NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The MTA plans to increase Metro-North service to 82 percent of pre-pandemic levels for Labor Day weekend — part of its plan to gradually increased train trips on the railroad.
Weekday service will hit 82 percent, while weekend service will run at 100 percent, beginning Sunday, Aug. 29, for the busy travel holiday and as more businesses map out their office reopenings.
“Throughout this pandemic we have matched service levels with ridership demand, and as we gear up for more people to return to the office and school, we are increasing service to meet that demand,” said Catherine Rinaldi, President of Metro-North Railroad in a statement.
“Our weekend ridership has recovered the fastest which is why we felt comfortable restoring weekend service to pre-pandemic levels, and hope to do the same with weekday service in the near future,” she added.
The MTA began restoring service in June 2020, with trains running at 63 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The authority increased services to about 67 percent this June.
The agency more broadly has struggled to balanced restoring service with existing staffing levels. Worker shortages led to more than 10,600 canceled subway trips this June, THE CITY reported.