Benjamin Kabak

A little fish improves any signal system.

Currently, as Friday dawns and we enter Day 2 of abbreviated subway service, the bulk of Friday’s commute will be the same as Thursday’s. I have a random smattering of updates though that followed the Thursday evening press conference with Andrew Cuomo and Joe Lhota so let’s just dive in.

Subways

I outlined most of the subway service in this evening post, but there are a few key changes. First, 7 service actually came back shortly before 9 p.m. Second, 1 and 2 trains are running to 34th St.-Penn Station and not just Times Square. Third, there is no G train service because the tunnel under the Newtown Creek has flooded. It’s unclear when that IND Crosstown service will come back online. Fourth, the Brooklyn Bus Bridge will operate again on Friday. Fifth, the FASTRACK program, scheduled next week for the East Side IRT, has been canceled.

Meanwhile, at this point — and impressively enough — a good portion of subway service is simply awaiting action from Con Edison. The MTA has cleared out the Joralemon St. Tunnel for 4 and 5 train service and the Rutgers St. Tunnel for F train service. The tracks and signals have been inspected, and all that’s missing is power. Once ConEd has turned on the juice, the MTA needs two hours to run test trains and can then restore service. The same holds true for the BMT service across the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges. As a reminder, all fares will be free on Friday.

Capital Projects: Second Ave. Subway, East Side Access, 7 Line

Somehow, amazingly enough, the MTA’s capital projects were spared damage from the storm. Early on Thursday, the MTA told me that the Second Ave. Subway, East Side Access project and 7 line extension were OK and spared any flooding, but that minimizes what happened. According to Ted Mann of The Wall Street Journal, East River floodwaters came within 20 feet of the Second Ave. Subway construction site at 96th St. Can you imagine if the renaissance of the Second Ave. Subway had been snuffed out by a historic hurricane? It’s almost fitting.

Metro-North, LIRR

Various services have been restored on the area’s commuter rails. The LIRR is offering hourly service to Penn Station along the Babylon and Huntington Branches in addition to services already in place. Metro-North is running trains between Croton-Harmon and Grand Central on the Hudson Line on a normal weekday schedule; between New Haven and Stamford/Grand Central by midday Friday; and between Southeast and Grand Central by the morning.

New Jersey Transit, PATH and Amtrak

New Jersey Transit is offering very limited service out of New York Penn Station on Friday. The full schedules can be found right here. Amtrak is running some modified service out of Penn Station as well on Friday but advises customers to call ahead. Finally, the PATH trains are still flooded for what Gov. Cuomo estimated was five miles out from the World Trade Center stop. PATH service has been suspended until further notice.

And that’s all she wrote tonight.

The MTA has added more service in Northern Queens, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced this evening. The 7 train will resume limited service at midnight between Main St. and 74th St. while the M went back into service earlier on Thursday afternoon.

Furthermore, Lhota and Cuomo announced that service between Manhattan and Brooklyn can resume along the Joralemon St. Tunnel (4/5 trains) and the Rutgers St. Tunnel (F train) within two hours of the restoration of power to Lower Manhattan. Con Edison has been notifying customers in the Lower East Side and East Village that power should be back to those areas by 11 p.m. on Saturday night. It is my understanding that service across both the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges can resume within a similar timeframe once power is restored.

For what it’s worth, PATH trains remain shuttered until further notice. Cuomo estimated upwards of five miles of water in the tunnels, and the Army Corps of Engineers will have to clear the tubes before Port Authority crews can inspect and repair the system. It’s going to be a while.

The following is what subway service will look like after midnight tonight. The Brooklyn Bus Bridge will continue to run throughout the night and into Friday. Additions from the current slate are in bold. I’ll have more later.

• 1 trains will operate between 242nd St. and Times Square.
• 2 trains will operate between 241st St. and Times Square, making express stops south of 96th St.
• 3 train service is suspended.
• 4 trains will make all local stops between Woodlawn and Grand Central and between Borough Hall & New Lots Avenue.
• 5 trains will run express in Brooklyn between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue.
• 6 trains will run local between Pelham Bay Park and Grand Central.
• 7 trains will run local between Flushing-Main St. and 74th St.
• The 42nd St. Shuttle will run between Times Square and Grand Central.
• A trains will run local between 168th Street and Penn Station and between Jay Street/MetroTech and Lefferts.
• B and C train service is suspended.
• D trains will run local between 205th Street and 34th Street and between Atlantic Avenue and Bay Parkway.
• E train service is suspended.
• F trains will run local between 179th Street and 34th Street and between Jay Street-MetroTech and Avenue X.
• G train service is suspended.
• J trains will run local between Jamaica Center and Hewes Street.
• L trains will run local between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Parkway.
• M trains will run local between Myrtle Avenue-Broadway and Metropolitan Avenue.
• M trains will run local between Parsons/Archer and 34th St./Herald Square via the 63rd St. Tunnel.
• N trains will run local between Ditmars Boulevard and 34th Street.
• Q train service is suspended.
• R train runs local between Jay Street-MetroTech and 95th Street.
• Both the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park S shuttles are suspended.

Brooklynites line up to wait for buses to carry them to Manhattan. (Photo via Virginia Laird on Instagram)

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.

On Wednesday evening, the Atlantic Avenue station was eerily silent. (Photo via Second Ave. Sagas on Instagram)

For much of New York City, Thursday morning brings relief. After a day of crushing congestion and gridlock that state officials called “dangerous,” limited subway service returns at 6 a.m. We even have a temporary map. But despite the quick restoration of some subway service, connections between Brooklyn and Manhattan remain severed, and a large number of New Yorkers face a very tough morning commute.

First, the good news: Subway, bus and commuter rail rides will be free for Thursday and Friday. After Wednesday’s gridlock, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a transit emergency and waived fares. “The gridlock we experienced today shows that the New York metropolitan region is in a transportation emergency,” Governor Cuomo said. It’s unclear what this means for the MTA’s economic outlook as the MTA loses $9 million every day the system is out of service and likely more when it has to pay employees and run free service. Still, with a fare hike looming in March, that’s a discussion for another day. The agency has not yet announced if monthly and weekly cards that were valid on Sunday will still be valid when fares are reinstated.

Second, the bad news: The MTA is urging riders to expect to spend an extra hour commuting on Thursday. Most trains are running local, and Transit is expecting to run trains only every 10 minutes — a far cry from usual rush hour, weekday frequency. The MTA is planning on more service for Friday than on Thursday though. “We want to get people back to work, but we are asking our customers for patience and understanding as they confront crowding and long lines as we repair our system,” MTA Chairman and CEO Joseph J. Lhota said in a statement last night. “Be flexible about your travel times. We have come a long way in a short time to repair the damage from the most devastating event to strike our transportation system.”

For those who are braving the ride on Thursday and are coming from Brooklyn into Manhattan, the MTA will be running a “bus bridge.” Essentially, using 330 buses, the authority will try to offer near-constant service from parts of Brooklyn to Midtown. The buses will depart from the Barclays Center, MetroTech and Hewes St. and will run along the Bowery and 3rd Avenue. The buses will stop at Delancey St. (northbound), Spring St. (southbound), 9th St., 14th St., 23rd St., 33rd St., 42nd St., and 54th St. before turning around.

The buses are a great step in the right direction, but it’s worth remember that a fleet of 330 buses can carry only a fraction of what the subway can carry. Buses will be crowded, and waits will be long. Even with HOV restrictions in place for all of Manhattan, those attempting to take advantage of the “Bus Bridge” should be prepared for long and slow rides. This is the first time the city has attempted such an undertaking, and it may be a smooth ride at first.

Finally, we have the commuter rails slowly coming back up to service as well. The LIRR will run limited service on Thursday, and the MTA is warning against slow commutes. Said the Governor’s Office: “Because service will be limited, waits will be longer and trains will be more crowded. Customers are advised to consider changing their normal routines to travel later in the morning or later in the evening. Customers should anticipate crowded conditions on all LIRR trains that run until more service is restored. For safety reasons, some trains may be required to skip stations if they become overcrowded. Customers may have to wait for the next train. The LIRR will make every effort to add additional trains whenever possible.” More LIRR details are available here.

Metro-North will run “close to regular” service on the Harlem Line between Mount Kisco and Grand Central and between Stamford and Grand Central. All other service is suspended. More Metro-North details are available here.

I’ll have more on Thursday as the MTA works to restore services. Based on how South Ferry and the end of the A train in the Rockaways look, though, a full restoration is a ways off. Hopefully, trains can run between Brooklyn and Manhattan by the weekend, and life can slowly return to normal. As Andrew Cuomo said, “We will rebuild the subway system and it will be better than before.”

A glimpse at the debris and destruction at the Broad Channel subway station. (Photo via New York City Transit)

With three of the seven East River tunnels cleared of water, the New York City subway system will begin running limited service tomorrow on 14 of the system’s 23 lines, and limited Metro-North and LIRR service will start today at 2 p.m., Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced. There will be no subway service south of either 34th on the West Side or 42nd St. on the East Side in Manhattan as there is no power south of Midtown, and the MTA will supplement subway service with a bus bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan as crews continue to pump out the East River subway tubes. Full service is expected to be restored slowly, and the Mayor said this afternoon that is unlikely service will be restored under the East River before the weekend.

As of now, the MTA plans to run trains every ten minutes on a limited basis, and the key phrase here seems to be “limited service” as MTA officials are urging straphangers to plan on adding an additional hour to their commute times. Here’s how service will look:

• 1 trains will operate between 242nd St. and Times Square.
• 2 trains will operate between 241st St. and Times Square, making express stops south of 96th St.
• 3 train service is suspended.
• 4 trains will make all local stops between Woodlawn and Grand Central and between Borough Hall & New Lots Avenue.
• 5 trains will run express in Brooklyn between Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue.
• 6 trains will run local between Pelham Bay Park and Grand Central.
• 7 train service is suspended.
• The 42nd St. Shuttle will run between Times Square and Grand Central.
• A trains will run local between 168th Street and Penn Station and between Jay Street/MetroTech and Lefferts.
• B and C train service is suspended.
• D trains will run local between 205th Street and 34th Street and between Atlantic Avenue and Bay Parkway.
• E train service is suspended.
• F trains will run local between 179th Street and 34th Street and between Jay Street-MetroTech and Avenue X.
• G train service is suspended.
• J trains will run local between Jamaica Center and Hewes Street.
• L trains will run local between Broadway Junction and Rockaway Parkway.
• M trains will run local between Myrtle Avenue-Broadway and Metropolitan Avenue.
• N trains will run local between Ditmars Boulevard and 34th Street.
• Q train service is suspended.
• R train runs local between Jay Street-MetroTech and 95th Street.
• Both the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park S shuttles are suspended.

“There will be more [service] on Friday and even more on Saturday,” MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said at a press conference this afternoon. Details for additional service will be released as the situation underground becomes clear.

According to the Governor’s Office, the MTA will also deploy a bus bridge consisting of 330 vehicles from the Barclays Center, MetroTech and Hewes St. to 57th St. and Lexington Ave. via dedicated lanes on 3rd and Lexington Avenues. Earlier today, MTA officials say the Joralemon St. Tunnel (4/5), the Rutgers St. Tunnel (F) and the Clark St. Tunnel (2/3) have been pumped. Crews still need to inspect these tubes for damage before restoring service, and water remains in the Montague St. Tunnel (R), the Cranberry St. Tunnel (A/C), the 14th St. Tunnel (L) and the Steinway Tubes (7).

Metro-North service, meanwhile, will start at 2:06 p.m. and run hourly. A schedule is

The 96th Street station on the West Side IRT sits empty on Tuesday night. (Photo via Victoria Kabak)

As the New York City transit network attempts to recover from what MTA Chairman Joe Lhota called the “worst devastation” in its 108-year-old history, the city is still, as Wednesday dawns, without subway or rail service. Even worst it’s unclear when subway service will return. The MTA says that no official decisions have been made and that no announcement will come until at least Wednesday. It could be days, if not weeks, until the full subway system is up and running.

On Tuesday evening, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota released a brief statement with some gruesome details but no timetable. He said:

The extent of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation became clear today, and its impact on the MTA system is severe. The New York City subway’s South Ferry station was flooded up to the ceiling. The Long Island Rail Road confronted 11 electrical substations in a row with no power. Metro-North Railroad crews found a boat across their tracks in Ossining. Each tube of the [Brooklyn-Battery] Tunnel is filled with 43 million gallons of water.

These are just a few of the many unprecedented challenges the MTA is facing as it tries to restore service. Our employees have been assessing the damage all day and will continue to work through the night. In many places, they have been able to begin the process of recovery by pumping water and clearing tracks. New York City buses went back on the road for limited service, and will be almost at normal strength by morning.

Still, our dedicated employees are beginning to make progress. By midday tomorrow, we will be able to discuss a timetable for service restorations.

Despite Lhota’s statement, it’s tough to get a handle on what services are running. The MTA plans to run a full slate of (free) buses on Wednesday, but those vehicles clearly won’t be passing through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Additionally, with the MTA’s website still showing its low-bandwidth emergency version, no bus route maps are available outside of those programmed into BusTime. You may also be better off with the dollar vans, as Cap’n Transit writes tonight.

No matter what happens on Wednesday though, the news is unlikely to be good. The glimpse inside South Ferry is but a preview of the flooding that plagues the system, and if the city’s newest $500 million subway station is that inundated with water, I can only imagine how the East River tubes look. Again, we’ll know more on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, reports from Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road pain similarly grim pictures. With power outages, trees down and tunnels flooded, neither commuter railroad knows when any sort of service will be restored. Crews are working around the clock to clear the tracks and repair damges, but the destruction is widespread throughout the region. For instance, as Metro-North said in a statement, “On the New Haven Line, so many trees fell on the catenary wires that workers decided to concentrate on clearing and repairing just two of the four tracks, a process that is not yet complete.” That doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.

So we wait. As life in much of the city slowly returns to normal — as restaurants open and bars serve thirsty patrons, as work beckons us all back to our desks — the great people-mover that gets us from our homes to our offices remains offline. Hopefully, we’ll know more on Wednesday, but as this sobering article from Bloomberg News warns, it could be a while.