W Line Was Temporarily Suspended Due to Crew Availability Amid Omicron Variant Surge in New York City
All Previously Suspended Subway Lines Are Restored
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the restoration of full weekday service starting Monday, Jan. 24. In order to keep subway service at all 472 subway stations during the COVID-19 Omicron variant surge in New York City, the MTA had adjusted service by suspending the trains.
No stations lost subway service as a result of this suspension; the train provided service in Queens and the trains provided service in Manhattan.
“Fortunately, the number of people unavailable due to COVID has eased in the last few days; therefore, we are able to restore service on the , the last subway line suspended during the omicron surge,” said 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.”
“Throughout this fall we have supported the city’s recovery by increasing our service levels month over month. The Omicron surge affected all of New York City, the subway included, which required strategic adjustments to be made on part-time lines that run alongside full-time lines while meeting our primary goal of providing service at all 472 subways stations,” said New York City Transit Interim President Craig Cipriano. “With crews returning, we can get back to our core mission of ever improving our customers’ public transportation experience.”
“Despite the challenges this variant created for our workforce, we maintained service at all 472 stations and provided 90-plus percent of service,” said New York City Transit Senior Vice President for Subways Demetrius Crichlow. “It is a credit to the Subways team, those who work behind-the-scenes and on the rails, that we have navigated the surge and now all subway lines that had been suspended have been restored to service.”
The restoration of full service on all previously suspended lines comes as ridership on subways has increased. On Thursday, Jan. 13, subway ridership was approximately 2.52 million, the highest since the start of Omicron surge just before Christmas. Prior to the Omicron surge, subways carried more than 3 million riders on an average weekday and hit four successive pandemic records in four weeks, including 3.43 million on Dec. 9, 2021.
Channels for Service Updates
Information about planned service changes is available through the MTA’s many real-time service information sources.
MYmta app – Customers who use the comprehensive MYmta smartphone app will see real-time travel information for all MTA services in one place.
new.MTA.info– The “Service Status” box at new.MTA.info is always the definitive source for the latest status for each line.
Live Subway Map – The Live Subway Map shows the real-time position of trains, planned service changes at any given time, highlight accessible stations, and much more.
Email and text message service updates – Customers are urged to sign up to receive alerts, tailored by specific branch and time of day, by visiting www.MyMTAAlerts.com.
Twitter – Twitter users can follow @MTA, @NYCTSubway and @NYCTBus to receive dynamic service updates and customer service support.
WhatsApp - NYC Transit incorporated using WhatsApp to expand the number of customer service channels available to riders and is especially helpful for non-native English speakers. Riders can receive customer service support in their native language through the help of Google Translate.
These communication channels can be accessed while at home or on the go. For customers who are located at stations, the MTA will post the latest service updates on digital signs at station platforms and will make audio announcements over public address systems, and on-board announcements made by train crews.
For those who prefer to contact the MTA by telephone, information is available by dialing 511, the New York State Travel Information Line. For customers calling from Connecticut, the number is 877-690-5114. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can use their preferred service provider for the free 711 relay to reach the MTA at 511.