Much Of LIRR, Remaining Subways To Resume Monday; Metro-North, NJ TRANSIT Customers Face Snags
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Seven of the 12 Long Island Rail Road branches are set to resume service early Monday morning, after being shut down by the near record-setting blizzard this weekend.
The remaining subway lines that have been partially out of service due to the blizzard will also resume Monday morning. The blizzard dumped 26.8 inches of snow on Central Park for the second highest total in recorded history.
The Port Washington, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma, Huntington, Babylon and Greenport branches will be back in operation effective at 5 a.m. Monday, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Partial service will also be available on the Montauk branch as far as Speonk, the MTA said.
LINKS: Latest| Radar | Travel Guide | Airports | Schools | Live Blog |Videos | PHOTOS: Blizzard Strikes Tri-State Area
Many Long Island Rail Road yards were still buried in snow Sunday morning, and tracks were impeded by stranded trains in some spots.
As of late Sunday, the LIRR said additional work still needed to be done on the Hempstead, West Hempstead, Long Beach and Far Rockaway branches. LIRR service to Atlantic Terminal also remained suspended, with the MTA cross-honoring LIRR-to-subway tickets for commuters.
But for Sunday night commuters, service was still suspended, leaving many riders like Victoria Santiago stranded, CBS2's Hazel Sanchez reported. She was stuck at the Mineola station and can't get home to her children in West Babylon.
"Really frustrating, I just finished crying because I don't know what to do," she said.
While some snow-clearing equipment is able to run, frozen switches are preventing them from getting to some areas in need, Sanchez reported.
"Obviously, Monday morning from Long Island without the LIRR operating is not a pretty picture," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "So the LIRR is doing everything they can to be up and ready by Monday morning, but we don't know that yet."
"I was thinking it would be running because actually, for New Yorkers we've seen worse than this," said Jermaine Peebles.
Peebles, of Queens, needs the LIRR to visit his 10-year-old son – who is hospitalized in Mineola.
"I had to wait until this morning to take a cab. And they charged me extra bucks to get here, because there wasn't too many people wanting to come outside," he said.
Telichia Cunningham was also stranded in Mineola.
"I can't believe it's not running yet," Telichia Cunningham said.
She's hoping the LIRR will be back by Monday morning's commute, and she's not alone.
"There's people who work in hospitals. There's people who work in airports. There's places that never close. In New York City, there's people who don't drive vehicles because the transportation is so effective. However, this is not being effective at all," said Cunningham.
As for New York City's subways, most above-ground service was back online at 9 a.m. Sunday, but nearly all lines were running with delays. The Staten Island Railway also resumed service Sunday.
The MTA said it hopes to have all subway service restored by the Monday morning commute.
Officials said PATH service between Newark and Journal Square will remain suspended during the morning rush hour commute, as clean-up efforts continue overnight. PATH service will operate on four lines, with service between Journal Square and the World Trade Center, Journal Square to 33rd Street, Hoboken to the World Trade Center and Hoboken to 33rd Street.
Meanwhile, NJ TRANSIT resumed its light rail service late Sunday morning. In the midday hours Sunday, there was a lot of grumbling in the NJ TRANSIT waiting area at Penn Station, 1010 WINS' Samantha Liebman reported.
"This one's canceled, canceled, canceled, canceled," one man said. "It looks they're starting to run around 2 or 3."
People were waiting anxiously when the status of the first on-time train disappeared from the board.
"They just opened up the gates so that we could get into the transit terminal at 1 o'clock when NJ TRANSIT said they were going to be open at 12," one commuter said. "So far, everything's been canceled up until now which is 2:14, and we're looking for another one to be canceled as we speak."
The 2:16 p.m. train to Trenton was not canceled, but it was late. Many complained that officials should have been more specific regarding service.
NJ TRANSIT announced late Sunday that it would resume regular weekday rail service Monday morning – with the exception of the Gladstone Branch along the Morris and Essex lines. Substitute bus service will be in place between Gladstone and Summit, and private carrier bus service will cross-honor NJ TRANSIT passes along the branch.
Riders were urged to allow extra travel time in case weather-related issues cause delays.
Customers should check www.njtransit.com for updates.
MTA Cleans Up Roads, Rails After Snow Storm Sweeps New York City
Metro-North trains began running at 12:30 p.m., and trains leaving Grand Central Terminal began departing starting at 3 p.m., Cuomo said.
But for dozens of people in Bronxville waiting for a Metro-North train into the city, Sunday afternoon was a source of confusion, WCBS 880's Stephanie Colombini reported.
One commuter, Bonnie Burke, reported arriving at noon, expecting a train at 12:51 p.m. that did not arrive.
Metro-North had warned riders that its automated train schedules were not updated to factor in service changes for the blizzard. But not everyone got the memo.
Upon learning the first train coming through Bronxville would arrive at 2:23 p.m., Mark Barbera said, "That's not going to work for us, so we'll have to leave, I think."
Barbera and his wife had plans in the city they just could not miss, so after an hour of waiting, they just decided to drive.
For more information, visit, www.mta.info.
And while commuters may have an easier time getting around, not everything will be back to normal Monday. The Department of Sanitation reported that there will be no trash or recycling pickups since snow operations are under way.
The department said it will update when collection resumes.
