hewes St. for buses were immense with wait times around 60 minutes during the morning rush. I’d expect Midtown Manhattan to be similarly packed come 5 p.m. today. Those coming from MetroTech and the Barclays Center reported very slow traffic to the Manhattan Bridge but a smoother ride in Manhattan. Transportation Nation has a full report from the Bus Bridge.
The subways seem to be running smoothly if slower. Wait times are longer, but trains have not yet been overly crowded. On the West Side, some 1 and 2 trains have been running to 34th St., one stop further south than expected. The MTA has yet to announce any additional service for tomorrow, but they still hope to have more trains up and running.
In terms of restoring underwater service between Brooklyn and Manhattan, the timeline is anyone’s guess. Some of the equation depends upon when power is restored to Lower Manhattan and some of it depends upon the damage to the system. In a piece in today’s Daily News, Pete Donohue says that the MTA is focusing on the Rutgers St. and Joralemon St. Tunnels so that F and 4/5 service, respectively, can be restored between the boroughs. The West Side IRT’s Clark St. tunnel and the 7’s Steinway Tubes are nearly dry as well.
The mayor though was less optimistic this afternoon. “I’m not confident that the underwater tunnels will be back on Monday,” he said. Again, the MTA has no timeline.
As the MTA continues to offer free rides at least through Friday, the economics of this disaster will begin to take centerstage. The MTA was losing $9 million per day when the system was shut down, and current estimates with service running focus around a $18 million daily loss. But the federal government may be able to help. Earlier today, Sen. Chuck Schumer said FEMA dollars would help the MTA recover from the fare loss, and that money will also be available to help the agency rebuild the system.
Restoring transportation has been a slow process so far that hasn’t been fun for New Yorkers. It underscores how badly we need the transit network and how fragile it has become. As some workers head into Manhattan and others remain at home, we yearn for our subways to come back. Soon, soon.
Meanwhile, for those who can get to Downtown Brooklyn, the Transit Museum is open and free for the day. Their vintage rolling stock survived the storm, and power has been restored to the lower level platform. It could create a fun transit-oriented diversion for those suffering from Sandy-induced cabin fever.
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