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New York’s subways will soon start operating longer into the night again, transit officials said on Monday, marking a step towards fully reopening city life amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Starting next Monday, the metro system will only close for cleaning from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., instead of the current daily closure of 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., officials said at the meeting. ‘a press conference. They described the move as the start of a “gradual reopening”, although they did not specify when the trains would run around the clock again.
“New York is starting to get back to normal,” said Sarah Feinberg, interim president of the New York City Transit Authority, which operates the subways.
The regular overnight shutdown – the first in system history – began last May, as the pandemic tore New York City apart. Under the leadership of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which oversees public transportation in New York City, mandated nightly closures of the city’s famous 24-hour subway system to allow for the entire disinfection system, a decision according to Cuomo. necessary to reduce the spread of the virus.
Nighttime cleaning of trains will continue during abbreviated closures, officials said.
The pandemic has decimated the finances of cities across the country and drained their transit agencies – in some small towns, nascent systems could be forced to shut down altogether. In Minneapolis, commuter train ridership fell more than 98% last May from a year earlier, according to the city’s transit agency.
Washington’s Metrorail on Monday reduced its frequency of service on three lines during peak hours to “better match customer travel patterns during the pandemic” and to manage costs, the transit agency said in a report. communicated. Its operating hours will remain unchanged, he said, although ridership on the Metrorail has declined by nearly 90% from pre-pandemic levels.
In New York City, Cuomo and other officials had previously said the subway would not fully reopen until the pandemic was over. The gradual opening seems to signal a new approach.
In recent months, the governor has come under increasing criticism from transit activists who have argued that the closure was hurting thousands of essential workers who were forced to find alternative means of transportation there. night.
About 80% of overnight subway riders are people of color, and a third are low-income activists and several New York City council members, noted in a press release last week urging Mr. Cuomo to restore service.
As freezing weather gripped the city this winter, supporters of homeless New Yorkers have also voiced concerns about the closure.
For decades, the city’s sprawling subway system has also provided shelter of last resort for thousands of homeless New Yorkers who are wary of the city’s often crowded and sometimes violent shelters and prefer to take refuge on trains. heated from the metro 24 hours a day.
Now, homeless people living on the streets face a dangerous mix of wintry weather and a lack of indoor public spaces, such as metro stations, trains and fast food restaurants, which once provided respite every day. night.
Critics of the overnight shutdowns also noted that scientists long ago concluded that the coronavirus is spread primarily through inhaled droplets, not surfaces. There is little evidence that contaminated surfaces can spread the virus.
Still, on Monday, Mr. Cuomo said the cleanup was important.
Clean trains can also help the transit agency attract passengers, as people return to work but remain concerned about crowded spaces. Ridership of the metro system has peaked at around 30 percent of pre-pandemic levels in recent months.
Danny Pearlstein, a spokesperson for the Riders Alliance, a transit group, praised the decision to shorten nighttime closures. But he urged the governor to completely reopen the metro system.
“Tens of thousands of passengers depend on the night metro service,” he said. “The partial reopening of the governor is an important step forward. Riders will continue to push for a full reopening in light of the MTA’s clear ability to clean trains and the pressing need to see more of the system to keep New Yorkers safe.
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