Subway Service Is Cut by a Quarter Because of Coronavirus

Personnel shortages forced the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees subways, buses and two commuter rails, to temporarily eliminate service on three express subway lines: the B, the W and the Z.

So far, 52 MTA workers have tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said, and worker shortages have caused around 800 service delays.

Patrick J. Foye, the chairman of the MTA, characterized the decision as a necessary measure to stem the spread of the virus, keep transit workers safe and respond to the declines in ridership.

“Most people should stay off mass transit,” Foye said. “The step we are taking today is a tenet to advance the governor’s goals of flattening the curve of positive cases and slowing the spread of the virus.”

Starting Wednesday, the authority will reduce bus service by around 25%. On Friday, it will cut service on the Long Island Rail Road by around 35% and service on Metro-North Railroad, which serves communities north of New York City, by around 50% though extra trains will run during peak hours.

Seven express subway lines, including the No. 4, 5, 6, 7 and the J and D lines, will run locally on all or part of their routes.

New York City’s transportation system typically carries 8 million riders each weekday. But the sudden and steep drops in ridership have severely strained the authority’s operating budget, about half of which comes from fares and tolls.

On Monday, ridership had dropped 70% on buses compared to the same day last year. Ridership on Metro-North dropped 94% and on the Long Island Rail Road fell 76% at the end of last week compared with the same period last year, officials said.

“It was just a matter of time for this logical next step. With increasing worker shortages and decreasing ridership, we appreciate that the MTA will keep a good level of service to get front line workers where they need to go,” said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, a watchdog group.

The MTA expects revenue losses of roughly $3.7 billion if ridership trends continue for the next several months, and projects that coronavirus-related expenses, like disinfecting its equipment, will reach around $300 million.

These estimates do not take into account what is sure to be a major drop in the roughly $6 billion the authority receives from dedicated state and local taxes.

The reduction in service allows the MTA to lower its operating costs and help stave off what the authority has called a “financial calamity.”

But health professionals have raised concerns that running fewer trains will lead to more crowding on trains that remain in service, increasing the risk that passengers — many of whom are essential workers like doctors and nurses — are exposed to the virus during their commute.

“We are trying to practice social distancing, and it’s already very hard on the subways to keep that 6-foot distance. But the more crowded it is, the more likely it is that people will be spreading” the virus more, said Dr. Stephen S. Morse, an epidemiology professor at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

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Some transit advocates have voiced similar concerns. They point to Boston, where recent reductions in service led to overcrowded trains and prompted transit authorities to reconsider their modified schedules.

The MTA should keep service running where it can and ensure “that it runs frequently enough that those people are safe,” said Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for Riders Alliance, an advocacy group. “Public transit right now is the linchpin of public health. The majority of our key categories of essential workers go to work on our subways and buses.”

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MTA officials said they do not believe the reductions in service will result in overcrowding given the current number of riders.

On Monday, the MTA joined transit agencies across the country in urging congressional leaders to allocate $25 billion in their next stimulus package for transportation systems. The MTA has requested a $4 billion federal bailout while New Jersey Transit has appealed for $1.25 billion, though it is likely the agencies will need more federal assistance as the crisis continues.

On Tuesday night, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, indicated that the aid plan, which is currently being finalized, includes funds for transit agencies.

“In my current negotiations, there is now broad agreement that mass transit needs a significant infusion, and that is positive news for New York and the MTA,” he said.

“The $4 billion is the minimum they need for right now, but that’s not going to be enough to solve the long term financial problems of the agency,” said Rachael Fauss, a senior research analyst at Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group.

In a desperate step to fill the financial shortfall, the MTA drew down $1 billion on its existing line of credit last week.

Aside from saving money, the reduction in service could be an important step to ensure that transit workers stay healthy and are able to keep the system running.

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On Monday, facing pressure from the largest transit workers union, the authority sought to protect bus drivers from being exposed to sick passengers. The authority is now asking bus riders to board through the rear door, which will allow for more space between riders and drivers at the front of buses and effectively makes those bus lines free.

On express buses, riders must still board those buses in the front and pay, though they will not be allowed to sit in the first three rows.

“They need people to run the system,” Morse said. “If they are running with fewer personnel then the MTA could presumably stagger the shifts more and do other things to protect their own personnel.”

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The decision to reduce service in New York follows similar announcements in most major American cities, including Boston, Chicago and Washington.

Last week, New Jersey Transit, which operates a vast network of commuter railroads, announced that it would reduce service on some of its rail lines after ridership dropped 88% since the beginning of March.

DeCamp Bus Lines, which is based in Montclair, New Jersey, and provides commuter service to many surrounding communities, said it would suspend all service starting Wednesday morning.

In New York, MTA officials had resisted reducing service on the subways and buses, instead urging sick people to stay out of those networks, and advising riders to avoid densely packed train cars.

Officials have emphasized that they do not plan to shut down the system entirely or close down roadways because essential workers rely on the system to get to their workplaces.

The public transit system in New York City has only shut down twice in the past decade, both times as a result of hurricanes when tunnels and stations were flooded and badly damaged.

“We are not shutting down, we are not going anywhere,” Foye said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .