MTA: Full service returns to six temporarily suspended lines

The lines, which has been suspended due to staffing issues caused by the COVID-19 Omicron surge, are returning to full service as ridership on subways has increased, the MTA says.

News 12 Staff

Jan 19, 2022, 12:48 PM

Updated 997 days ago

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Subway riders rejoice, as six temporarily suspended subway lines was restored to full service beginning today.
Rush hour and weekday skip-stop express service on the J train had been suspended in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as weekday express service on the 6 train in the Bronx and the 7 train in Queens.
The MTA also suspended the B and Z trains, and the rush hour Rockaway Park branch of the A train, with the C, D, J, Q, and S trains providing service to the stations served by the suspended lines.
The lines, which has been suspended due to staffing issues caused by the COVID-19 Omicron surge, are returning to full service as ridership on subways has increased, with subway ridership at approximately 2.52 million people on Jan. 13, the highest since the start of the Omicron surge before Christmas, the MTA says.
Prior to the variant surge, subway ridership surpassed 3 million riders on an average weekday, and hit four pandemic records in four weeks, including 3.43 million on Dec. 9 last year.
"Fortunately, the number of people unavailable due to COVID in the last few days has diminished, therefore we are able to put all but one of the previously suspended subway lines back in action," says Acting MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "We have gone from 14% of our train operator and conductor workforce being out due to COVID down to 7%, and the numbers continue to drop every day."
Despite the challenge of the variant, subway service was maintained at all 472 stations, and the MTA provided at least 90% of service, says New York City Transit Senior Vice President for Subways Demetrius Crichlow.
But while ridership is on the rise, so are conversations surrounding safety in the subway system, with Mayor Eric Adams acknowledging to reporters Thursday that even he didn't feel entirely safe riding the rails just days after a woman was pushed to her death in front of a New York City subway train beneath Times Square.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.