NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo, MTA Chairman, and CEO Pat Foye, and NYC Transit Interim President Sarah Feinberg on Monday announced a phased reopening of subways later this month during a joint virtual news conference.
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline, the MTA will also begin to adjust, according to Foye.
The phased reopening goes into effect on Monday, Feb. 22. Subways will stay open until 2 a.m. and reopen at 4 a.m.
“We have been planning, in recent weeks, for our own reopening and return of overnight service, and we have determined that a shortened overnight closure is an appropriate step forward towards the return of around the clock service,” Feinberg said.
The MTA will continue to clean overnight cleaning in order to ensure the subways are a safe environment for all passengers.
With thousands of New Yorkers depending on the city's subways to get around, Gov. Cuomo said reopening the subways is an important step into fully reopening New York’s economy.
“We want to accelerate the reopening and stimulate the reopening of the economy. Many people have had significant pain and suffering with this economic shutdown. The MTA is obviously vital to the reopening and the stimulation of the economy,” Cuomo said.
Subway service was shut down between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. last May, in order to allow transit workers to disinfect trains as amid COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed the city and state. Subways currently close from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. nightly so that every train car can be properly disinfected, and all stations can be cleaned.
In addition to calling for an additional 1,000 NYPD officers to be deployed into the city’s transit system following multiple fatal stabbings on the A train over the weekend, Feinberg and Foye also stressed that more mental health services are needed to be in the city’s subway system as well.
“Additional policing will not solve the mental health crisis or the fact that so many in the subway system are experiencing homelessness and therefore, more likely to be victimized. We have to put additional resources to these items as well. To that end, we've called on the city to expand the 311 system into the subway so people using the system, including our own employees, are better able to report those who are clearly experiencing a mental health crisis,” Feinberg added.