More Subway, Commuter Rail, Ferry Service Resumes For Monday Morning Commute
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Mass transit continues to slowly get back to normal, especially for residents in some of the hardest hit areas.
On Sunday morning shortly before 8 a.m., A train service was extended to the Howard Beach Station.
From there, shuttle bus service will connect riders to the Mott Ave. - Far Rockaway Station.
Hundreds of feet of track were destroyed in the storm and there is no working signal system across the North Channel Bridge, which connects Howard Beach to Broad Channel.
New Jersey commuters will have several more options for getting into Manhattan in time for the Monday morning rush, officials announced.
WEB EXTRA: PATH Service Updates | NJ TRANSIT Updates
Govs. Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday afternoon that PATH rail service will resume at the Newark Penn and Harrison stations to Manhattan starting at 5 a.m. Monday.
PATH service will run in both directions from Newark Penn to 33rd Street in Manhattan through 10 p.m.
The temporary line also will include stops at Journal Square, Grove Street and Newport stations in New Jersey and at the 14th, 23rd and 33rd Street stations in Manhattan. Trains will bypass Christopher and 9th streets in New York.
Last week, PATH service was restored from Journal Square to 33rd Street.
Disabled passengers will have access to the platforms only at Newark, Journal Square and 33rd Street.
PATH service remains suspended at the Hoboken, Exchange Place and World Trade Center stations.
Due to significant damage that resulted from the unprecedented and widespread flooding in the PATH tunnels and multiple stations, officials cautioned that it will be several weeks before resumption of service on the Newark-World Trade Center line and the lines to and from Hoboken.
In addition, more NJ TRANSIT commuter rail lines are due to hit the tracks in time for the Monday morning commute.
NJ TRANSIT officials announced over the weekend that limited service will begin Monday morning on the Bergen and Pascack Valley Lines.
MORE: Check Traffic And Transit Before You Go
Limited service will also begin from High Bridge to Newark on the Raritan Valley line.
To assist with the strain from suspended PATH train service in and out of Hoboken, the transit agency also announced a new discounted ferry service will run starting Monday morning from Hoboken Terminal to Pier 79 on West 39th Street in Manhattan.
$10 roundtrip tickets will be available at a special booth at the Hoboken terminal. Riders will also be able to use free New York Waterway shuttle buses for transport once in Manhattan, officials announced.
Since superstorm Sandy, Hoboken residents were mostly limited to Port Authority bus service, which had been running long delays due to overcrowding.
"We have been trying to put up an awful lot of new services to make up for the rail service that's been lost due to the hurricane, especially service along the Northeast Corridor,'' NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein told The Associated Press. "Rail service won't be back to normal soon by any stretch, but people will be able to make their trips (in and out of New York).''
Free shuttle bus/ferry service is also being offered from the Meadowlands to Weehawken to Midtown Manhattan, running during rush hour Monday through Friday.
The buses pick up from MetLife Stadium lots J and K between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and make runs from the Weehawken ferry stop back to the lot from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.
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