The MTA will soon cease overnight subway service, an unprecedented disruption that will allow crews to disinfect trains more frequently to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
In a joint press conference on Thursday, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio said that subways will not run between the hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. for the duration of the pandemic. The indefinite shutdown will begin the morning of May 6th.
Subway ridership has plummeted by 92 percent since the COVID-19 crisis began, and only 10,000 people were using the system during the overnight window, officials said. The MTA will provide buses, for-hire vehicles and "dollar vans" for essential workers traveling at night.
"This is as ambitious as anything we've ever undertaken, and it's going to require a lot of extraordinary effort from a lot of agencies working together," Cuomo said. He described the closure as "a task no one has ever imagined before."
The 24-hour subway system, unique in the United States, has long been a hallmark of the city. In recent decades, that service has only been suspended briefly, including during the blizzard of 2015, Hurricane Sandy, and after the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Listen to Stephen Nessen discussion the late night shutdown with Jami Floyd on All Things Considered:
The bombshell announcement follows Cuomo's demand on Wednesday that the MTA begin disinfecting trains on a nightly basis. The governor singled out the number of homeless New Yorkers seeking shelter in the transit system, describing their presence "disgusting and disrespectful."
De Blasio said the curtailed hours would allow for the city to better address that "unacceptable reality." Both state police and NYPD officers will provide a "robust and sustainable" presence during the overnight shutdown, the governor said.
Metro North and the Long Island Railroad trains will also be disinfected regularly, but without service interruptions.
Transit advocates cautioned that the subway shutdown should be a short-term intervention, and must be paired with increased bus service for frontline workers.
"Even during a crisis, New York is and will be a 24/7 city," said Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum. "Governor Cuomo's suspension of subway service must be strictly temporary while a longer-term solution is developed and implemented. And, in the meantime, the governor must ensure that riders have access to safe, reliable, and frequent replacement bus service."
