New York City Subway Service Hours Expanding; Shutdown For Cleaning Will Soon Be 2 a.m. - 4 a.m.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The city that never sleeps is getting closer to returning to a key pre-pandemic standard.
As of Monday, Feb. 22, the New York City subway will shut down for just two hours a night for cleaning.
The subway will be closed from 2 a.m.-4 a.m., a reduction from the current 1 a.m.-5 a.m. shutdown.
The move comes as the city struggles to keep on top of a recent, disturbing surge in violent crime on the subway. Just this weekend a man was arrested for allegedly stabbing four people, killing two, in a random spree of attacks on the subway.
It was also viewed as a good idea to have the cars down for some time in order to do things like maintenance, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Pat Foye said the change will be helpful to accommodate more riders.
"At the same time, this two-hour service especially will allow us to continue our enhanced disinfecting regime, which has led the subways to be the cleanest they've ever been. We will never stop doing everything we can to protect riders and employees," Foye said.