(1:30 p.m.): The National Weather Service is still predicted up to 30 inches of snow for New York City, and as the storm arrives, the MTA’s plans are coming into view. The agency plans to provide a definitive update at 4 p.m. on whether or not subway service will be shuttered completely, but for now, expect slower service following the end of the evening rush hour.
At a news conference about 40 minutes ago, MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast and Gov. Andrew Cuomo discussed the MTA’s plans. The agency expects to operate normal subway service until around 7 p.m., and then between 7-8 p.m., the agency will begin to curtail express service as trains are moved underground. Some above-ground/at-grade lines may see service reductions or cancellations entirely, but those will not be announced until 4 p.m. or as weather dictates. Meanwhile, LIRR and Metro-North will stop running at 11 p.m. at the latest. In the meantime, the MTA has announced additional service on the commuter lines between now and 4 p.m. (LIRR; Metro-North)
Finally, in New Jersey-centric news, both PATH and NJ Transit will be reducing service as well. No New Jersey Transit trains will run after 10 p.m. with the last trains leaving their terminals at around 8 p.m. This gives crews plenty of time to store the trains to ensure maximum weather-related damage. PATH meanwhile will run on a weekend schedule after 9 p.m. with trains operating after 15 minutes or so. Both Cuomo and NJ Governor Chris Christie have urged residents to get home early and stay off the roads. I’ll update the site as more details become available. You can also follow me on Twitter for real-time updates.
As an aside, tomorrow night’s “Problem Solvers” event at the Transit Museum has been postponed due to snow. Ironically, the event was supposed to be about the MTA’s efforts at recovering from a major weather event, and instead, we’re stuck inside of another major weather event. I’ll let you know when the session has been rescheduled.
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