Travel Bans Lifted For New York, New Jersey & Connecticut; Transit Services Resuming
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- All travel bans and some service suspensions were lifted Tuesday morning after a snowstorm pounded the Tri-State area.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the travel ban has been lifted in all counties.
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Gov. Chris Christie lifted the ban on travel in New Jersey at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. The restrictions were put in place on Monday night to aid plowing efforts.
I am asking everyone in NJ who doesn't have to drive this morning please don't. And those that do, please drive slow.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 27, 2015
In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced that a travel ban has been lifted for local roads and local travel in Fairfield and Litchfield counties. The remainder of the statewide travel ban was lifted at 2 p.m.
"We are working to get residents back on the road as soon as possible," Malloy said.
Even with the travel bans lifted, officials continue to urge drivers to stay off the roads if possible.
"You really don't want to be traveling today," Cuomo said. "As people get on the roads this morning, I would expect delays because, even with the plows and even with the salting and chemical preparations, the roads are still, while passable, they are not clear."
Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a ban on all non-emergency vehicles on city roads beginning at 11 p.m. Monday. That also has been lifted.
We have lifted the travel ban on our city's roads. If you have to drive today, please drive slowly and carefully.
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) January 27, 2015
Many transit services were coming back on line, too.
Limited subway service began at 9 a.m. with trains operating on a Sunday schedule by noon, Cuomo said. The system was completely shut down at 11 p.m. Monday.
The MTA said subways, buses and the Staten Island Railway will run regular weekday service on Wednesday.
Metro-North resumed service at 1 p.m. Tuesday, operating a Sunday schedule on the Hudson and Harlem lines and on the New Haven Line. The railroad will operate a regular schedule on Wednesday.
Long Island Rail Road service west of Babylon, Huntington, and Ronkonkoma resumed at noon on a weekend schedule.
As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, some parts of Penn Station appeared deserted on Tuesday.
"As far as I know it's running on the weekend schedule, so I really hope it works out," Kaitlin Chin said.
Trains began running again once the worst was over.
"The system is going to come back online much faster than it would have if the trains were exposed to the conditions and they were shoveling out this morning," Governor Cuomo said.
Many agreed that Governor Cuomo made the right call in shutting the system down completely.
"Yeah, of course, because it could have been dangerous," Ashley Peterson said.
But not everyone agreed.
"Why is the subway stopped? It makes no sense at all," Ghislain De Noue said.
NJ TRANSIT buses in northern New Jersey were running again by 11 a.m.
Limited NJ TRANSIT train service has resumed on a weekend schedule for the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line, Morris & Essex Midtown Direct, Raritan Valley Line, Atlantic City Rail Line, Port Jervis Line, Pascack Valley Line, and Main\Bergen County Lines.
The Montclair-Boonton and Gladstone Branch lines will not operate Tuesday due to crew shortages, NJ TRANSIT announced. Service on all lines is expected to resume on a regular weekday schedule on Wednesday.
Systemwide cross-honoring of NJ TRANSIT rail, bus, and light rail is in effect Tuesday and will continue through the end of Wednesday.
PATH service was restored at 9:30 a.m. and is running on a weekend schedule.
PATH commuters waiting for the first trains to leave Jersey City Tuesday seemed relatively satisfied with how things were handled.
Most didn't blame officials for listening to weather forecasts and said it was better to be safe than sorry.
But Vikram Kanagala, 33, who works in finance and was among those who arrived at the station before the security gates lifted, said he was frustrated by the response.
"Definitely unacceptable,'' he said, as he stood in the cold staring at the closed security gate. "I think they should have done a better job with real-world decisions.''
Ferries are operating on modified schedules.
MTA bridges and tunnels have also reopened. Port Authority bridges reopened at 9:30 a.m.
Amtrak will resume operation of its Acela Express and Northeast Regional trains on a modified schedule with reduced frequencies between New York and Boston on Wednesday. Service between the two cities was canceled for Tuesday in anticipation of the storm. A full schedule of trains will operate between New York and Washington on Wednesday as well.
In Westchester County, Bee-Line and ParaTransit buses were suspended Monday and will not resume service until road conditions improve Wednesday.
The Port Authority said flights will be operating from Newark Liberty International on a limited basis Tuesday, while "minimal activity'' is expected at John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports.
A few planes were seen departing Newark during the morning. The airport was scattered with people whose flights had been canceled and who were waiting to get out.
"They told me that my flight was moved to Wednesday during the day, so I had to stay here all night,'' said Demetrius Symonette, who was trying to get home from the Bahamas. "Today I think I'll go to a hotel.''
About 900 arrivals and departures had already been canceled at Newark as of early Tuesday morning. That represents about three-quarters of all scheduled flights.
Kenzie Knop and Sean Hale from Denver said they were the only passengers still stuck at LaGuardia after all flights in and out of the airport were canceled.
Both had to camp out overnight.
"I wasn't prepared," Hale told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez. "I didn't have no money for a hotel or anything, so I called my uncle but the weather was so bad he couldn't get out either."
"I haven't been comfortable enough to sleep, so I haven't slept at all," said Knop.
The only people busy at area airports Tuesday morning were the crews clearing away mounds of snow off the runways and tarmacs.
By Tuesday afternoon a handful of flights were operating in and out of LaGuardia.
Sherri Santiago and her family were on the first flight into LaGuardia after the overnight storm.
"Everybody was going crazy when we landed," she said.
Kenzie Knop was excited to have a ticket on the first flight out.
"I was looking for flights for early tomorrow morning. So, the fact that I'm getting out today is a miracle," she told CBS2's Hazel Sanchez.
Knop's original flight on Delta was cancelled so she spent the night at LaGuardia. She's relieved she won't have to do that again.
"I'm shocked. My family's shocked. They think I'm lying to them. So I'm like so stoked to get through security and hop on that plane as fast as I can," she said.
SPIRIT Airlines had six incoming flights and five outgoing. JetBlue had four inbound and outbound flights.
Travelers are urged to check with their carriers for possible cancellations.
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