NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- W and Z trains were suspended Wednesday amid a shortage of workers available to operate the lines.
The MTA announced the suspensions Wednesday morning, saying, “Like everyone in New York, we've been affected by the COVID surge. We're running as much train service as we can with the operators we have available.”
The transit authority asked W train commuters to use the N train in Queens or R train in Manhattan.
The W line has seven stops in Queens, beginning at Astroia Ditmars Boulevard. The line enters Manhattan at Lexington Avenue/59th Street and completes its run at Whitehall Street South Ferry.
Z trains also weren’t running Wednesday, with J trains making local stops in Brooklyn and Queens “to provide more local service,” the MTA tweeted.
At this point, when service will return on the W and Z lines isn’t clear.
Subway service was also expected to come with slight delays throughout the day on the A, E , G, and R lines, according to officials.
The issues weren’t a surprise to the MTA, which had anticipated this earlier in the week due to “dramatic” rises in virus cases.
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"What we're doing is just like we've been doing for some time during COVID, which is dealing with the fact that we have a little tightness on crews by adjusting schedules slightly. People are not going to see dramatic changes they may wait a minute or two longer on a platform," MTA CEO Janno Lieber told WINS.
Lieber said they had even invited retirees to return to work and offered incentives for current workers to hold off on vacations.
The MTA tweeted earlier this week to expect possible service issues due to COVID, saying, “This Monday through Thursday, trains will run less frequently than usual” due to COVID-related issues. That tweet remains pinned on their profile Wednesday.
"The MTA is operating 24/7 service to all stations and keeping customers informed in real time about any adjustments from normal schedules. As always, customers should check for service updates and real-time arrival information at MTA.info, the MYmta app, digital screens at stations, or on social media, and should sign up for service alerts via text or email at mymtaalerts.com,” MTA Spokesperson Aaron Donovan said in a statement to WINS.
Demetrius Crichlow, New York City Transit’s senior vice president for the subway, said that over the past week there has been a 25% jump in the number of workers calling out sick.
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