New York to resume 24-hour subway service

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced it will resume 24-hour subway service on May 17 – more than a year after it began closing every night for cleaning in the wake of the pandemic.

The state of New York will also end its outdoor food and beverage curfew on the same day, as falling COVID-19 cases see the city gradually return to normality.

“COVID-19 is on the decline in New York City and across New York State, and as we shift our focus to rebuilding our economy, helping businesses and putting people back to work, it’s time to bring the subway back to full capacity,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

The MTA originally made the decision to shut down the subway for four hours every night in May 2020 to allow for deep cleaning, and in February 2021 it reduced this window by two hours, to between 2 am and 4 am.

The subway lost close to 90 percent of its weekday ridership during the height of the pandemic, but passengers have gradually started to return.

In April, data from mobility platform Moovit revealed that passenger numbers were 36 percent below their pre-pandemic levels.

Public Safety

A September 2020 study commissioned by the American Public Transportation Association found that there is no direct correlation between public transit use and COVID-19 spread, either worldwide or in New York City – provided people wear masks, and trains and buses are well-ventilated and cleaned regularly.

The study’s author, former NYC Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz, said the misinformation circulating about the link between COVID-19 and transit was “appalling”.

Masks will still be required on the subway network, a mandate the Transportation Security Administration recently extended until September, but the MTA has stated that mask compliance is almost universal, with more than 97 percent of customers honouring the requirement.

Betsy Plum, Executive Director of the New York area rider advocacy group Riders Alliance, said the restoration of service is a win for passengers.

“After more than a year of punishing overnight commutes that impacted tens of thousands of essential workers, New Yorkers will see a long overdue return to a crucial part of normalcy,” said Plum.

She added: “New York is a 24/7 city because of our subway. The restoration of 24/7 service is a victory not only for the city’s reopening but for New Yorkers’ determination to hold our public officials accountable.”

Image: MTA