NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – The subway will now only be closed for two hours each night.
The subway has been closed from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. since May 6 for COVID-related deep-cleaning and disinfecting at all 472 stations and on thousands of trains.
But riders got two hours back starting Monday morning. The subway will now only be closed between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. for cleaning.
"What we do during those two hours is intensely disinfect subway cars and stations, far more productive and efficient to do that without passengers on platforms or passengers on cars," MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye said. "We're going to continue to do that as directed by the CDC and the EPA."
Foye said the two hours that were restored account for about nearly 70% of the ridership during the 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. closure period.
"So nearly 70% of customers are now being accommodated and frankly we look forward as soon as possible to restoring 24 hours service," Foye said.
New York’s famous 24/7 subway service ground to a halt last spring amid the pandemic. The MTA said it is expanding service as the state continues its reopening amid improving coronavirus numbers.
In a statement, the MTA said, “This partial reopening supports the city’s ongoing reopening of commerce and reflects positive trends including increasing vaccinations, drops in the COVID infection and hospitalization rates, the resumption of indoor dining, extended hours for bars and restaurants, and the reopening of arenas and stadiums.”
A survey by Hofstra University that was published last month found three out of four riders felt safer riding the subway as a result of the cleaning.
“The continued partial suspension will allow for the most aggressive disinfection regimen in MTA history, as recommended by federal and international public health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control, Environmental Protection Agency and World Health Organization,” MTA Chairman Pat Foye said.
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