MTA suddenly suspends three train lines due to staff shortages – Telemundo New York (47)

The MTA suspended three New York City train lines without notice Thursday morning as it faces a staff shortage due to an increase in COVID-19 cases among staff.

The agency stopped all B, Z and W trains just before rush hour started.

Meanwhile, the J, D and 5 trains made local stops to try to help passengers reach their destination, the MTA announced on social media.

“Like everyone else in New York, we have been affected by the rise in COVID,” the MTA said on Twitter. “We are offering as much train service as we can with the operators that we have available.”

On Sunday, the MTA announced that the trains would be running “less frequently than usual” due to an increase in sick personnel.

It was unclear how many members of the MTA’s workforce had tested positive for coronavirus, but the agency has grappled with low vaccination rates even before the arrival of the Omicron strain, which can also infect those vaccinated.

Janno Lieber, interim president and CEO of the MTA, said in an interview Monday on 1010WINS that “New Yorkers will not see dramatic changes; they can wait another minute or two on a platform.”

“We have a lot more people due to COVID,” he told the radio station. “But we are making these adjustments and the service is working as we have since the beginning of COVID. We are not going to let New York down. “

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