By: SD
The winter storm “Kenan” hit the northeastern United States on January 29, bringing blizzards, snow showers and polar cold. Wind gusts of up to 120 km/h have been recorded by the National Weather Service (NWS). The state of emergency had to be declared in the states of New York and New Jersey, the authorities advising in particular to avoid non-essential journeys.
Agents from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York’s public transport operator, were on the front line to combat the effects of the storm on the network. The subway network’s underground lines were unaffected by the storm, but more than 350 km of exterior tracks across the metropolis were.
The agents ensured the pre-positioning of the snow removal machines, while the platforms and the stairs of the stations were salted to avoid bad falls. They had to work tirelessly, day and night, to try to maintain service across the entire transportation system by preserving signaling, switches, and third rail. MTA’s Metro-North Railroad system that serves the northern suburbs of New York and part of Connecticut was partially closed. While the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) network, where commuter trains run that serve 124 stations east of the metropolis, had to completely suspend traffic to clear the tracks. Service was restored in time for the Monday morning rush hour. On Long Island, nearly 50 cm of snow had fallen in a few hours…
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