What you should know
- Regular users of the New York City subway have already noticed something recently about their trips: changes in train times.
- The problem appears to be that the MTA does not have enough healthy crew members to operate the entire fleet of trains. Because of this, commuters found themselves with a modified schedule on Monday.
- Although they are currently grappling with personnel issues, MTA officials believe the personnel crisis could be over soon.
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NEW YORK – Regular users of the New York City subway have already noticed something about their trips recently: changes to train times.
“Lately for like the last month and a half, delays. I sat at the station for about 30 minutes waiting for it to come out [el tren] N, “said traveler David Segarra.
The problem appears to be that the MTA does not have enough healthy crew members to operate the entire fleet of trains. Because of this, commuters found themselves with a modified schedule on Monday.
With train B stopped, commuters need train C or D instead; with the W not running, the N is running the same route in Queens; and there is no Z train, which makes the J train take over.
“Where we had redundant service, we closed some lines so we could make use of the train crews that we have,” said NYC Transit Acting President Craig Cipriano.
Cipriano went on to say that staffing levels are in much better shape than the peak of the pandemic when the MTA cleaned trains overnight and brought 24-hour service to a complete halt. Back then, thousands of workers were on sick leave. Currently, sources say there are hundreds, but Cipriano would not say exactly how many workers are currently out
Another concern is the reality that some passengers are hesitant to ride crowded trains and buses, as the latest variant travels with alarming speed.
“I’m a little scared with Omicron and people don’t wear their masks as much on the subway,” said commuter Ashton Waldron.
However, the MTA insists that, as of mid-December, 90% of the passengers were wearing masks, although 10% of them were not wearing masks correctly.
Although they are currently grappling with personnel issues, MTA officials believe the personnel crisis could be over soon.
“We are hopeful that the numbers are starting to stabilize, but we have plans in place if we need to modify the service,” Cipriano said.
That adjustment could mean a few extra minutes between trains, but the MTA hopes it won’t be necessary.
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